The head of the state-run High Education Council, Mehdi Navid-Adham, said to local TV on Sunday that English classes in primary schools are "against laws and regulations." He added that English was no longer part of the educational curriculum. High school students will keep learning English, the official added.
Accroding to Mehdi Navid-Adham, primary schools will now focus on the Farsi language and classes of Iranian culture.
The news comes after an announcement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps regarding recent protests. The Revolutionary Guard declared that the demonstrations had been orchestrated with the help of external forces, including the United States and Britain, and had been successfully suppressed.
A wave of protests has swept across the country in recent weeks, with thousands of people taking part in demonstrations. At least 21 people have been killed and over 400 hundred more arrested as a result of the unrest. However, most of those detained have been subsequently released, according to sources in police.
Reports of the ban have already aroused reaction on social networks.
Bad move, Mullahs! You just created a new income source for English language teachers. Parents will still have their children take private English language lessons if they believe that it will help them later in life in a world much larger than Iran! Needless differentiation!
— okn (@Kas_Nwuke) 7 января 2018 г.
So Iran bans English because of "cultural invasion", about time we banned hijabs and Mosques then? https://t.co/JY0IbPoYUF
— c777 (@c777deplorable) 7 января 2018 г.
Iran ban English, good to see Iran following Pakistan's footsteps sooner or later they'll implement Chinese then it would be funny how both Pakistan & Iranians players will say
— 🇵🇰।।जैदु लीकस।।🇵🇰 (@ZaiduLeaks) 7 января 2018 г.
"Inshallah, Boys played well in Chinese"
