Integration monitor

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.

Oct. 30, 2004

  • Sestdiena reports on naturalisation in Daugavpils
  • Interview with the Head of the Saeima Education, Science and Culture Committee Janis Strazdins

Dienas weekly supplement Sestdiena prints an article about naturalisation in Daugavpils and reports that after Latvias accession to the EU Daugavpils is the only city in Latvia where the number of applicants for naturalisation has been dropping. The author, referring to interviews with officials of the Naturalisation Board and non-citizens, write that many non-citizens do not naturalise because they believe that the EU will make Latvia to grant Latvian citizenship for all non-citizens and give Russian the status of the second state language. The author of the article also draws attention to other data particular for Daugavpils. Naturalisation applicants in Daugavpils experience bigger difficulties in passing the Latvian language test: 25 – 30% of naturalisation applicants in Daugavpils are not able to pass Latvian language exam the first time, while the percentage of people who can not pass the Latvian language exam the first time in Riga is 14%. Nevertheless, there are lesser non-citizens in Daugavpils (28% out of total of its residents) than in Riga (32%).

Latvijas Avize features an interview with the Head of the Saeima Education, Science and Culture Committee Janis Strazdins concerning education issues, in particular the implementation of the education reform and necessity to teach the Latvian history as a separate subject in the Latvian-language and minority schools as well. The MP notes that at the moment there is no rush with the adoption of the Law on Minority Schools, because the dominant majority of the Russian-speaking society does not take part in the protest actions against the education reform. Janis Strazdins believes that the strong opposition of non-Latvians against the education reform can be explained by the lack of sound knowledge of the Latvian history and one-sided interpretation of the consequences of the Soviet occupation in Latvia.

E-mail subscription
  • Integration Monitor - daily Latvian press digest on minority and social integration issues

Search

From To
Submit