Editing Languages of Iran (section)

== Foreign languages taught in schools ==
{{Main|Iran Language Institute}}

=== English ===

English is taught in secondary schools (first and second high school) and some non-governmental and public schools as an extra-curricular subject. 

As of 2023, according to an official of the Iranian Ministry of Education, students were no longer required to learn English, downgrading the language to the optional level.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-16 |title=English Downgraded To 'Optional' At Iran’s Schools |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202307162410 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref>

The language was banned in 2018, before the larger ban in 2023, from being taught in primary schools, with the subject being called a "cultural invasion".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-01-08 |title=Iran bans English from being taught in primary schools |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42610755 |access-date=2024-10-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The decision was made in order to strengthen the Persian language.

=== French ===

Iran's school curriculum has included French since 2022, to provide an alternative to English.

French was also the second official language of Iran until the 1950s, with elite French co-ed schools being common amongst the upper class of Iran.

A great number of words of French origin have entered the Persian language since the early modern period. 

=== Arabic ===

Arabic, being recognised as the language of Islam in the [[Constitution of Iran]], was taught alongside English, for religious purposes throughout kindergarten and primary school, until 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran |url=http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/research/iran-constitution.html#:~:text=Article%2016%20%5BArabic%20Language%5D,in%20all%20areas%20of%20study |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=University of Minnesota Human Rights Library}}</ref>

Following the 2023 ban on languages besides Persian being taught in all kindergarten and primary schools, Arabic has been taught only throughout secondary school (grades 7-12).<ref name=":1" />

As of October 2023, Iran has banned the teaching of foreign languages, including Arabic, in all primary and kindergarten schools. The ban is intended to help preserve Iranian identity in children at a young age.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Iran Bans Teaching Foreign Languages To Kids |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-bans-teaching-foreign-languages-to-kids-c38b801c |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=barrons.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Arabic taught in schools is Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, which is used in Islamic liturgy.

=== Additional Languages ===

A number of foreign languages are taught in Iran, optionally. The languages vary on the choice of the school and students.

French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and, more recently, Chinese are allowed as additional languages based on choices made by schools and students.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-09 |title=Iran Adds Chinese To List Of Language Allowed To Be Taught At Schools |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202307099692 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref>

In recent years, some government officials have also suggested that instead of English, the teaching of Russian, Chinese and German languages should be supported in Iran.<ref name=":2" />

The addition of Mandarin Chinese as an optional subject took place in July 2023, the law, adding Chinese to the list of foreign languages that can be taught in Iranian middle and high schools, was endorsed by the then President of Iran, [[Ebrahim Raisi]].<ref name=":2" />