Article Sixteen of the Afghan Constitution relates to the languages of the country and that government shall design and apply programs to enhance and develop the country’s languages.

The article reads: “From amongst Pashto, Dari, Uzbeki, Turkmani, Baluchi, Pachaie, Nuristani, Pamiri and other current languages in the country, Pashto and Dari shall be the official languages of the state. In areas where the majority of the people speak in any one of Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pachaie, Nuristani, Baluchi or Pamiri languages, any of the aforementioned language, in addition to Pashto and Dari, shall be the third official language, the usage of which shall be regulated by law. 

“The state shall design and apply effective programs to foster and develop all languages of Afghanistan. Usage of all current languages in the country shall be free in press publications and mass media. Academic and national administrative terminology and usage in the country shall be preserved.”  

In this episode of Goftman, host Partaw Naderi looks at why Turkish and Uzbek is not being taught at schools where Turks and Uzbeks live.

He also looks at whether there has been an improvement in these languages in recent years and at how many books have been published in Turkish and Uzbek.

With him in the studio are the following guests: 

Assadullah Muhaqeq Jahani, deputy minister of education 
Azizullah Awral, journalist
Alim Kohkan, writer
Ahmad Zia Rafaat, university lecturer