Latvia: Minority schools teachers fired

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Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 18:59:28 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Latvia: Minority schools teachers fired

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Latvia: Minority schools teachers fired


As Latvian media reported this week, a group of teachers from schools
with Russian language of instruction will be fired from 1 July 1999.

The first Language Law which took effect in May 1992, contained a
provision which obliges all persons employed in both state and private
sector to have a command in Latvian language "at the level necessary
to carry out their duties". Three levels of the state language
proficiency were established by the governmental regulations: the
first level corresponds to some basic knowledge, the second level
requires certain fluency both in spoken and written language, and the
third one is close to perfect knowledge. All ministries and
departments were to elaborate detailed lists to determine which level
of the state language proficiency is required for this or that job in
the corresponding area. The state language proficiency is certified by
the attestation certificate issued by the State Attestation Commission
upon the results of the corresponding test. All persons who graduated
from schools with language of instruction other than Latvian, were
subject to this state language test. 

Initially, the Ministry of Education demanded that all teachers
including those working in the minority schools must have at least
second level of proficiency, while school directors and their deputies
were required the highest (third) level. Those teachers who failed to
pass these tests left Russian-language schools in 1992-1994. 

In December 1996, the Ministry of Education and Science (then headed
by leader of the radical nationalistic "Fatherland and Freedom" party
M.Grinblats) issued a decree which obliged already all teachers to
have the highest level of the state language command. Those who fail
to meet this requirement, were to be fired after 1 September 1998
because of "lack of professional capacities". This decree caused
numerous protests on the part of both teachers themselves, Russian and
human rights NGOs, and parents who were concerned with possible
deterioration of quality of education for their children if
experienced teachers are fired. Ministers from more moderate parties
(Y.Tselminsh from "Saimnieks" and Y.Gaigals from "Latvian Way") who
held the position after M.Grinblats promised to "look for a compromise
solution" of the problem, nevertheless, the decree was not suspended. 

In September 1998, the Ministry of Education and Science announced
that the date of the decree's entry into force will be postponed in
several towns (eg Daugavpils predominantly populated by
Russian-speakers), and will not be implemented before end of 1998. 

On 13 January 1999, Russian-language newspaper "Bizness & Baltija"
reported that the Ministry of Education will announce dismissal of 85
teachers (of them 31 in the capital Riga) who failed to obtain
required state language certificates by the end of 1998. More 57
teachers were allowed to pass the test before the end of 1999, and 14
kept their jobs "conditionally". Mainstream Latvian-language daily
"Diena" on 15 January reported officially that the number of fired
minority schools teachers was 88, and 53 were allowed to pass the
language test before June 1, 1999. Guntis Vasilevskis, head of the
General Education Dept of the Ministry, said to "Diena" that teachers
will be fired only in areas where there is "sufficient offer at the
labor market", thus, they can be replaced. 

The State Language Inspectorate declared intention to check carefully
if there were cases of forged or "bought" language attestation
certificates (allegations about corruption and bribes in the Language
Attestation Commissions are rather frequent), thus, the number of
fired teachers can increase.     

Gradual elimination of state- and municipally funded education in
minority languages is a stated goal for most political parties in
Latvia. The new Law on Education adopted in late October, 1998,
formally permits using minority languages in education, however, the
Ministry is authorized to decide which subjects are taught in the
state language and which ones - in the minority language. At least two
(in grades 1-9) and three (grades 10-12) subjects must be taught in
the state language mandatory. Education development concept elaborated
and adopted by the Ministry (and reportedly approved by the
Government) envisages elimination of schools with instruction in
minority languages as soon as the necessary number of teachers able to
teach in the state language is available. The Integration Program
(adopted recently by the Cabinet of Ministers) contains the same
approach to the problem. In fact, minority schools are viewed as a
kind of anomaly we have to put up so far, for switching to teaching
only in the state language is technically impossible. Many Russian
NGOs strongly argued against this concept. In particular, Latvian
Association of Russian Culture (which was the most staunch ally of the
Latvian Popular Front during the struggle for restoration of
independence) left the government supported Association of Ethnic
Cultural Organizations of Latvia (AECOL), protesting against disregard
of their view and signature of the AECOL chairman under the
Integration Program. 

Apparently, striving to switch to Latvian as the sole language of
instruction is the main reason behind the growing demands toward the
state language proficiency: teachers either have to pass the test and
to teach their subject in Latvian, or to get fired. Indeed, the number
of minority students trained in the mother tongue permanently reduces:
in 1990 157,199 students were taught in Russian, in 1995 this number
decreased till 131,645, and in 1998 - till 119,195 (this is not
"mostly due to emigration of Russians", as some commentators claim, as
respective figures for Latvian-language schools reveal: 179,954;
202,834; and 224,013). Figures for the 1 grade students are even more
revealing: in 1990, 22,489 children entered Latvian-language schools,
19,020 - Russian-language schools, and 51 began education in other
languages. In 1998, the respective figures were the following: 24,025;
9,165; and 286. Taking into account negative natural increase in all
etnic groups in Latvia, the figures reveal articulate assimilation
trend, and many NGO activists claim this assimilation is far from
being always voluntary. Thus, the development of the minority
education system in Latvia gives serious reasons for concern. 

Boris

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