Language Research

6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other

The only State Language is Latvian, in spite of the fact that only 57% of the population of Latvia speak Latvian and 43% speak Russian. Now reduced to the status of a “foreign” tongue, Russian is not used officially even in places of dense Russian residence. For instance, according to the State language law, all official papers must be only in Latvian. Similarly, private TV channels may show not more than 20% (reduced from 30%) of programs in non-Latvian languages such as Russian, Polish or English.

On October 29, 1998, a new Law on Education was accepted, establishing that in all State and Municipal Educational Institutions “education is to be given in the state language” (Article 9) and shifting all education to the State (Lettish) Language by the year 2004.

This is likely to lead to a fall in the quality of education for national minorities. In 1998 more than 34% of all schoolchildren studied in Russian. “It is not permissible that the budget should be wasted on teaching in Russian, Polish and Jewish” the popular Ex-Premier and Leader of the People's Party A.Shkele was quoted as saying in “Panorama Latvii” of November 1, 1998.

According to Article 19 of The Radio and TV law, the broadcasting time in foreign languages (including the languages of national minorities) should not exceed 25% of the total. The company “TV-Riga”, as well as some other private radio and TV companies (“Business & Baltia”, “Radio PIK”) were repeatedly fined and even temporarily closed for the violation of this provision, as they had too many broadcasts in Russian. 

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Updated (September 2001)

SCHOOLS

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 going to be taught in the state language. At least two (in grades 1-9) and three (grades 10-12) subjects must be taught in the state language.

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN LATVIAN AND IN RUSSIAN

OPINION POLL

Pupils between 9 and 11 years from 50 Russian schools in Latvia, their teachers and parents were interviewed in the opinion poll held by the Baltic Data House at the beginning of summer 1999. According to the results the majority of pupils in Russian schools did not feel attached to the Latvian society, were not willing to speak Latvian and they disapproved minority schools' reform envisioned by the Education Law. The Law stipulates gradual transition to the Latvian language of instruction in all minority schools. By the year 2004 at least 75% of all subjects in minority schools will have to be taught in Latvian.

NAMES

Many national minorities members in Latvia have problems with their surnames. According to the Rules on writing names in personal ID's approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on May 14, 1996, all names and surnames “must be written in Latvian according to the literary norms of the Latvian language” (Art. 1). Though, according to Art.2 “names and surnames originated from other languages should be written as closely as possible to the original spelling,” it is not clear how to apply this provision in practice. The Latvian language grammar rules are particularly demanding - special endings must be added, different for male and female's names, some double letters are prohibited, application of diacritical signs when transliterating minority and foreign names is controversial, etc.

In Soviet passports issued in Latvia, names were written in both Russian and Latvian, while the USSR passports issued outside Latvia contained records either only in Russian or in Russian and the language of the corresponding “Soviet national republic.” Latvian ID's (both citizens' and non-citizens' passports) contain official records only in Latvian.

POLISH NAMES

According to the Treaty on Friendship and Co-operation between Latvia and Poland (ratified on December 8, 1992), the Poles living in Latvia have the right to use and to have recorded in their ID's, their names in original form and without distortion. However, according to Article 1 of the Rules on writing names in personal ID's, all names and surnames “must be written in Latvian according to the literary norms of the Latvian language.” For example, in Latvian passports the name ‘Krzysztof Anuszkiewicz’ must be written as ‘Ksistofs Anuskevics’ (diacritical signs omitted in this example). According to Article 15.4 of the Treaty, subjects of the Treaty must observe normative acts of the corresponding state.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that every person could request to record his/her name in the native tongue in the passport (special entry page 14). Yet, this additional record cannot be used for any official purpose. Besides, in the new ID's – internal identification cards to be used soon instead of passports - an entry for additional record of the name/surname's original form is not envisaged.

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Updated (May 2002)

SCHOOLS IN RIGA

According to some Latvian politicians the Russian-speaking parents more often send their children to schools with Latvian as the language of instruction. However, based on the statistical data about the schools in Riga (year 2002), 46,426 children attend the Latvian-language schools, 53,000 children the Russian-language schools, and 890 children schools with the instruction in other minority languages. The number of schoolchildren steadily decreased both in schools with the Latvian and Russian language of instruction; however, it drops faster in the Russian-language schools.

In this year, 121 children from ethnically Russian families began their studies in the first grade of the Latvian-language schools, while 2,205 ethnic Russian children chose the Russian-language schools. For ethnic Ukrainians the corresponding data are 6 vs. 138, ethnic Belarussians 10 vs. 130, ethnic Poles 14 vs. 50, Lithuanians 18 vs. 25, Jews 1 vs. 32, other minorities 7 vs. 68.

