
• Iran has banned teaching English in primary school classrooms as the country tries to quell Western influence.
• The Iranian government has blamed the West for provoking recent mass protests against the country’s regime, which have at least left 21 dead.
• Iran claims the protests have ended, however social media still points to signs of unrest.

Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary school classrooms.

The announcement follows claims by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that early learning of the language paves the way for “cultural invasion” of Western values. The government’s decision comes shortly after a week of mass protests against the country’s leadership which spread to more than 80 cities and small towns and left at least 21 dead.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the High Education Council, told state TV on Saturday.

Adham added that primary education is crucial in instilling the Iranian culture and values in its students.

Khamenei has often criticized creeping Western influence in the Islamic Republic, and expressed deep concern in 2016 over the spread of English to “nursery schools,” The Guardian reported.

“That 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,” he said at the time.

English will still be taught in middle schools and high schools.

The move came days after widespread protests

Protests in Iran began last week, initially caused by the skyrocketing prices of eggs and other basic goods, but soon escalated to ant-corruption protests that were calling on Khamenei to step down.

The Iranian government blamed its Western “enemies” for provoking the protests.

The unrest was “created … by the United States, Britain, the Zionist regime (Israel), Saudi Arabia, the hypocrites (Mujahideen) and monarchists,” read a statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on their official Sepahnews website over the weekend. “Iran’s revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police and the Intelligence Ministry have broken down the chain (of unrest),”

The Iranian government also shut access to popular Western-imported social media channels, including Instagram and Telegram. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have been banned since 2009.

The US has been vocal in its support for protests in the country, and has previously been critical of the country’s regime.

US President Donald Trump tweeted in support of the ongoing protests, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called for an emergency session at the UN to discuss the situation.

And while the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed victory over the protests on Sunday, social media still points to signs of unrest.

Dozens of unverified videos of Iranian citizens burning their state ID cards and government documents spread across social messaging apps, according to The Guardian, and videos of reported continued protests in Tehrani suburbs were posted on Twitter.</s>Iran has banned teaching English in primary schools, a top education official says. The move comes amid repeated calls from Tehran to put an end to the Western “cultural invasion” of the Islamic Republic.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said on state TV on Saturday. “This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”

The authorities may also ban non-curriculum English classes, the official said. The video, featuring Navid-Adham speaking about the ban, was posted on Twitter by Fars.

Children start learning English in middle school in Iran when they are about 12-14 years old. Some primary schools also have English classes.

The Iranian leadership has repeatedly warned about the dangers of the Western “cultural invasion.” In 2016, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran has reached “a stage that teaching the English language has spread to nursery schools.”

READ MORE: Telegram shuts down ‘violence-inciting’ channel at Iran’s request, angers Snowden

“That 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,” he said.

“Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism of the 19th century, the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries and training experts and elites that would act like soldiers of the system of dominance.”

Tensions between Iran and the West continue to grow amid the recent protests across Iran which the authorities say were triggered by “foreign enemies” of the Islamic Republic. “The enemies of Iran are angry with the glory, success, and the progress of the Iranian nation; and they have vowed to bring the regional troubles to Iran,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier in January, according to Iranian Mehr News Agency.

On Thursday, Iran’s public prosecutor, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, accused the CIA of being the “main protector” of a plan to cause unrest in the country. He also named Israel’s Mossad and Saudi Arabia as co-conspirators in the alleged plot.

More than 20 people have died in the unrest caused by economic hardship and alleged corruption, according to media reports, with rioters attacking government buildings and police stations in some areas. On Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared victory over the unrest.</s>Fallout from the recent Iran protests may include keeping much of western soft power out of the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly stated that early learning of the English language paves the way western “cultural invasion” of Iran…

The head of the state-run High Education Council, Mehdi Navid-Adham, said to local TV on Sunday that the English classes in primary schools are “against laws and regulations.” He added that English was no longer part of the educational curriculum without specifying whether the language could be taught privately.

