The Status of Religious Minoritie's Language Education in Schools in the Second Pahlavi Era (1320-1357 SH)

Language is one of the most important elements of identity. Iran's minorities, including religious minorities, were faced with numerous challenges in their language teaching. Recognized religious minorities in Iran, namely Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews, in Reza Shah’s era and in the dominant nationalistic discourse of the government were not able to teach their own language at schools and even their schools were forced to close. With Reza Shah’s abdication, the educational status of the religious minorities gradually improved. New schools were established and their educational programs underwent fundamental changes. During this period, religious minorities had the right and privilege to teach their own language at schools for a few hours besides Persian, the official language of the country. Therefore, using a descriptive- analytical approach and relying on the archival documents, this study attempts to examine the situation of the religious minorities’ language teaching at schools during the second Pahlavi era.