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.

• Neatkariga interviews the Minister of Education Ina Druviete
• Neatkariga reports about the idea to create a new Baltic TV channel in Russian language
• The head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee Ilmars Latkovskis: respect for teachers would be more important for society integration than transition of minority schools into Latvian
• Headquarters for Protection of Russian Language Schools plans picket against the Ombudsman

 

Neatkariga interviews the Minister of Education Ina Druviete. Regarding the state language policy, the Minister said that it is important to ensure the dominance of Latvian language in entrepreneurship and to amend the State Language Law in order to eliminate unmotivated requirements for foreign language proficiency. Mrs Druviete believes that employers demanding Russian language proficiency without reason put ethnic Latvian young people in disadvantage.  The Minister asserts that the government’s plan that all school subjects except minority language, literature and culture in national minority schools are to be taught in Latvian language starting with 2018 is motivated by the need to strengthen state language positions. At the same time, the Minister denies that there will be dramatic changes saying that the main aim is to improve education quality in Latvian language. According to the Minister, the main aim is to create preconditions, motivation, to persuade teachers, parents, public opinion makers that the model of bilingual education with greater Latvian language proportion is the most appropriate. The Minister believes that education system should partly compensate lack of ethnic Latvian environment in the society. 

Neatkariga reports about the idea of representatives of the Latvian Television and their Estonian colleagues to create a new Baltic or even Europe-wide TV channel in Russian language which would be an alternative to Russia’s channels for Russian speaking residents. Russian journalists Ksenija Zagarovska believes that in order to attract wider public and be competitive with other channels in Russian language such channel needs to provide some new content. At the same time, Mrs Zagarovska is skeptical about such channel as it is naive to believe that it will make Russians to think in a “right” way. Media expert Sergejs Kruks is also skeptical about establishment of such TV channel arguing that the authors of the idea most likely know nothing about local Russians and their interests and the do not ask experts who know such things. 

Latvijas Avize interviews the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee Ilmars Latkovskis about comparison of the events in Ukraine and the situation in Latvia. Mr Latkovskis stresses that Russian residents ofLatvia are not something homogenous and believes that large number of them are pro-European. According to Mr Latkovskis, in order to promote integration in Latvia it is important to act purposefully, for instance, to draw closer attention at preparation of teachers for Russian language schools stressing the personality of a teacher – if a teacher is smart and sophisticated students will have respect not only for the teacher but also towards the subjects he/she teaches – Latvian history, language and literature. Mr Latkovskis believes that such action would be much more important than transition of education in all Russian language schools into Latvian language in 2018. 

The Headquarters for Protection of Russian Language Schools and a forum “For Progress in Latvia” will hold a picket for resignation of the Ombudsman Juris Jansons. The activists believe that the Ombudsman does not want to defend rights of all residents equally. Vesti Segodnya