The news comes after an announcement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps that said that the protests that were orchestrated with the help of external forces, including the United States and Britain, were 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 as a result of unrest with over 400 hundred more being arrested. However, most of those detained have been subsequently released, according to sources in police.</s>Iran has banned English from elementary schools as a push back against perceived Western influence after protests against the regime in Tehran.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” state-run high education council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham said.

“The assumption is that in primary education the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”

How Obama may have helped spark Iran's protests — in a good way

English instruction normally starts in middle school for most Iranians, and it was unclear whether a ban on primary schools would have any other impact on the country.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously lambasted the spread of English to younger students, though the language has persisted as citizens in the Islamic Republic use it to connect to the international community in academia, business and other fields.

Though there was no mention of protests in the English ban, Khamenei has also recently blasted foreign influence that he claimed was behind the biggest anti-government movement the country had seen since 2009.

The demonstrations, which saw more than 20 people killed in clashes with police, focused on economic difficulties. Government officials declared them over after a wave of pro-regime gatherings in response this past week.

Khamenei said during the violence that “cash, weapons, politics and intelligence apparatus” were being used by foreign enemies of himself and reformer president Hassan Rouhani, though one of the most prominent examples of Western response was President Trump’s Twitter account.

Trump repeatedly posted about the protests, saying that citizens were “hungry for food & for freedom.”

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who called a meeting of the international body over the demonstrations, said that labeling the Iranian leaders protests foreign-backed was “dishonest.”</s>
• Iran has banned teaching English in primary school classrooms as the country tries to quell Western influence.
• The Iranian government has blamed the West for provoking recent mass protests against the country's regime, which have at least left 21 dead.
• Iran claims the protests have ended, however social media still points to signs of unrest.



 Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary school classrooms.

The announcement follows claims by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that early learning of the language paves the way for "cultural invasion" of Western values. The government's decision comes shortly after a week of mass protests against the country's leadership which spread to more than 80 cities and small towns and left at least 21 dead.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the High Education Council, told state TV on Saturday.

Adham added that primary education is crucial in instilling the Iranian culture and values in its students.

Khamenei has often criticized creeping Western influence in the Islamic Republic, and expressed deep concern in 2016 over the spread of English to "nursery schools," The Guardian reported.

“That 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,” he said at the time.

English will still be taught in middle schools and high schools.

The move came days after widespread protests

Protests in Iran began last week, initially caused by the skyrocketing prices of eggs and other basic goods, but soon escalated to ant-corruption protests that were calling on Khamenei to step down.

The Iranian government blamed its Western "enemies" for provoking the protests.

The unrest was “created ... by the United States, Britain, the Zionist regime (Israel), Saudi Arabia, the hypocrites (Mujahideen) and monarchists," read a statement by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on their official Sepahnews website over the weekend. “Iran’s revolutionary people along with tens of thousands of Basij forces, police and the Intelligence Ministry have broken down the chain (of unrest),”

The Iranian government also shut access to popular Western-imported social media channels, including Instagram and Telegram. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have been banned since 2009.

The US has been vocal in its support for protests in the country, and has previously been critical of the country's regime.

US President Donald Trump tweeted in support of the ongoing protests, and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called for an emergency session at the UN to discuss the situation.

And while the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed victory over the protests on Sunday, social media still points to signs of unrest.

Dozens of unverified videos of Iranian citizens burning their state ID cards and government documents spread across social messaging apps, according to The Guardian, and videos of reported continued protests in Tehrani suburbs were posted on Twitter.</s>Iran has banned English from elementary schools as a push back against perceived Western influence after protests against the regime in Tehran.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” state-run high education council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham said.

“The assumption is that in primary education the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”

How Obama may have helped spark Iran's protests — in a good way

English instruction normally starts in middle school for most Iranians, and it was unclear whether a ban on primary schools would have any other impact on the country.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously lambasted the spread of English to younger students, though the language has persisted as citizens in the Islamic Republic use it to connect to the international community in academia, business and other fields.

Though there was no mention of protests in the English ban, Khamenei has also recently blasted foreign influence that he claimed was behind the biggest anti-government movement the country had seen since 2009.

The demonstrations, which saw more than 20 people killed in clashes with police, focused on economic difficulties. Government officials declared them over after a wave of pro-regime gatherings in response this past week.