Out of all minorities, only children from the Roma families prefer schools with the Latvian language of instruction. The number of pupils in the schools with other minority languages of instruction steadily grows from 681 two years ago to 847 last year and 890 this year.

Ethnic Russians make up 3.65 percent among all students in the schools with the Latvian language of instruction, while ethnic Latvians 10.65 percent in the schools with the Russian language of instruction.

MINORITY SCHOOLS

As a leader of the “Youth Union for Human Rights in United Latvia” Ivan Stalnoy said to the Russian-language daily “Vesti Segodnya” (The News Today), on March 28, the organization will start survey among the students on the topic “Do you want to study in your mother tongue?”

Stalnoy is sure that more than 80 percent of pupils and students will support the idea of studying in their native language. Mass media will participate in the campaign too, informing society about the results. The survey will be finished in the middle of summer.

The Ministry of Education and Science considers this issue to be “overpoliticized.” The biggest part of minority secondary schools are ready for the transition to the Latvian language of instruction in 2004, as all preconditions have been created. Representatives of the Ministry of Education reported that the problems could arise in those schools, which did not prepare themselves. The pupils will not have problems at all, but teachers could have some. According to the information of the ministry, 60 percent of schools are ready for the transition and the remaining 30 percent will be ready before 2004. (LNT News, http://www.tvnet.lv/onlinetv/lnt/index.php?id=988473).

The majority of parents accepts transition (73 percent) and are pleased by the way it is done in school (67 percent), still 65 percent from those accept the idea of struggle for teaching in mother tongue. Evija Papule, Head of the Ministry's Integration Division, noted that it is natural, because to study in the mother tongue is more easy and convenient, and therefore first classes will be bilingual (“Lauku Avize” (The Rural Newspaper), April 23).

LANGUAGE

On April 23, 2002 the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences presented the results of the research “Usage of the Latvian language by Russian-speakers.” According to them, in an eight-year period the number of people, who speak Latvian, has grown by 10 percent, although the data for last 3-4 years have not changed. Only 12 percent of non-Latvians said they did not speak Latvian at all. Eighty-seven percent of Russians believed that all Latviass residents should speak the state language fluently (“Diena” (The Day), April 24).

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Updated (July 2002)

EDUCATION 

• The newspaper “Vesti Segodnja” reported in June about a possibility to study the Russian language at the University of Latvia. The faculty of the Russian language is planning to open the Russian Culture and Language Center.

• According to new regulations of this year, graduates of secondary minority schools who have passed a centralized examination in the Latvian language do not need to re-take the Latvian language test for naturalization purposes. (Vechernaya Riga, June 11)

• As of the next academic year all Russian schools should implement one of four bilingual educational models. The first model of bilingual education is that all subjects but the classes of the native tongue and literature are taught in the state language.

ROMA

The first regional Roma organization bureau funded from the state budget was opened in Jelgava. The bureau is going to work as a coordinating center assisting with social, educational and employment problems of Roma. Another effort is to break stereotypes about this ethnic group. Twelve such regional centers are planned altogether.

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Updated (August 2002)

MEDIA

The gap between the Latvian and non-Latvian population is further reflected in the media. The print media is practically divisible into Latvian and Russian language publications, differing markedly in content, tone, opinion and information sources.

The mainstream Latvian language press tends to ignore minorities and rarely presents minority concerns and viewpoints. Occasionally Russia and the Russian-speaking minority are portrayed negatively, although there are no studies on the frequency of this phenomenon.

The Russian language press, meanwhile, tends to be highly critical towards authorities, especially with respect to areas such as citizenship, registration, language and education policy. Historical issues, related to World War II, are frequently treated differently in Latvian and Russian language press outlets.

Instances of speech indicating intolerance or contributing to stereotypes have been recorded in both the Latvian and Russian language press. Mainstream Latvian newspapers sometimes publish readers' letters featuring racial enmity. Russian-speakers are depicted as “aliens” with a totally different language, culture and lifestyle, hostile towards ethnic Latvians. The very presence of Russian speakers is sometimes seen as a danger to the continued existence of Latvians and independent statehood. More egregious examples of hate speech are the preserve of low circulation papers, representing politically marginalized groups. Perhaps the most notorious is the overtly National Socialist “Latvietis Latvija” (A Latvian in Latvia) which has issued calls to reject “the Zhids'” (a pejorative term for Jews) glorification of cosmopolitanism and demands of Russians for integration” and “take up arms against those “Van der Stoels,” who arrive to destroy our nation and state...” The Constitutional Protection Bureau (an independent institution), initiated criminal proceedings against the paper in June 1999, but found no violation and the case was closed in summer 2000.

