• Vesti Segodnya prints an article about the low rate of naturalisation in Latvia
• Riga City Council granted funding to eight projects on Latvian language courses

Vesti Segodnya prints an article about the low rate of naturalisation in Latvia. Presently, there are about 282,000 non-citizens or 13% of all population in Latvia. According to the head of the Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, the naturalisation rate is stabile and low for past seven years. During 2013 the naturalisation rate dropped even more – only 1939 applications were submitted (in previous years there were about 2-3 thousands application per year). However, the number of non-citizens decreases by about 20,000 every year not only due to naturalisation but also because the non-citizens die, emigrate or choose citizenship of another country. Integration expert Deniss Hanovs believes that it is important to make Latvian citizenship more attractive in terms of benefits people can gain from it. Representative of the Congress of Non-Citizens Elizabete Krivcova believes that it would be useful to make naturalisation exams easier for older people. Mrs Krivcova also believes that the governing parties are not interested in solving problem of non-citizenship.

The Education, Culture and Sports Department of the Riga City Council granted funding in amount of EUR 114,783 to eight projects on Latvian language courses. The courses will be available to about 1,200 Riga residents who want to gain A and B state language proficiency level, excluding schools students and unemployed persons.

• Saeima forwarded the draft Introduction to the Constitution of Latvia for revision to the Legal Committee

Yesterday, the majority of the Saeima forwarded the draft Introduction (in the previous versions called Preamble) to the Constitution of Latvia for revision to the Legal Committee. The revised Preamble became shorter and its author Egils Levits has taken out a notion “state nation” which was addressed to ethnic Latvians. According to the head of the Saeima’s Legal Committee Ilma Cepane, the notion of “state nation” was taken out but its meaning remained in the text. The Introduction to the Constitution says “Latvia was established uniting ethnic Latvians in historical land, based on a firm state will of ethnic Latvian nation and its irrevocable rights for self-determination in order to guarantee existence and development of ethnic Latvian nation, its language and culture through centuries, insure freedom of every person and all nations and promote welfare.” It also says that “Our identity in European cultural space was formed by of ethnic Latvian nation’s traditions and wisdom, Latvian language, universal human and Christian values.” Diena, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya

• Latvijas Avize prints an article about ethnic Russian students who chosen to study in Latvian language schools
• Overwhelming majority of respondents interviewed by Vesti Segodnya are ready to take part in protest actions against language reform in minority schools
• Director of a Russian language school: the right of the parents to choose education for their children should be respected
• Ombudsman Juris Jansons met with the President of Latvia Andris Berzins

Latvijas Avize prints an article about ethnic Russian students who chosen to study in Latvian language schools. According to a director of the most prestigious school in Latvia - Riga State 1st Gymnasium, there is no specific data about how many ethnic minority children study in the school but there is a tendency that number of such students in the school grows. The statistics collected by the Education Ministry, in its turn, shows that only about 4% of ethnic Russian students choose Latvian language schools and in the past years this number dropped a little. There is no data why do ethnic minorities choose Latvian language schools and how do they feel there. Seven ethnic minority students of the 1st Gymnasium interviewed by the newspaper, said that they have chosen to study in this school not because wanted to improve Latvian language proficiency but because of high education quality. According to the students, they did not have any major difficulties studying in Latvian language environment. These students also do not support the idea to transfer education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language and believe that at least primary education should be in a native language. All the interviewed young people also said that after graduation they are planning to study abroad. The schools director says that ethnic minority students who enter the Gymnasium in 10th grade easier get integrated in the school environment because in most of the cases it is their personal decision.

Vesti Segodnya publishes opinion of about 50 persons about government’s plans to transfer education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language. The overwhelming majority of respondents are against such reform and ready to take part in protest actions. At the same, time people do not know how to protect the existing education system and wait for more specific plan from activists for protection of ethnic minority schools.

Commenting a discussion between the directors of ethnic minority schools the Ombudsman Juris Jansons about education in minority schools held last week, director of one of the Russian language schools in Riga said that she hopes the idea that Latvia is not ready to transfer ethnic minority education into Latvian language was properly communicated to the Ombudsman. According to the director, the right of the parents to choose education for their children should be respected. Vesti Segodnya

According to Vesti Segodnya, the Ombudsman Juris Jansons during his meeting with the President of Latvia Andris Berzins pointed at education quality in Russian language schools. The Ombudsman said according to the monitoring conducted by the Ombudsman’s Office, students, teachers and even directors in some schools have poor Latvian language proficiency and such factor violates rights of a child for dignified education and development. Mr Jansons said that there will be language reform in 2018 because already now the legal acts say that education in Latvia is in state language.

 

 

• Minister of Education Ina Druviete will stimulate school directors to choose so-called first model of bilingual education
• Saeima’s Legal Committee supported the draft amendments stipulating punishment for public denial of USSR and Nazi German aggression

Yesterday, the Saeima’s Committee on Education, Culture and Science discussed with the Minister of Education Ina Druviete situation in education system, including language reform in ethnic minority schools. Replying to a question why the language reform in necessary, the Minister said that it is important to raise quality and level of state language proficiency in bilingual schools. According to Vesti Segodnya, the Minister also said that it is not planned to amend the Education Law yet, but to stimulate school directors to choose so-called first model of bilingual education where the proportion of education in Latvian and native language is 90/10% or 80/20%. Such model is used now only in 5% of schools.

Yesterday, the Saeima’s Legal Committee supported the draft amendments to the Criminal Law stipulating punishment for public denial of USSR and Nazi German aggression against Latvia, for justification, glorification or for malicious, rude or offensive attempt to question the fact of aggression. Against the draft amendments objected the MPs from the oppositional party Concord Centre and also representative of the Security Police (SP) who argued that the police officers and courts might face difficulties in applying such legal norms in practice because it will be hard to determine what was meant by possible defender, whether the denial was malicious, rude or offensive. The SP representative also said that such legal provisions might hinder scientific discussions and critical analyses of history. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

• Activists for the defence of the Russian language schools discuss how to protest against reform 2018
• Member of the “Unity” Gatis Purins is planning to appeal to the ECHR about refusal to publish names of MPs signed for referendum about status of Russian language
• Vesti Segodnya reports about a publication “White Book of Nazism”

Vesti Segodnya reports about a meeting of the activists of the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian Language Schools which was active during the language reform 2004 in minority schools. The activists discussed the possibility to establish a platform for protests against the new language reform in minority schools planned for 2018. The activists planned to counter the planned reform, the only question is what methods to choose – dialogue with the government or protest actions. As reported, the governing coalition agreement stipulates that education in ethnic minority schools will be transferred into Latvian language starting with 2018.

The member of the political party “Unity”, political scientist Gatis Purins is planning to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights regarding to the refusal of the Central Elections Committee (CEC) to publish names of the Parliament members who signed for the initiation of the referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language. Mr Purins believes the MPs are public officials and people have the right to known about all their legal initiatives. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports about a publication “White Book of Nazism” issued by an organisation World without Nazism. The publication analyses manifestations of radical nationalism in 18 European countries, including Latvia. The newspaper notes that authors or organisations who wrote the report about situation in Latvia are unknown and the analyses of the information provided is contradictory. According to the report, Latvia occupies third place among the monitored European countries for the level of intolerance (first is given to Greece, second to Estonia, fourth to Ukraine, fifth to Hungary).