The government has banned teaching foreign languages ​​to young children

The Iranian government on Tuesday banned the teaching of foreign languages, including English and Arabic, to young children.

The Iranian government has banned the teaching of all foreign languages, including English and Arabic, to young children, official media reported on Tuesday.

IRNA, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s news agency, quoted Massoud Tehrani-Farjad, an official at the Ministry of Education, as confirming that the measure would be extended to primary school.

“The teaching of foreign languages ​​is forbidden in kindergarten, nursery schools and elementary schools because it is at this age that a child’s Iranian identity is formed,” said Masoud Tehrani-Farjad.

First hurdle in 2018

The Islamic Republic already banned the teaching of English in primary schools in 2018, calling it a “cultural invasion”, although the language is taught in Iran from secondary school onwards.

“The ban on teaching foreign languages ​​is not only about English, but also about other languages, including Arabic,” said Massoud Tehrani-Farjad.

Persian, the only official language in Iran, is heavily influenced by Arabic, but also borrows from French and English.

In June 2022, the Ministry of Education outlined its plan to start “experimental teaching of French” in schools across the country to “break the monopoly of the English language”.

In September, the government banned Iranian or dual-national students from attending international schools, saying Iranian children were obliged to follow the country’s school curriculum.

This decision led to a sudden drop in the number of some schools in Tehran, especially French and German.