Hostile views are not confined to Latvian language publications. In January 2000, the Latvian Regional Organization of Russian National Unity, a neo-Nazi group modeled on a group based in Russia, published an underground newsletter entitled “Za Russky Poryadok” (For a Russian Order). One article derided perceived Latvian sympathy for the Chechen cause, noting: “If someone wants to fight with Russians, there is no need to go so far. We are already here!” Another article asserted that in 1940 “our fathers once again returned here and only took back what has always belonged to Russia by right.”¹

In the field of printed media, no regulations with regard to the language of publication exist. Popular Russian language newspapers include Panorama Latvii (20–35,000), Chas (16–20,000), Vesti Segodnja (22–25,000), and Bizness i Baltija. Until the end of 1999, one nation-wide newspaper, Diena (The Day) was published in both languages, thus bridging the linguistic gap in Latvia, but the Russian edition ended publication in 2000.

There are also several printed media issued irregularly, with small circulations, by other minority cultural and religious organizations aimed specifically at their groups.

On the other hand, the Law on Radio and Television obliges broadcasters to conduct TV and radio programs predominantly in the state language. One public TV channel must broadcast only in the state language, while the second one can allocate up to 20 percent of airing time in other languages. Although the great majority of this time is given to Russian language productions, almost every day half an hour of radio broadcasting is devoted to other minorities (Armenian, Azeri, Belarussian, Estonian, Georgian, German, Greek, Jewish, Lithuanian, Polish, Tatar and Ukrainian).

Source: http://www.eumap.org/reports/content/10/428/minority_latvia.pdf, The EU Accession Monitoring Program Report on Minority Protection, Open Society Institute 2001

¹ Another paper, Tribunal, the newsletter of the Victory Society (Obshchestvo pobedy established in April 2000 as a front for the Russian National Bolshevik Party), has glorified violence. For example, issue No.4 has an article about Lattelekom, the Latvian telecommunications monopoly, entitled “Lattelekom should be bombed.” In August 2000, criminal proceedings were launched against the Tribunal editor and publisher for propagating violence and inciting national hatred –there was no clear outcome at the time of writing. See Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Human Rights in Latvia 2000, Riga, 2001, p.44.

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Updated (September 2002)

EDUCATION

Newspapers Diena, Vechernaya Riga, Chas, Telegraf and Panorama Latvii reported on a study called “Analysis of the Implementation of Bilingual Education” conducted by the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences on August 28. Almost half of the surveyed minority schoolteachers believe that their schools will not be ready to switch the language of instructions to Latvian in 2004. At the beginning of the reform in 1999, every school could choose one bilingual educational model out of four offered by the Ministry of Education, but unfortunately, schools had no time to discuss their choices thoroughly neither among themselves nor with students' parents.

The authors of the survey suggested an amendment to the law stating that only students of those schools ready for the switch should study in Latvian in 2004. The study also indicates that Latvian language proficiency among students has improved since bilingual educational models were introduced.

However, the Minister of Education, Karlis Greiskalns reconfirmed that the stance of the Ministry towards the education reform had not changed and it will take place in the determined time frame so schools still have two years to get ready.

Telegraf informed that the number of Russian students who attend Latvian schools is constantly increasing. According to the official data, the number of the first grade students at Latvian schools has tripled within the last seven years, while Russian schools experience the opposite tendency – the number of the first grade students has decreased from 19,000 in 1990 to 7,000 last year.

PRE-SCHOOLS

In Latvia parents can choose the language of instruction in a pre-school; however, their children will have two mandatory Latvian “classes” – two hours when children will be playing in Latvian and will be taught the Latvian language. Among this year's registered 452 pre-schools, only 64 are in national minority languages. The Latvian language teachers are already employed in national minority pre-schools. (Diena, August 3) 

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Updated (October 2002)

The “Tem TV” company, a distributor of the Russian Public Television programs in Latvia, is planning to launch a new satellite TV channel called “First Baltic Channel,” which will air programs of both the Russian Public Television and “Tem TV.” The majority of programs will be in the Russian language. (Vesti Segodnya, September 27, 2002)

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Updated (January 2003)

Inese Vaidere (FF/LNNK MP) in her letter to Uldis Grava, the general director of the National TV, suggested that the National TV should not interview people who do not speak the state language. Grava disagreed with her opinion because he is convinced that TV should present opinions of all Latvian residents.

