Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

The article discusses the history and current state of foreign language education in Iran,
including changes made after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the challenges faced in
teaching English as a foreign language. It also covers the changes made to higher
education, including the establishment of Islamic Azad University and the competitive
process of university admissions. The article emphasizes the importance of a coordinated
effort to improve the quality of language education in the country.
Historical overview
Education has a long history in Iran, with ancient documents indicating a focus on
knowledge to understand God's power and rules. The government established religious
schools, later expanding to other areas for middle-class access to education. Schools taught
religious principles as well as administrative, political, technical, military, sports, and arts
education. The first higher education center, Gundeshapur, was founded in the third
century, with a focus on advanced medical, veterinary, philosophical, astronomical,
mathematical, logical, and theological sciences. With the spread of Islam to neighboring
countries, education in Persia blended with Islamic values and saw progress in many
scientific areas. Modern education began with the Safavid Dynasty, with the establishment
of the European-modeled school Darolfonoon. This school became the source for the
continuous progress and modernization of education in Iran.
Islam emerged in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century and spread to neighboring countries,
including Persia. Education in Persia blended with Islamic values, leading to significant
advancement in various scientific fields. The Safavid dynasty marked the beginning of
modern education, and the first European-modeled school, Darolfonoon, was established in
1850. This school served as the source of progress and modernization of education in Iran.
Iran's modern education system is relatively young, with the first modern school being no
older than 150 years. The Pahlavi Dynasty accelerated the modernization of education
through a systematic program developed by the Ministry of Education and implemented at
public schools and some higher education institutions.

Public Education after the Islamic Revolution

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the implementation of Islamic values became a priority
in Iran's education system. However, due to the war with Iraq and the allocation of
resources to defense, educational reform was not a priority. Nonetheless, changes
implementing Islamic values in appearance, textbooks, segregation, and observance of
Islamic laws were made in schools. Religious ceremonies were also mandated.
In 1990, Iran made three significant changes in its high school education requirements:
replacing the annual academic system with an annual unit credit system, reducing the
mandatory high school education from four years to three with an optional fourth year, and
establishing technical, vocational, and applied science branches to meet the needs of the
job market. These changes were well received, and an increasing number of junior-high
graduates preferred the technical and vocational branches over the theoretical ones. Table
1 shows the number of graduates in different high school branches from 2001 to 2006.
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

Higher Education after the Islamic Revolution

After the Islamic Revolution, all educational boards of trustees were dissolved due to
political unrest. The Ministry of Culture and Art and the Ministry of Culture and Higher
Education were merged to centralize decision-making. All medical schools were separated
and merged with the Ministry of Health. The Supreme Council of Education was established
in 1980 with a committee to set educational policies and criteria for university admissions.

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, there were occasional cases of unrest in
universities due to the presence of political parties that did not agree with the goals of the
revolution. In 1980, Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the closure of all universities and the
establishment of a Cultural Revolution Secretariat to redesign the higher education system
according to Islamic values. The Secretariat formed five committees to work on the curricula
for different areas and merged pre-revolution private higher education institutes into
several higher education complexes. New admission requirements were also set, and
students had to go through a new admission process to continue their education.
The Ministry of Culture and Higher Education became the Ministry of Science, Research, and
Technology in 2000. A new council, the Higher Council of Science, Research, and
Technology, was formed to set policies for higher education. The ministry was also required
to establish new councils to promote autonomy and decentralization of universities. Lack of
language-planning blueprint has been a major problem in the country. New applicants for
higher education had to be assessed based on knowledge and ethical adequacy.
The presence of various decision-making bodies and conflicting statements made the
situation more complex. Therefore, the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and the
Ministry of Culture and Higher Education needed new policies to increase university
admissions and faculty number
Increasing Admission Capacity
The establishment of private universities, starting with the Islamic Azad University in 1982,
was a solution to address the overwhelming number of applicants and lack of space in
universities due to a three-year closure. The government assigned the MSRT to evaluate the
quality of education at IAU. Since then, IAU has expanded significantly with over 220
branches in the country and 7 branches abroad, as shown in Table 2.
The number of students at almost all levels has doubled in approximately five years, making
IAU the largest university in the world with the highest number of students among state-run
and other higher education institutions.
There are five different opportunities for students seeking higher education in Iran: public
universities, Islamic Azad University, Payame Noor University, private universities, and
evening sessions at public universities. Admission to universities is highly competitive due to
the large demand for higher education. All universities except for morning sessions at public
universities have tuition fees. The university entrance examination must be taken by all
applicants.
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

