TEHRAN -- Iran has added Standard Chinese and Arabic to the list of foreign languages that can be taught in schools around the country.
According to the latest enactment of the Education Ministry’s Supreme Council, signed into law by the president, the two languages were added in order to diversify school programs and meet public demands, the IRNA reported on Saturday.
According to the new law, schools can now choose between Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Standard Chinese to teach in addition to English.
Article 15 of the Iranian constitution has declared Farsi as the official and common language of the country.
Meanwhile, Article 16 states that Arabic must be taught in all classes and fields after elementary school, given that Arabic is the language of the Holy Qur’an and Islamic sciences and teachings, and Persian literature is completely intertwined with it.