Ms Vaidere also asked the general director to consider the possibility to show movies in their original languages with subtitles in the Latvian language. The chairperson of the National Radio and TV Council Ojars Rubenis admitted that the National TV could air more movies in original languages; however, it should be very seriously considered both technically and legally, as the current legislation restricts the use of foreign languages to a maximum of 20 percent of national TV programs.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, December 19 and 20, 2002

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Updated (February 2003)

EDUCATION

The Jewish secondary school in Riga should have a new building in the nearest future. This new building will be financed by the Riga Jewish Community and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. The project's total costs are estimated at US$ 4 million and the construction is to be finished in 18 months.

MEDIA

The initiative of an independent Latvian TV channel “LNT” to include news on social integration in its daily night program aired in Latvian is welcomed by the public. Many people, especially Latvians, do not have a clear picture of integration and they believe that this process regards only non-Latvians.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, January 15, 2003

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Updated (April 2003)

THE SCHOOL REFORM

According to the report of the State Education Inspection, out of 149 minority secondary schools investigated, 16 are fully ready for the 2004 education reform, 115 are expected to be prepared by September 2004, 6 will be only partially prepared, and 12 will not be ready at all.

There are 158 minority schools in Latvia. The largest number of unprepared schools is in Riga. According to the survey data, 52 percent of teachers (out of 3,292) evaluated their Latvian language skills as good and appropriate for teaching subjects in Latvian.

Thirty-eight percent of students' parents supported the reform while 23 percent opposed it. Eighty-five percent of parents stated that they were well informed about the reform.

According to the newspaper Diena, in Riga only two minority secondary schools are ready for the switch to Latvian. Ten percent of teachers (out of about 1,500 asked) who work at minority schools have insufficient Latvian language skills. Education Minister Karlis Sadurskis admitted that as of September 1, 2004 it could be possible that the Ministry would penalize those teachers who have a negative attitude towards the reform. For instance, the Ministry could stop paying bonuses, which according to the Law should be provided to teachers who work at minority schools.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Telegraf, April 9, 2003 and Diena, April 22, 2003

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Updated (June 2003)

THE USE OF LANGUAGE IN THE LATVIAN ARMY

According to the data provided by a sociologist of the National Program for Latvian Language Training Sintija Smite, 25-30 percent of draftees do not have sufficient Latvian language skills to serve in the Latvian army.

Even after language courses the majority of them understand orders only repeated three times. Forty percent of soldiers in the Latvian army are ethnic Russians.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, June 30, 2003, Diena

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Updated (September 2003)

EDUCATION REFORM IN LATVIA KEEPS RAISING CONCERN

Even though the new education reform in Latvia has already come into force on September 1, it keeps raising concern mainly among the Russian-speaking population.

The specific provisions included in the last amendment (August) establish that after the “transition period” (2004/2006) a minimum of five subjects in minority secondary schools shall be taught in Latvian, as well as it stipulates that up to 40 percent of the curricula shall be taught in minority languages.

Source: Mercator News, September, 2003, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

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Updated (October 2003)

TV

Public television (Latvijas Televizija) has two public channels, LTV1 and LTV2 (which became LTV7 in 2003) and retains a monopoly position. In the middle of 1990s, after LNT (Latvian Independent Television) began to broadcast nationwide and another private broadcaster, “TV Riga,” was launched to cover the Riga area, the situation on the TV market changed significantly. According to the poll in February 1997, LNT was the most popular channel with the audience creating 38 percent of the total population. As of 2002, LNT still preserves its leading position on the market.

In February 2001, the National Radio and Television Council issued a permit to the private TV broadcaster “TV3 LATVIA” to function as the 4th national network.

RADIO

There are five public radio channels in Latvia and four of them have national broadcasting coverage. Public radio channel “Doma Laukums” broadcasts in non-Latvian languages, predominantly in Russian.

Commercial, private radios first appeared in 1993. Since 1998 commercial radio station “Radio SWH” has had national broadcasting coverage, therefore the number of its listeners is potentially higher than that of other stations.

Later on, another two broadcasters, “Star FM” and Christian Radio “Latvijas Kristgais Radio” received a license to broadcast on the whole territory of Latvia. Approximately a dozen commercial radios broadcast for Riga and the Riga region.