Admission to Universities
In 1970, a center was established to evaluate the educational system and select talented
high school graduates for higher education. The center was expanded in 1971 and named
NOET. NOET was closed down in 1982 but reinstated in 1989 to aid in the admission of
incoming students to higher education. The UEE is a test battery comprising approximately
200 multiple-choice items in different subject matter areas, including a foreign language.
The foreign language section assesses the candidates' grammatical and lexical knowledge
and general reading comprehension within a 20-minute time allocation. The test is
published for public access with keys to the test items a few days after the exam. No
pretesting data on the test quality is available to the public.
First problem, The testing system for university admissions uses a weighted system to
account for different subject areas. The weights were decided by committee members
without empirical evidence. Applicants are ranked by total scores and admitted to
universities. The system has shortcomings and modifications were made in 2000 to avoid
lengthy testing time.
Second problem, The admission test for universities in the country did not measure
language proficiency well enough, leading to some students being admitted to foreign
language departments without adequate skills. To address this issue, an additional language
proficiency test was required for applicants who wanted to pursue education in foreign
languages.
Third, The education system in Iran has disparities in quality and resources between
provinces. Some students who participated in the war are given special consideration in
university admission criteria due to their service to the country and Islamic values.
Additional criteria will be applied for final admission.
Increasing the Number of Faculty Members
After the revolution, many foreign faculty and local faculty who failed screening committees
left or were dismissed. However, there was a need for more university instructors due to a
large number of students. Eligible graduates were sent to foreign countries to study in
postgraduate programs on the condition that they would return to serve their country. The
need for English language ability also became a significant factor. The Ministry of Culture
and Higher Education organized test preparation classes for eligible candidates and opened
up a center to administer IELTS in collaboration with the Australian and British Embassies in
Tehran. Additionally, the Ministry developed a local TOEFL-type test called MCHE which
applicants who obtained 50% of the score would meet the language requirement and be
eligible for scholarship
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

The government took action to increase the number of instructors by expanding local
graduate schools in order to reduce the cost and keep graduate students trained at home
without being influenced by western culture. English proficiency was also required for
admission and MCHE and TOLEMO-EA were developed as tests for language proficiency.

Foreign Language Education in Iran

The choice of a foreign language to be taught in a country is influenced by government
policy, including political, social, economic, and educational factors. In Iran, the French
language gained social prestige after the establishment of a French school, and later English
became important due to the close relationship with the US and the need for English
proficiency in the military. English also became essential for job opportunities in Iran.
Iran has not adopted bilingual or multilingual educational systems like other countries due
to concerns about national unity and identity. Iran is more conservative about foreign
language policy than countries like Hong Kong, India, Japan, and China. This is partly due to
the politicization of language after the Islamic Revolution and the fear that English poses a
threat to Persian language and Islamic culture. Iran has promoted learning five other foreign
languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian instead of English, but
due to a shortage of teachers and applicants, English remains the most dominant foreign
language taught in high schools.
Private schools and language institutes expanded prior to the revolution, but were later
closed down. They resumed operation as non-profit institutions and played a role in
teaching English to a significant number of students. English was not offered at public
elementary schools, so non-profit schools allocated hours to teaching English to attract
students. Non-profit schools at higher levels also allocated extra time to teaching English as
a key part of their curriculum.
Teaching Assessing English at Public Schools
English teaching in Iranian public schools is now stabilized with a certain number of hours
and credit units allocated to it. It is interesting to note that it now has the same number of
credit units as other main subject matters. Assessments are achievement-based and match
the content of textbooks. At the junior high school level, oral and written skills are assessed
separately. Continuous formative assessment is conducted by teachers and recorded in
students' educational files. Local teachers administer and grade exams at grades 6 and 7,
while the final exam at grade 8 is administered and scored by the Central Office of
Education.
The assessment system of English at high school has changed with the unit credit system,
with diagnostic tests given at the beginning of each grade and several formative tests during
the course. The goal of diagnostic assessment is to identify weak points, while formative
assessment is centered on active class participation, assignments, and informal
assessments. At least 5 points of formative assessment are dedicated to activities like peer
work, team work, and projects outside the classroom. Summative exams, which include
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

