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Iran bans foreign languages from being taught in kindergarten, elementary school

"The ban on teaching foreign languages applies not only to English but also to other languages, including Arabic," Education Ministry spokesman Masud Tehrani Farjad added

TASS, October 17. The Iranian authorities have banned all foreign languages, including English and Arabic, from being taught in kindergartens and elementary schools.

"Teaching foreign languages is banned in kindergartens and elementary schools because at this age a child's Iranian identity is formed," Education Ministry spokesman Masud Tehrani Farjad told IRNA news agency.

"The ban on teaching foreign languages applies not only to English but also to other languages, including Arabic," he added.

In 2018, Iran banned English from being taught in elementary school, but allowed it to be taught to middle school students.

Persian is the only official language in Iran. In June 2022, Iran's Education Ministry announced a plan to begin "teaching French on a trial basis" in schools across the country to "eliminate English’s monopoly."

In September, Tehran banned Iranian and dual-citizen students from attending international schools in the country. The authorities stated that the children were obliged to learn under the Iranian school program.

This summer, the Higher Education Council allowed students to study Russian, Italian, Chinese, German and French in addition to English and Arabic. English language learning was declared optional and students were allowed to choose a foreign language from a list of options.

Learning Arabic was considered compulsory, but only as the language of the Koran and only in primary school. For the rest of the students, courses in spoken Arabic were optional.

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