Khamenei said during the violence that “cash, weapons, politics and intelligence apparatus” were being used by foreign enemies of himself and reformer president Hassan Rouhani, though one of the most prominent examples of Western response was President Trump’s Twitter account.

Trump repeatedly posted about the protests, saying that citizens were “hungry for food & for freedom.”

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who called a meeting of the international body over the demonstrations, said that labeling the Iranian leaders protests foreign-backed was “dishonest.”</s>Iran has called for an end to teaching English in primary schools, a senior education official said in an interview on Sunday.

Speaking to national broadcaster IRIB, High Education Council leader Mehdi Navid-Adham called the English language a gateway to the "cultural invasion" of the West.

"Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Navid-Adham was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

"This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid."

In 2016, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced his outrage over a similar "cultural invasion" when he learned some private daycare centers were teaching English.

According to Iranian news outlet Tabnak, a spokesman for the education ministry confirmed the ban but said: "This is nothing new. In the approved national curriculum, English instruction doesn't begin until seventh grade, the first year of high school."

However, the rule is likely to affect private schools that offer English instruction to younger students.

The announcement comes after a week of protests against the theocratic government over the country's struggling economy, which Khamenei has blamed on foreign agents.</s>Iran has banned teaching English in primary schools, a top education official says. The move comes amid repeated calls from Tehran to put an end to the Western "cultural invasion" of the Islamic Republic."Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said on state TV on Saturday. "This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid."The authorities may also ban non-curriculum English classes, the official said. The video, featuring Navid-Adham speaking about the ban, was posted on Twitter by Fars.Children start learning English in middle school in Iran when they are about 12-14 years old. Some primary schools also have English classes.The Iranian leadership has repeatedly warned about the dangers of the Western "cultural invasion." In 2016, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran has reached "a stage that teaching the English language has spread to nursery schools.""That 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," he said.Tensions between Iran and the West continue to grow amid the recent protests across Iran which the authorities say were triggered by "foreign enemies" of the Islamic Republic. "The enemies of Iran are angry with the glory, success, and the progress of the Iranian nation; and they have vowed to bring the regional troubles to Iran,"Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier in January, according to Iranian Mehr News Agency.More than 20 people have died in the unrest caused by economic hardship and alleged corruption, according to media reports, with rioters attacking government buildings and police stations in some areas. On Sunday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared victory over the unrest.</s>Dubai: Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools, a senior education official said, after Islamic leaders warned that early learning of the language opened the way to a Western "cultural invasion".

"Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations," Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, told state television late on Saturday.

"This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid."

The teaching of English usually starts in middle school in Iran, around the ages of 12 to 14, but some primary schools, below that age, also have English classes.

Some children also attend private language institutes after their school day. And many children from more privileged families attending non-government schools receive English tuition from daycare through high school.

Iran's Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of a "cultural invasion", and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced outrage in 2016 over the "teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools".

"That 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," Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in that speech to teachers.</s>Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools after Islamic leaders warned that learning the language opened the way to a Western 'cultural invasion'.

Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said: 'Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations.

'This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.'

The teaching of English usually starts between the ages of 12 to 14 but some primary schools below that age also hold language classes.

Iran's Islamic leaders have often warned about the dangers of a 'cultural invasion' and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced outrage in 2016 over the 'teaching of the English language spreading to nursery schools'.

Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, said in a speech to teachers at the time: 'That 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.'

'Western thinkers have time and again said that instead of colonialist expansionism the best and the least costly way would have been inculcation of thought and culture to the younger generation of countries.'

It comes after a week of protests against the Iranian government in which 22 people have been killed and more than 1,000 arrested.

The demonstrations spread to more than 80 cities and rural towns as thousands of young and working-class Iranians expressed their anger at graft, unemployment and a deepening gap between rich and poor.

A video of the announcement of the ban was widely circulated on social media on Sunday, with Iranians calling it 'the filtering of English' - jokingly likening to the blocking of the popular app Telegram by the government during the unrest.
Iran enforces a ban on teaching English in elementary schools, calling it a "cultural invasion" by the West.