sections on vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and reading comprehension, determine total

scores along with the averages of formative assessments. Although diagnostics and
formatives are mandated by the Education Ministry for grades 9-11, they are rarely used by
teachers in reality as they are not monitored by ministry officials.
Local teachers handle written exams for grades 9-10, while the final exam of grade 11 is
prepared by language testing experts and administered by Central Offices of Education
across the nation. The Central Office takes measures to ensure test security, similar
administration, and fair scoring. However, there is no public documentation on the
psychometric properties of the tests and officials are reluctant to allow independent
research.
Teaching and Assessing English at Universities
Teaching English or other foreign languages at the university level is simple. University
students are required to take a 3-unit credit course in English, and they may take up to 4
units of ESP courses. English courses are usually translation-oriented to help students read
and understand materials written in English in their respective majors. The Center for
research and development of textbooks for university students prepares instructional
materials for English courses, including specific textbooks for each major and level of study.
Each book contains several lessons with passages and exercises.
Persistent Problems and Suggested Solutions
The teaching of English at public schools and universities in Iran still faces problems despite
three decades of efforts in designing and redesigning the EFL policy in the country. A major
problem is the shift from a positivistic framework to a more constructivist process-oriented
framework, which has led to dilemmas in the educational context in many communities
including Iran.
Application of the Principles of New Theoretical Frameworks
Theoretical advancements are important but difficult to translate into practical
implementation. Changing beliefs is a tedious and costly process. Not all principles of a
paradigm are accurate and caution must be exercised when advocating a particular
perspective. A theoretical change requires modifications in different aspects of instruction.
A comprehensive survey of facilities to implement a theory is necessary to prevent the
values of present practice from being jeopardized.
Sufficiency of Resources
Theories are often idealized and do not match the realities of practice. Implementing new
instructional materials is difficult and should not be traded for existing facilities.
Administrators should not swing back and forth between methods without sufficient
accommodation. Facilities include instructional materials, teachers, learners, cultural values
of the community, financial resources, and technological facilities.
Uniformity of Practice around the World
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran

Different communities have different cultural, mental, and educational characteristics,

which affect how teaching and learning take place. Implementing a theory in two different
contexts would lead to different outcomes, but communities can learn from each other's
experiences and ideas.

Movement along the Theory-Practice Continuum

Iran's education system and its output cannot be compared with other countries because of
the lack of empirical data. However, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
education in Iran has succeeded in educating teachers in theory. There is a gap between
theory and practice, but language instruction in Iran is more successful compared to other
countries. Research shows that junior high school learners in Iran perform well in language
ability and teachers have acceptable language proficiency and knowledge.
The quality of teacher training programs is the most important factor in the educational
program, and it is necessary to invest in providing practical knowledge to teachers.
However, fixing only one aspect of the education process will not solve all problems. Various
factors affecting language instruction should be considered within the context of a
particular educational community. Many parties should take responsibility for improving
language education.
The community, government, and teacher education centers should all take responsibility
for improving language education by encouraging new trends, providing clear policies and
support, and training teachers practically. The needs and motivation of teachers should also
be taken into consideration.
Universities have a responsibility to provide students with a sense of dedication and
commitment to improving education in the country. Just getting a degree is not enough to
improve education, and educators should help students understand this. A reform in the
concept of education is necessary
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran
Reflections on Foreign Language Education in Iran