LANGUAGE ISSUE

According to the National Radio and Television Council (NRTC), as of January 2003, licenses have been issued to 31 commercial radio broadcasters, 26 commercial TV broadcasters, and 37 cable TV and cable radio broadcasters.

In the period between 1996 and 2001, NRTC imposed 38 sanctions on private TV and radio broadcasters for not observing language norms, when 17 of them exceeded a 25-percent limit. More than a half of these sanctions were warnings, in eight cases; however, NRTC decided to suspend the operation of broadcasting organizations for certain time and in one case (TV Riga) NRTC proposed closure of this channel (March 2000).¹

Statistical data on radio listeners illustrate strong preferences on the basis of language.

(Summer/autumn 2002)

According to the law, restrictions for broadcasting in non-Latvian languages were established for the companies, not for the channels.² If one broadcasting company has several channels, it has a possibility to use one channel only for broadcasting in a non-Latvian language.

As for the TV market, LTV1 is the most popular channel among citizens (81 percent); however, it is less popular among non-citizens (only 41 percent watch it regularly). On the other hand, the leading Russian Federation television channels ORT and RTR are very popular among non-citizens when 77 percent of non-citizens and 35 percent of citizens watch them regularly.

It should be emphasized that compared with 1997, the audience of Russian Federation TV channels has increased both among Russian speaking citizens and non-citizens mainly because these channels are widely available through cable television. Thus, the Latvian electronic media are loosing many potential viewers and listeners, which is obviously contrary to the public interest about societal integration.

Since 1999, the number of Russian speakers watching TV programs in Latvian has decreased by 6 percent, and the number of Russian speakers listening to radio programs in Latvian has decreased by 7 percent.

Another principle hampering the integration process is established directly in the Radio and Television Law in Article 19 (1) (see the update for Legislation from October 2003). It states that, apart from a few specified exceptions, each program shall be broadcast in one language, and fragments of the program, which are originally in other languages, shall be translated (by dubbing, voice-over or subtitles).

The popular interactive TV programs, for example, “Tema nedeli” (The Topic of the Week) at TV5 channel, have met with difficulties when trying to observe this Article, because during live programs participants express their opinions either in the Latvian or Russian languages. Such TV programs play an important role in the integration process and facilitate mutual understanding in a multicultural society.

Source: Media Legislation, Minority Issues and Implications for Latvia by Leonid Raihman, January 20, 2003, http://www.policy.hu/raihman/PolicyPaper.htm

¹ The conflict between NRTC and TV Riga began in November 1996, when NRTC accused TV Riga that 80 percent of its broadcasting is in the Russian language. TV Riga objected that films in Russian, with Latvian subtitles should be considered as programs in Latvian. Then, in July 1999, the operation of TV Riga was suspended for one week. In June 2000, the Zemgale District Court instructed NRTC and TV Riga to conclude a friendly settlement. The members of NRTC did not accept the proposal of the head of TV Riga. Finally, after a year and a half, TV Riga was renamed to “TV5 - Riga,” and new owners started to realize a new concept of the channel.

² For private companies 25 percent (this restriction has been already abolished – see the update in Legislation from June 2003) and for the public companies 20 percent (still in force)

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Updated (February 2004)

DAUGAVPILS AND THE EDUCATIONAL REFORM

The principals of Daugavpils schools sent an open letter to the Ministry of Education and Science, stating that the transition to the Latvian language instruction in this city is not possible at the moment and called for delay in the implementation of the education reform.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Latvijas Avize, January 29, 2004

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Updated (March 2004)

BOOKS FROM RUSSIA

More than 100,000 Russian schoolbooks were sent to Latvia as an assistance from Russia. The Ministry of Education is checking these books in order to analyse whether they comply with the views of the Latvian state.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Chas, Vesti Segodnya, February 17, 2004

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Updated (May 2004)

EDUCATION REFORM

According to the State Education Inspection, many schools in Riga are ready to teach subjects in Latvian. Out of sixty Riga minority schools, only two have problems with the development of education programs.

Only nineteen teachers¹, who will have to teach subjects in Latvian next year, will not be ready for it.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, April 26, 2004, Chas

¹ out of 422

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Updated (July 2004)

A LANGUAGE COMPETITION

The State Language Center plans to organize a competition in order to clarify, which town has the friendliest attitude to the Latvian language. Several categories will be evaluated, for example the linguistic quality of information provided by the municipalities, as well as the use of language on information panels and in private companies.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, June 22, 2004, Latvijas Avize

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Updated (September 2004)

SCHOOL READY FOR THE REFORM

The Jaunogre minority secondary school is ready to implement the education reform because five subjects have already been taught there in Latvian for several years.

