Studying the status of Persian language and literature education in Pakistan (Centers, sources, methods, headlines and motivational factors)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Corresponding Author, Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

2 Ph.D. Graduate in Persian language and literature, Faculty of Humanities, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

Abstract

Throughout history, Pakistan has been one of the main spheres of influence of Persian culture, literature, and language in the Indian subcontinent and the people of this region have always been interested in learning the Persian language and literature and getting acquainted with Iranian culture. This cultural affiliation has led to the accumulation of historical experiences in the field of teaching the Persian language and literature in this region. In the contemporary era, and especially after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, macro-cultural policies became more and more focused on deepening cultural relations and the spread of Persian language and literature in this region, which has led to the teaching of Persian language and literature in this country. Considering that any new policy in this field requires obtaining accurate information about the general situation of Persian language and literature education in this country, this study has tried to use the method of the descriptive-analytical method to determine the status of centers, methods, courses and examine and analyze Persian language and literature teaching resources in Pakistan. The results show that in Pakistan, public and private university centers, the House of Culture of Iran, and some seminaries and private institutions teach Persian language and literature using face-to-face, virtual, correspondence, etc. methods, in short-term and long-term courses. They spend their time using textbooks written inside Iran or in Pakistan (which is described in detail in the article). Statistical studies show that the cultural motivations of Pakistani Persian learners encourage them to learn Persian language more than other motivational factors and the frequency of learners who want to learn Persian language in Iran is significantly higher.
Extended Abstract:
Throughout history, Pakistan has been one of the main spheres of influence of Persian culture, literature, and language in the Indian subcontinent and the people of this region have always been interested in learning Persian language and literature and getting acquainted with Iranian culture. This cultural affiliation has led to the accumulation of historical experiences in the field of teaching the Persian language and literature in this region. In the contemporary era, and especially after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, macro-cultural policies became more and more focused on deepening cultural relations and the spread of the Persian language and literature in this region which has led to the teaching of Persian language and literature in this country. Considering that any new policy in this field requires obtaining accurate information about the general situation of Persian language and literature education in this country, this study has tried to use the method of the descriptive-analytical method to determine the status of centers, methods, courses and examine and analyze Persian language and literature teaching resources in Pakistan. The results show that in Pakistan, public and private university centers, the House of Culture of Iran, and some seminaries and private institutions teach Persian language and literature using face-to-face, virtual, correspondence, etc. methods, in short-term and long-term courses. They spend their time using textbooks written inside Iran or in Pakistan (which is described in detail in the article). Statistical studies show that the cultural motivations of Pakistani Persian learners encourage them to learn Persian language more than other motivational factors and the frequency of learners who want to learn Persian language in Iran is significantly higher.
By reviewing the status of Persian language and literature education in Pakistan, we found that the region's long history of Persian language and literature has influenced its people's interest in Iranian language, literature, and culture. The background and experience of teaching the Persian language and the variety of its methods and resources in this system are sometimes even more than in Iran. Because the interest, need and cultural necessity of familiarizing with the Persian language and literature and Iranian culture has always existed among the people of the sub-continent.
However, the native language of the residents of these countries is not Persian and the learning of Persian language in these countries, especially Pakistan, should have been done through formal education. Therefore, the historical continuity of Persian language and literature education in Pakistan, the accumulation of practical experience in this field, the establishment of several educational centers, the use of various and sometimes innovative and unique methods, the production of various teaching resources and teaching aids, taking into account the goals and methods of teaching Persian language and literature in this country and most importantly, a series of successive generations of Persian language and literature teachers and trainers have been trained in this country; this tradition has continued until today.
According to what was mentioned in the previous sections, the methods of teaching Persian language in this country are face-to-face, virtual (online), correspondence, four-skill, one-skill, two-skill, and education through literature. In Pakistan, many colleges teach Persian language, and also a large number of public, goverment, semi-govermental universities, and religious schools also offer Persian language classes. It should be noted that some universities in Pakistan have an independent department of Persian language and literature, and some universities have Persian language and literature courses in different fields, in addition to the main, specialized, compulsory, and optional courses of other humanities fields, like Islamic Studies, History, Philosophy, Iqbal Studies, art, Urdu & Punjabi language and literature, etc.
Institutions related to the Islamic Republic of Iran, like the Iranian Cultural center, by establishing educational centers and activities during the last four decades, has carried out worthy measures for the growth and expansion of the Persian language and literature in Pakistan. Regarding the motivational factors in Pakistani Persian learners, it can be concluded from the statistical studies that they learn Persian mostly with cultural motivations. The interesting point is that despite the existence of academic and non-academic centers with a proven track record in the field of Persian language education in Pakistan, the number and percentage of people who want to learn Persian language in Iran's educational centers is significantly higher. Although part of this desire is not related to the category of education or language learning, it is caused by the historical and cultural attractions of Iran for Pakistani nationals.
In the end, it is suggested that researchers focus on the subject of Persian language education, through literature, especially poetry, and the opportunities and challenges of using it and analyze this method in Pakistan and other countries in a scientific way.

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History

  • Receive Date: 22 May 2022
  • Revise Date: 21 January 2023
  • Accept Date: 10 December 2022

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