• MPs elaborate draft amendments to the Criminal Law stipulating punishment for denial of occupation
• The Minister of Education Ina Druviete: everybody should study in common schools and those who want could learn native language and culture as additional subjects

Members of the Saeima’s sub-committee on Criminal Law Policy agreed to add to the Criminal Law punishment for “public denial of USSR and Nazi German aggression against Latvia, for justification, glorification or for intentional, rude or offensive attempt to question the fact of aggression.” The MPs propose to punish for such crime with imprisonment up to three years, community service or pecuniary penalty. Newspapers note that such draft amendments mean that it will be possible to punish a person, for instance, for denial of occupation of Latvia by the USSR. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize (7.02)

The Minister of Education Ina Druviete in an interview with Latvijas Avize says that she would not support the idea of full transition of national minority schools into Latvian language only. The Minister believes that it would not be possible to do that and ethnic minority children should have right to study subjects concerning their ethnic identity in native language after 2018. Regarding national minority schools, the Minister believes that “the segregation of schools should be stopped” and everybody should study in common schools and those who want could learn native language and culture as additional subjects.

• The Ombudsman Juris Jansons: the majority of national minority school directors do not understand why the education system in which the students more or less learn Latvian language should be changed
• The Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs: governing coalition plays the ethnic card to draw attention away from important social economic problems
• The Mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs does not support transfer of education in national minority schools into Latvian language only
• Prominent figures are ready to support the protests
• Miroslavs Mitrofanovs: it is important to improve education quality
• The most popular parties in January were the Concord Centre, the Unity, the Union of Greens and Framers and the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM

 Latvijas Avize reports about a meeting of the Ombudsman Juris Jansonswith directors of national minority schools. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the directors’ opinion on how to solve problems which the Ombudsman believes exist in the bilingual education system. The discussion with directors was conducted behind the closed doors so that they feel free to express their opinion. According to the Ombudsman, the majority of the school directors do not understand why the education system in which the students more or less learn Latvian language should be changed. The Ombudsman also said that directors have different opinion on how language proportion in schools should be increased – whether to increase proportion of the state language or of native language. Two of the directors stated that Russian children should study in schools only in Russian. The directors also criticized the fact that the idea to conduct language reform in national minority schools was announced before asking the opinion of the school directors. The Ombudsman and the directors also discussed what problem the schools face. The directors mentioned that there is a lack of good quality education materials, there are disproportional requirements for Latvian language proficiency at exams instead of requirement for analytical skills, and that in order to improve state language proficiency and teach in a class where children have different levels of state language proficiency, teachers need better motivation, which also requires more state funding. According to the Ombudsman, it was concluded that state language proficiency of national minorities has improved, however, there should be additional actions in order to draw together ethnic Latvians and minorities.

 Vesti Segodnya publishes opinion of the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs regarding the plans of the governing coalition to transfer education in minority schools into Latvian language. Mr Usakovs believes that every time when the governing politicians fear of losing popularity and want to draw attention away from important social economic problems they play the ethnic card. Mr Usakovs calls this "cheap and powerful" trick for politicians – as soon as one side raises an issue such as minority schools – people on the other side immediately mobilise and both sides have their pre-election campaigns laud and ready. Nils Usakovs believes that the new generation of Latvian Russian speaking young people has no problems with Latvian language proficiency. But, at the same time, graduates of Latvian and Russian language schools have low results, for instance, in maths. Therefore, Mr Usakovs considers that it is very important to raise the alarm about the quality of education and low wages of teachers.

 The Mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs does not support transfer of education in national minority schools into Latvian language only. Mr Lembergs believes that ethnic Latvians themselves should take care about the usage of Latvian language instead of laying that responsibility on the others. Vesti Segodnya

 Vesti Segodnya publishes opinion of 21 public figures on whether they are ready to support protests against the transfer minority education into Latvian language and in what form. The majority of interviewees stated that they would be ready to take part in the protest actions and believe that it is impermissible to close Russian language schools. Media expert Sergejs Kruks says that he would be ready to take part in the protests as a manifestation of civil activities. Mr Kruks also says that he supports schools by publications and research and believes that the plans to change the existing education system has no any scientific grounds. The TV journalist Andrejs Mamikins also says that he would support schools by any democratic means and believes that by such reform politicians will blow up the situation.

