Tehran: Iran has banned the teaching of all foreign languages, including English and Arabic, in kindergartens and primary schools, with immediate effect, state media reported Tuesday.
“The teaching of foreign languages is prohibited in kindergartens, nursery schools and primary schools, because at this age, the Iranian identity of the child is being formed,” said Massoud Tehrani-Farjad, an education ministry official, according to IRNA news agency.
The Islamic Republic had already banned the teaching of English in primary schools in 2018, although it is taught from secondary school onwards.
“The ban on the teaching of foreign languages does not only concern English, but also other languages, including Arabic,” underlined Tehrani-Farjad.
Persian, the only official language in Iran, is strongly influenced by Arabic but also borrows from French and English.
The ministry of education had in June 2022 signaled its plan to begin a “trial to teach French” in schools across the country to “eliminate the monopoly of the English language.”
In September, the government banned Iranian or dual-national students from attending international schools, saying Iranian children had an obligation to follow the country’s school curriculum.
The decision led to a sudden drop in the number of students in some international schools in Tehran, including French and German institutions.
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Iran bans teaching foreign languages to kids
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https://arab.news/2fr9n
Iran bans teaching foreign languages to kids
- The Islamic Republic had already banned the teaching of English in primary schools in 2018
- Persian is strongly influenced by Arabic but also borrows from French and English
Over 50,000 Moroccans evacuated due to severe weather: ministry
RABAT: More than 50,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern Morocco due to severe weather and heavy rainfall affecting several provinces, the interior ministry told AFP on Tuesday.
The evacuations began on Friday, mostly in Larache province, where the city of Ksar El Kebir — about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Tangier — has seen significant flooding, the ministry said.
Evacuees were partly taken in by relatives elsewhere, while those requiring assistance were sent to temporary shelters set up by the authorities, according to the ministry.
Morocco’s national weather service forecast heavy rains, strong winds and snowfall at altitudes above 1,500 meters from Monday to Wednesday in several provinces.
Authorities said the Moroccan army had been deployed to support relief efforts on the instructions of King Mohammed VI.
Last December, 37 people were killed in sudden floods in Safi, in Morocco’s deadliest weather-related disaster in the past decade.
In recent weeks, severe weather and flooding in neighboring Algeria killed two people, including a child.
In Tunisia, at least five people are dead, with others still missing, after the country saw its heaviest rainfall in over 70 years last month.
The evacuations began on Friday, mostly in Larache province, where the city of Ksar El Kebir — about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Tangier — has seen significant flooding, the ministry said.
Evacuees were partly taken in by relatives elsewhere, while those requiring assistance were sent to temporary shelters set up by the authorities, according to the ministry.
Morocco’s national weather service forecast heavy rains, strong winds and snowfall at altitudes above 1,500 meters from Monday to Wednesday in several provinces.
Authorities said the Moroccan army had been deployed to support relief efforts on the instructions of King Mohammed VI.
Last December, 37 people were killed in sudden floods in Safi, in Morocco’s deadliest weather-related disaster in the past decade.
In recent weeks, severe weather and flooding in neighboring Algeria killed two people, including a child.
In Tunisia, at least five people are dead, with others still missing, after the country saw its heaviest rainfall in over 70 years last month.
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