• School director criticizes the MEP Karlis Sadurskis statement about transition of all state funded schools into Latvian language only
• Government’s working group will discuss proposals on legal provisions concerning residence permits for foreign investors

Commenting the recent statement of the MEP from Latvia Karlis Sadurskis that education in all state funded schools should be in Latvian language only, director of one of the Riga secondary schools said that such proposal will not save education system in Latvia. The director highlights that there are no Russian language schools in Latvia but ethnic minority schools which bilingually implement licensed and accredited education programs. The director also criticizes Sadurskis’ statement that education system in one language would let to increase teachers’ wages. The director believes that the problems with education system are not caused by expensive bilingual education but by existing management of education policy. The director also believes that now it is more important to decide what to do in order to prevent mass scale immigration of young people from the country. Vesti Segodnya

The government coalition parties decided to establish a working group discussing the proposal of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM to cancel legal provisions on granting residence permits to foreign investors. As other coalition partners do not support the nationalists’ proposal, the working group will try to find compromise proposals.  Vesti Segodnya

• One of the leaders of an NGO “Democratic Patriots” Liene Cipule: first of all, it is important to speak about integration of non-citizens

One of the leaders of an NGO “Democratic Patriots” Liene Cipule in an interview with Diena states that there are no civil political parties in Latvia because all parties more or less are with ethnic distinctions. According to Mrs Cipule, it is absurd to assume that ethnic Latvians are a priori “loyal” but Russians “disloyal” towards the state. Mrs Cipule believes that talks about integration for person who is Latvian citizen regardless of ethnic belonging are insulting and, first of all, it is important to speak about integration of non-citizens because it is also absurd that there are so many non-citizens in the state.

• One of the leaders of an NGO “Democratic Patriots” Liene Cipule: first of all, it is important to speak about integration of non-citizens

One of the leaders of an NGO “Democratic Patriots” Liene Cipule in an interview with Diena states that there are no civil political parties in Latvia because all parties more or less are with ethnic distinctions. According to Mrs Cipule, it is absurd to assume that ethnic Latvians are a priori “loyal” but Russians “disloyal” towards the state. Mrs Cipule believes that talks about integration for person who is Latvian citizen regardless of ethnic belonging are insulting and, first of all, it is important to speak about integration of non-citizens because it is also absurd that there are so many non-citizens in the state.

• Parliament of Un-represented conducted its second session
• MEP from Latvia Karlis Sadurskis: education system in one (Latvian) language would let to increase teachers’ wages
• Journalist Ksenija Zagorovska: Latvian government did everything possible to merge different parts of ethnic Russian residents into one community

Vesti Segodnya reports about a second session of the Parliament of Un-represented. Member of the Parliament Aleksandrs Gaponenko informed about the initial work of the committee on counting damage caused to non-citizens by Latvian authorities. According to Mr. Gaponenko, there are prepared complaint forms for non-citizens who believe they were caused damage from the status of non-citizen. On the basis of these forms, the lawyers will submit appeals to court – large number of private claims against the state. Other member, Vladimirs Lindermans proposed to establish a committee which will prepare appeals to the Saeima on a regular basis proposing cancellation of legal norms discriminatory to non-citizens.

MEP from Latvia Karlis Sadurskis (former Minister of Education who introduced language reform in minority schools in 2004) considers that it is time to end the bilingual education system and transfer all state funded Russian language schools into Latvian language only. Mr Sadurskis believes education system in one language would let to increase teachers’ wages because it would save finances spent for maintenance of bilingual system. Mr Sadurskis proposes to start transition of minority school into Latvian language gradually starting with first grades in 2015, first and second grades in 2016 and so on. According to Karlis Sadurskis, integration in Latvia should be based only on Latvian language. Latvijas Avize

Neatkariga prints an interview with journalist, ex-editor of one the former biggest Russian language newspapers Chas (the newspaper does not exist anymore) Ksenija Zagorovska. According to Mrs Zagorovska, historically Russians in Latvia were not united, because one part of Russians have been living in Latvia during the first Latvian republic in 1918-1940 but the other part arrived during Soviet period. First part automatically received Latvian citizenship but many people from the second part still have status of non-citizen.  Mrs Zagorovska believes that Latvian government did everything possible by enforcing aggressive reforms, showing contemptuous attitude towards all “Russian things” to merge these two parts of Russian speaking residents into one community. Mrs Zagorovska also states that it is wrong to think that Russian residents want to see Russia in Latvia because it is myth and 98% of Russians certainly do not want it and respect the order of things in this country.

• Conference about the results of the language reform in minority schools conducted in 2004
• Nationalists’ union calls “ethnic Latvian” parties to unite for the elections

 Vesti Segodnya reports about a conference organised by ex-MP and activist for defence of Russian language schools Jakovs Pliners about the results of the language reform in minority schools conducted in 2004. Participants of the conference reminded that initially government planned to transfer education in ethnic minority secondary schools into Latvian language only, but after the large protest of teachers, children and their parents (198 protest actions within one year), it was agreed to set the proportion the 60% of subjects in Latvian, 40% in minority language. According, to another activist for defence of Russian schools Vladimirs Buzajevs the protests against the reform were caused by the initial aim of the reform to deprive Russian children of complete education which would lead to moral and social degradation and decrease their competitiveness.  Jakovs Pliners stated that, eventually, Russians schools did not benefit from the language reform but also did lose. According to Mr Pliners, the pressure on Russian language schools continues as there is no preparation of teachers for minority schools and such schools do not exist in many Latvian regions anymore. Mr Pliners also criticized the unified state language examination for graduators of Latvian language and minority schools introduced two years ago arguing  that it initially puts students for whom Latvian language is not native in unequal situation and thus they receive lower examination evaluation which is very important claiming for scholarship at local universities. Doctor of pedagogy Valerijs Buhvalovs called to strengthen component of Russian culture in schools because it will preserve cultural identity of students.

 

The  nationalists’ union All for Latvia/FF-LNIM appealed to the biggest so called “ethnic Latvian” parties – the Unity, the Reforms Party and the Union of Greens and Farmers – calling those to unite in one list in the up-coming Saeima elections. The aim of such union is to win the elections and receive majority of mandates in order to ensure political stability and decrease chances of anti-state forces – by this considering the potential success of the Concord Centre. Commenting such call, representatives of the Reforms Party stated that consolidation of political parties is an interesting idea but it does not accept attempt to draw a line on principle of ethnic belonging. Vesti Segodnya