Religious scholars to 'teach Persian' in Iran high schools

Iranian academics have criticised authorities for allowing religious scholars to compete with language graduates to teach Persian in the country's high schools, Radio Farda report.

Iran's Ministry of Education has set out new guidelines allowing graduates of Shia seminaries to teach Persian, recognising their qualifications as equivalent to Bachelor's and Master's level degrees in the language.

In a statement published on its website, the Iranian Association of Persian Language and Literature have called on authorities to revoke the decision.

According to the statement, the move will downgrade teaching standards by opening up opportunities to those who lack specialism, making it harder for those who do.

Since the publication of a national document to 'replace' the UN’s sustainable development goals for education, which include a call to increase the global supply of qualified teachers, the country's Ministry of Education has warmed to cooperation with Shia seminaries.

The "Document on Fundamental Transformation of Education" purportedly replaces UNESCO's Education 2030 Framework for Action, which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had condemned for covering issues that the Islamic Republic "could not surrender and submit to".

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