Starting from 2020, the teaching of Russian language and literature in Latvian schools can become completely optional - we are talking about educational institutions for national minorities. Such a proposal is incorporated in the draft of a new model of the education system, which the government should soon approve.
The initiative comes from the State Education Center of Latvia. This was reported by the publication Delfi.lv with reference to the "Russian broadcasting LTV7". It also clarifies that the number of hours in the Russian language may be reduced by half.
The reform provides for the following program change in high school: all disciplines will be divided into three categories: compulsory for all students, in-depth, which students will be able to choose on their own, and optional, specialized subjects. Teaching the latter will be optional, as in some educational institutions schoolchildren will not be able to attend extra classes at all. In addition to Russian language and literature, such subjects will include philosophy, religion, politics and law, as well as astronomy.
“We offer a completely different view of high school. We can also say that now some of the children will know mathematics at an in-depth level, for example, ”Delfi.lv quotes the words of the senior expert of the state center for educational content, Pavel Pestov.
The center also stressed that the bias of the received education will now depend on the individual choice of the student.
Meanwhile, Russian is the native language of 40% of the population of Latvia; to a greater or lesser extent, almost all residents of the republic speak Russian. However, over the years, the authorities have been pursuing a consistent policy to eradicate the Russian language: it is gradually being removed from the system of school and higher education, as well as from everyday circulation. Russian language in Latvia has the status of a foreign language.
"Respect for another linguistic identity"
This policy of the Latvian authorities causes discontent not only in Russia, but also in the European Union. On February 21, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture addressed the head of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers, Krisjanis Karinsu, expressing concern about the plans of the authorities of the republic to impose restrictions on education in the languages of national minorities. The European Parliament concluded that the education system cannot be separated from the sociolinguistic public context.
The reason for the appeal was a complaint by a Latvian citizen who stated that by his actions the authorities violated the provisions of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Minister of Education of Latvia Ilga Shuplinsk
- © Saeima / Flickr
“Without respect for other linguistic identity, there can be no equal dignity of citizens,” the letter of the EP said to the head of the Latvian Cabinet.
Also, the authors of the appeal reminded Riga of the EU resolution on the protection and non-discrimination of minorities, adopted by the European Parliament a year ago. This document obliges the EU member states to provide representatives of national minorities the opportunity to receive education in their native language.
However, all appeals of the European Parliament have not yet met with understanding from the Latvian authorities. He did not help to correct the course of the government and the success of the Social-Democratic Party "Consent" by Nil Ushakov at the parliamentary elections last fall.
Recall, the party representing the interests of the Russian-speaking population received almost 20% of the votes by the results of the elections, leaving behind political rivals. The second place was taken by the KPV LV party (“Who owns the country?” - RT ) with 14% of the vote, the third - the New Conservative Party (NKP), it was supported by 13.6% of the electorate.
However, the “Consent” party could not form the ruling coalition: as a result, its representatives were not included in the renewed Cabinet. A new minister of education has become a member of the “New Conservative Party” Ilga Shuplinska, replacing Karlis Shadurskis in this post, who earned the nickname “Black Karlis” from the Russian-speaking community in Latvia. Shadurskis was one of the initiators of measures to curtail the rights of the Russian-speaking population.
However, the change of personnel did not lead to the reversal of the existing trend: in an interview with Baltkom radio, Shuplinska stressed that “the Russian language should develop in Russia”. At the same time, the Minister acknowledged that there is a shortage of teachers in Latvia who are able to teach in the Latvian language in schools for national minorities. However, this circumstance does not stop the Ministry of Education from carrying out the planned reforms.
"The plan is adopted and implemented"
Recall that in March last year, the Latvian Diet adopted a law on the transfer of education in all general educational institutions, including schools for national minorities, into the state language - Latvian. Relevant amendments proposed the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic. It was clarified that the transition period will last from September 1, 2019 to September 1, 2021.
Bilingual education will continue only for elementary school. In the middle and high schools, only two disciplines will be taught in Russian: “Russian literature” and “Russian as a foreign language.”
In parallel, the authorities of Latvia, with the help of the State Language Center established in 1992, identify “violators” of language norms. Thus, in 2015, the NSC announced the recruitment of “volunteer assistants” who should patrol public places - institutions, trade enterprises and transport. They are obliged to ensure that citizens mainly use the Latvian language. The center instructed employees of Latvian enterprises and organizations to exclude communication in Russian not only with visitors, but also with each other during working hours.