 One of the organisers of the protest action against the transition of Russian language schools into Latvian language Miroslavs Mitrofanovs (the Union of Latvia's Russians) is pleased with the first protest action held on 4 February. Mr Mitrofanovs is also satisfied that he had chance to speak with the Minister of Education Ina Druviete about the planned changes and to agree about further meetings and discussions. Mr Mitrofanovs says that it is very important to analyse the situation in national minority schools, to receive objective data, and after that to take measures in order to improve the education quality. Vesti Segodnya

According to the latest public opinion survey conducted by “Latvijas fakti”, the most popular party in January 2014 was the Concord Centre - 21,2% of respondents said that they would support this party at the Saeima’s elections. The Concord Centre’s popularity has grown by 3% since December 2013. The popularity of the Unity also has grown by about 1%, reaching 14,5%. Popularity of two other major parties decreased - from 10,5% down to 9,8% for the Union of Greens and Framers and from 6,8% down to 6,2 for the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM. Latvijas Avize

• Vesti Segodnya: rigorous inspections of usage of the state language in Russian minority schools
• Valdis Dombrovskis: Latvia needs to elaborate immigration policy

 

Vesti Segodnya reports that following public protest against the government announced intention to switch minority schools to education in the state language only, the representatives of the Ministry of Education started rigorous inspections of the usage of the state language in Russian minority schools. According to unofficial information of the newspaper, representatives of the Ministry attend the classes and record how much teacher speaks in Latvian and in Russian, ostensibly in order to identify the teachers to dismiss. The inspectors also interrogate children about what is the language they speak during the lessons.

 

Latvijas Avize reports that an Estonian newspaper published an interview with the ex-Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis in which he said that Latvia needs immigrants for further development and praised the system on granting residence permits to foreign investors. However, in an interview with Latvijas Avize, Mr Dombrovskis stated that the journalists imprecisely interpreted what he has said. According to Mr Dombrovskis he just said thatLatvia needs to elaborate immigration policy with an aim to attract qualified labour force as other countries do. Regarding granting residence permits to foreign investors, Mr Dombrovskis said that about 6,000 foreigners received residence permits using such system which is only 10% of all persons who were granted residence permits in Latvia. Therefore, Mr Dombrovskis questions why there are so many debates about these 10% but no interest about the rest. 

• First protest action was hold yesterday against the government’s plans to switch education in national minority schools into state language
• Congress of Non-citizens appealed to the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding

Yesterday, first protest action against the government’s plans to switch education in national minority schools into state language was hold near the building of the Cabinet of Ministers in Riga. The protest was organised by the party the Union of Latvia's Russians and gathered, according to Vesti Segodnya, about 200 persons. The protestors criticized the statement of the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma that sooner or later all schools in Latvia will be in Latvian language only. Leader of the Union of Latvia's Russians Jakovs Pliners in an interview with Diena stated that the protests will continue because the planned changes are against the will of national minorities. The Minister of Education Ina Druviete, in her turn, believes that if the planned changes are detailed explained and implemented in tight cooperation with language and education specialists, especially teachers who work in ethnic minority schools than there will be no street protests. The Chairperson of the Union of Citizens and Non-Citizens Vladimirs Sokolovs highlighted that if Latvia is a democratic country, it should ask the parents before introducing any major changes affecting the education of their children; imposing the changes against the will of the parents is a sign of coercion and dictatorship.

The Congress of Non-citizens appealed to the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding asking to put her special attention to the problem of mass-scale non-citizenship in Latvia. The Congress says that there is about 300,000 persons with status of non-citizen of Latvia and these people are separated into a specific category of residents despite that they have lived in this country for generations, work here and pay taxes. The Congress also notes that as the majority of non-citizens are ethnic minorities, the European Commission paid special attention to the lack of political rights during the accession process in 1995-2004. However, after Latvia entered the Union, the government substantially decreased its efforts to introduce equal standards in the area of ethnic minorities. 

• Minister of Education Ina Druviete: further preservation of minority schools separately should be reassessed, starting with minority kindergartens
• Director of Russian language school: new language reform in ethnic minority schools is political provocation

Latvijas Avize reports about a meeting of the Minister of Education Ina Druviete and the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minority Education of the Ministry of Education. According to Mrs Druviete, increase of the proportion of education provided in Latvian language in ethnic minority schools is necessary in order to continue improving state language proficiency of students. Mrs Druviete asserted that the language proportion in ethnic minority schools might be 80% of subjects in Latvian language and 20% in Russian (subjects concerning native language and culture). The Minister rejected the worries of teachers that such system is aimed at assimilation of non-Latvian children and said that “we should help child to grow up as citizen.” School directors and representative of the Latvian Language Agency voiced their concerns that not all teachers in minority schools will be ready for such reform. Introduction of 60/40 proportion in 2004 was also met with fervent protests by the parents and students and the Minister believes that if the government conveys its message, there will be no unrest. Mrs Druviete also stated that further preservation of minority schools separately should be reassessed, starting with minority kindergartens.

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with a director of Russian language secondary school in Riga Anna Vladova. The director believes that the idea to transfer almost all content of education in ethnic minority schools is a politicized process and it would harm the education quality. Mrs Vladova believes that the existing language proportion 60/40 is effective and it is enough for preservation of own culture, identity and language. Mrs Vladova believes that such idea is a very dangerous provocation before the upcoming parliamentary elections.