Iran Bans Teaching of English in Primary Schools
伊朗禁止小学教英语
Iranian officials have banned the teaching of English in primary schools.
伊朗官方禁止在小学教授英语。
Mehdi Navid-Adham, chief of Iran’s High Education Council, informed state television of the ban last Saturday.
伊朗高等教育委员会主席梅迪?纳维德?阿达姆上周六将这一禁令通知给了国家电视台。
The move came after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the English language has led to a Western “cultural invasion”.
该举发生之前，伊斯兰领导人就曾警告过早学习英语会导致西方“文化入侵”。
“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Navid-Adham said.He added that the government may also stop non-curriculum English classes.
“在公立和非公立小学官方课程中教授英语是违反法律和法规的，”纳维德?阿达姆说道。他还说，政府可能还会禁止课外的英语课。
The reasoning, Navid-Adham said, is that the groundwork, or basis, of Iranian culture should be taught to young children.
纳维德?阿达姆说，原因是年龄小的儿童应当学习伊朗文化基础。
In Iran, English language training is usually offered in middle school, to students from 12 to 14 years of age.However, in some primary schools, students may begin taking English classes at younger ages.
在伊朗，英语课程一般在中学开设，学生年龄是12到14岁。然而，在一些小学，学生在更小年龄时也开始上英语课。
Some Iranian children also attend foreign language classes at private education centers after normal school hours.
一些伊朗儿童也会在课后去私人教育中心上外语课程。
Iran’s Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of “cultural invasion.”
伊朗的伊斯兰领导人经常警告“文化入侵”的危险。
In 2016, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced concern over the “teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools”.
2016年，伊朗最高领导人哈梅内伊就表示过其对“英语教学会渗透到幼儿园”的担忧。
In a speech to teachers, Khamenei said that his concern, “Does not mean opposition to learning a foreign language,but (this is the) promotion of a foreign culture in the country and among children, young adults and youths.”
在一次面向教师的演讲中，哈梅内伊表示了他的担忧：“不是说反对学习外语，但是这样是在全国的孩子、年轻人和青年当中推崇外来文化。”
Khamenei accused Western countries of promoting their cultures with Iranian youth as a way of expanding their influence in Iran, according to his office’s website.
哈梅内伊指责西方国家在伊朗年轻人中推崇他们的文化，以此来扩大他们在伊朗的影响力，哈梅内伊办公室网站表示。
In the same speech, he urged Iranians to spend more time and money on the teaching of the Persian language, instead of English.Last Saturday, Navid-Adham told state television that government officials want to strengthen “Persian language skills and Iranian Islamic culture at the primary school stage.”He added that it would now be against the law to teach English at the primary school level, either during or outside of normal school hours.
还是在这一场演讲中，他敦促伊朗人民把更多时间和金钱花在波斯语的教学上，而不是英语。上周六，纳维德?阿达姆告诉国家电视台，政府官员想要加强“小学阶段波斯语言技巧和伊朗伊斯兰文化”的教育。他还说，现在在小学阶段教授英语是违法的，无论是课内还是课外。