A serious scandal erupted in June 2017, when the CJA sanctions were applied against the leadership of five schools. The reason for the restrictive measures was the use of the Russian language during the graduation balls, where students, their parents and the teaching staff were present.
- Parliamentary elections in the 13th Saeima of Latvia
- RIA News
- © Sputnik
Every year the number of cases of harassment to which the Russian-speaking population is exposed in Latvia is growing. In June last year, the Latvian Diet approved the bill introduced by the Ministry of Education in the third reading. This document prohibits the teaching of the Russian language even in private universities and colleges.
“Since the state regulates the criteria for the implementation of training programs and the criteria for their accreditation, it also has the right to establish the language in which these programs are implemented,” the Latvian Ministry of Education believes.
The Russian-speaking community of the republic responds to the actions of the authorities with large-scale protests. For example, in September last year, about 5 thousand protesters took to the streets of Riga.
Defenders of Russian-language education are trying to use legal methods of struggle - on February 26 the Constitutional Court of the Republic will decide whether a complete refusal to study in Russian is in line with the provisions of the basic law. The corresponding lawsuit was filed by the “Consent” party.
However, experts doubt that activists will succeed in stopping the elimination of Russian-language education.
“All educational institutions will be translated into Latvian and practically nothing can be done here, since the plan has already been adopted and implemented,” the general director of the Information and Analytical Center for the Study of Socio-Political Processes in the Post-Soviet Space at Moscow State University explained in an interview to RT. editor of the analytical portal RuBaltic.Ru Sergey Rekeda.
He recalled that the authorities failed to launch the process of eliminating Russian-language education from the first attempt - at first the ruling elite tried to do it in 2014, but then the reform was softened due to the active resistance of the Russian community.
As the founder of the Native Language public movement, Vladimir Linderman, explained in an interview with RT, the main blow to the rights of national minorities was dealt last year, when amendments were adopted that completely translated schools into Latvian. Now we are talking about additional steps - giving the Russian language lessons an elective status.
According to the expert, the possibilities of the Russian-speaking community in order to resist these steps of the authorities are reduced, although there are still some chances.
“The question is whether people will protest against the policy of the authorities or will they just leave the country. Resistance, of course, will be, but it is difficult to predict how successful it will be, ”Linderman said in an interview with RT.
Motivation for emigration
Having declared a cultural “war” to the Russian-speaking population, the Latvian authorities are actually “pushing people to emigrate,” analysts say. After Brussels extended the visa-free regime to Latvian “non-citizens” in 2007, Russian-speaking young people more and more often connect their destiny not with Latvia, but with other EU countries. Some of the ethnic Russians are also moving to Russia: according to statistics from the Latvian Citizenship and Migration Board, about 3 thousand Russians in Latvia each year choose Russian citizenship.
All this only aggravates the difficult demographic situation in Latvia after the collapse of the USSR. As calculated by the European Commission earlier, the trend towards a decrease in the population of Lithuania and Latvia may persist for several more decades. In this case, by 2060 only about 1.4 million people will live in Latvia, which is almost 30% less than the current figures.
- Participants in the all-Latvian action “March for Russian schools OUR CHOICE” in Riga
- RIA News
- © Sergey Melkonov
As follows from the information of the international statistical database Worldmeters, at present Latvia is the world leader in the number of emigrants. Last year alone, the population of the republic decreased by 0.98%.
As Vladimir Linderman explained, the Russian-speaking population of Latvia is leaving the country because the Russian environment is disappearing. It is very difficult for the minority to resist, and in this situation people are usually guided mainly by personal motives, the expert noted.
“After adopting laws that eliminate Russian-language education, many pack their bags. People lose faith in the fact that this environment will be able to defend for the future of their children. However, the goal of the Latvian leadership is to build a state that is not universal welfare, but “Latvian” Latvia, ”Linderman explained.
According to Sergei Rekeda, the most active and passionate part of the population has already left the country. This is partly due to the decrease in the number of protest actions of the Russian-speaking community.
"There is simply no resource for protests in the country, so any innovations proposed by the government do not meet with strong resistance," Rekeda said.
In order to stop the outflow of the population and create a comfortable environment for all citizens, the Latvian authorities need to change the entire economic system, which will also entail changes in foreign policy.
“Then the Latvian leadership will have to abandon its“ occupation doctrine ”with all the ensuing consequences. The Latvian elites cannot go to this, because they are the product of a system, the change of which will lead to the fact that they simply lose power, ”Rekeda concluded.