Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• The President of Latvia has announced the amendments to the Education law
• Latvijas Avizes columnist Aija Calite comments the video clip against education reform
• Netakarigas columnist Aigars Dabolins about integration and education reform
• Alexander Shabanov about a familys experience regarding Latvian education system

The President of Latvia has announced the amendments to the Education law. According to the President, there are no legal or practical obstacles for the Law’s implementation. She has also stated that this year the changes will affect only the 10th grade’s students and that in most cases the number of subjects to be taught in Latvian will be increased only by two. The President has suggested to define more specifically that minority language schools themselves are able to choose 40% of subjects to be taught in minority language. She has suggested to change the principle that the state should provide a support to all the schools independently of their observation of language norms. Meanwhile the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-Language Schools have organized protest actions in Riga.

The President of Latvia has announced the amendments to the Education law. According to the President, there are no legal or practical obstacles for the Laws implementation. She has also stated that this year the changes will affect only the 10th grades students and that in most cases the number of subjects to be taught in Latvian will be increased only by two. The President has suggested to define more specifically that minority language schools themselves are able to choose 40% of subjects to be taught in minority language. She has suggested to change the principle that the state should provide a support to all the schools independently of their observation of language norms. Meanwhile the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-Language Schools have organized protest actions in Riga. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga, Chas, Rigas Balss, Vechernaya Riga, Telegraf

Latvijas Avize features a commentary by columnist Aija Calite about the video clip with the Pink Floyd song Another Brick in the Wall. The clip has been distributed among the protest activists against education reform. According to Calite, the clip deepens the conflict situation.

Neatkariga Rita Avize features an article by Aigars Dabolins about integration issues and education reform. The author believes that integration policy is a very difficult task especially in the two-society state like Latvia. He analyses three different models of integration and concludes that for a long time Latvians have pretended not to be interested in the problems of the Russian-speaking population. Dabolins considers that Russians living Latvia are a very important resource for the development of the society. He believes that the state should explain education reform in a friendly atmosphere and to listen to the Russian-speakers point of view.

Diena features an article by Alexander Shabanov analyzing a familys experience regarding education reform. In this case, the mother has decided to send her son to a Latvian school only because of the allegedly decreasing quality of education in Russian language schools. According to the students mother, her child is loosing his Russian identity after visiting Latvian language kindergarten.