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.

• Vesti Segodnya prints a critical article about the Ombudsman’s monitoring of bilingual education

Vesti Segodnya prints a critical article about the Ombudsman’s monitoring of bilingual education in ethnic minority schools and the way the Ombudsman interpreted the results. As reported the Ombudsman presented results of the monitoring conducted in 49 ethnic minority schools and concluded that as 50% of students have good Latvian language skills there should be the transition to instruction in Latvian language only. Moreover, the Ombudsman reported to the State Language Centre about seven teachers who have insufficient Latvian language proficiency. Directors of schools where the monitoring was conducted in an interview with the newspaper say that the Ombudsman’s Office did not notify the schools when the monitoring will take place and, therefore, many teachers were shocked when representatives of the Ombudsman suddenly entered the class. The directors believe that the Ombudsman carries out political order by some party in order to switch the attention of ethnic Latvian voters from other existing problems. Head of the education department of the Ministry of Education Evija Papule also criticizes the Ombudsman’s conclusion about the monitoring saying that it looks strange that the Ombudsman politicizes education issues in the threshold of the up-coming parliamentary elections. According to Mrs Papule, the existing bilingual education system is successful as the state language proficiency of students has sufficiently improved and students of secondary schools freely speak Latvian. Representative of the Latvian Human Rights Committee Vladimirs Buzajevs stated that even if 100% of students would evaluate their Latvian language proficiency as good it does not mean that national minority education should switch into Latvian and highlighted that the reason why these children study in their native tongue is not because of insufficient Latvian language proficiency, but because they want to preserve their identity. He also draws attention to the fact that 52% the interviewed pupils stated they want to study in their native language, not bilingually. The newspaper also notes that the Ombudsman is supposed to defend human rights, including the rights of ethnic minorities, before the state; however, now he acts like the state language inspection.