Teaching Persian language to non-Persian speaking students in the universities of the medical sciences in the country

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the current study is to investigate and analyze the process of teaching Persian language to non-Persian speaking students in the universities of the medical sciences in the country. Methods: The research was conducted by using the qualitative method and interviewing with the executives. The research environment consisted of the central universities of medical sciences located in Tehran Province and the Ministry of Health. The interviews were analyzed by using the content analysis method and MAXQDA10 software. Findings: The were categorized as follows: 1)  The factors affecting the necessity of learning Persian language such as: Academic factors (five factors), personal factors (six factors), academic factors (seven factors), and international factors (three factors); 2) The Persian language teaching challenges: Knowledge challenges (nine challenges), software challenges (seven challenges), the individual challenge (one challenge), the challenges of the university (twenty challenges), the challenges of the educational institutions (two challenges), and the international challenge (one challenge); 3) The Persian language teaching opportunities: Academic opportunities (five opportunities), software opportunities (four opportunities), individual opportunities (two opportunities), the opportunities  of the university (four opportunities), and the opportunities of the educational institutions (three opportunities). Conclusion: It is necessary for the educational managers of the medical sciences to consider the seven suggestions mentioned in the current study in the field of planning, programming and executing the university activities