The school also supports an initiative to improve the Latvian language skills of parents. Therefore the students of the 11th and 12th grade teach the Latvian language to parents of their classmates after school, while teachers teach the Latvian history to help parents get ready for the naturalization exams.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, August 30, 2004, Neatkariga Rita Avize

A CITIZENSHIP GUIDEBOOK PUBLISHED IN LATVIA

"Citizenship ABC", a book with information about various citizenship terms and possibilities how to acquire Latvian citizenship, has been published in Latvia.

However, many cases have proven that citizenship is a cheap commodity in Latvia. The newspaper enumerates examples when people, in its opinion disloyal to Latvia (for instance against the education reform), have received Latvian citizenship recently.

The deputy chairman of the Naturalization Board, Janis Kahanovics, explains that in accordance with the Law on Citizenship, the Latvians may not be deprived of their citizenship for an incitement of national hatred, calls to violence and open disrespect towards the country.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, August 31, 2004, Latvijas Avize

SUBJECTS TAUGHT IN LATVIAN

Fifty-four out of fifty-nine minority schools in Riga have chosen to teach Sport in Latvian. History, the Basics of Business and Economics, and Geography are other most frequently chosen subjects.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, September 6, 2004, Diena, Telegraf

LATVIAN LANGUAGE SKILLS AMONG NON-LATVIANS

According to the results of the research Integration of Non-Latvian Youth in Latvian Society in the Context of the Education Reform conducted by the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 56 percent of teachers, 48 percent of minority students and 24 percent of their parents self-evaluated their Latvian language knowledge as "very good" or "quite good". On the other hand, 1 percent of teachers, 1 percent of students and 10 percent of parents evaluated it as "very bad".

Almost 75 percent of students, 66 percent of parents and 62 percent of teachers believe that it is necessary to speak the Latvian language, if they want to find a job in Latvia. The numbers are slightly lower for education (73 percent of students, 55 percent of teachers and 41 percent of parents).

Eighty-two percent of students use Latvian in communication with the persons who do not speak Russian, while 65 percent of parents and 85 percent of teachers use Latvian only if they are addressed in Latvian.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, September 8, 2004, Latvijas Avize

LATVIAN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF MINORITY TEACHERS

The Head of FHRUL parliamentary group, Yakov Pliner, doubted information provided by the Ministry of Science and Education that only eleven teachers are not able to teach their subjects in Latvian. According to a director of a minority school who did not want to reveal her name, only one out of school's twenty-four teachers, who have to teach students in Latvian, is able to do it perfectly.

The newspaper also reports that at least 70 percent (approximately LVL 86,000) of funding allocated this year from the state budged for the implementation of Latvian language courses are allotted for the course for teachers.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, September 10, 2004, Neatkariga Rita Avize

POLISH PRIMARY SCHOOL REORGANIZED TO A PRE-SCHOOL

One of the Polish primary schools in Riga experienced the lack of students for years so the City Council reorganized it to a pre-school. The Council believes that those children who want to study the Polish language and culture can do that at another Polish school in the town.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, September 20, 2004, NRA

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AT MINORITY SCHOOLS HAS DECREASED

According to the Education, Youth and Sports Department of the Riga City Council, in the school year 2004/05 the number of students at minority schools has dropped by 8,052, in comparison to the academic year 2003/04. This year 39,154 students are registered in Riga minority schools.

On the other hand, the number of students studying at Latvian schools has increased by 3,417 reaching 43,565 students. State officials and education experts explain that one of the reasons for this increase could a counter-reaction to the protest actions against the education reform.

It could be also interpreted as concern of minority students' parents about the quality of education in minority schools. Generally the opinion prevails in the society that after the implementation of the education reform all schools in Latvia will be only in Latvian; however, those, which were non-Latvian before, will provide education in lower quality.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, September 23 and 24, 2004, Diena

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Updated (November 2004)

Russian students studying at two-stream schools in Latvia have no problems concerning the implementation of the education reform because they are taught bilingual already from the fifth grade (in Latvian and Russian). In the eighth grade several subjects are taught solely in Latvian.

There are 98 two-stream schools in Latvia, the majority of them located in Latgale (44) and Vidzeme (30, out of them 19 in the Riga district).

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, November 3, 2004, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Latvijas Avize

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION REFORM

According to the report of the Ministry of Education and Science submitted to the government, the situation at minority schools is good. However, the Minister stressed that this report does not analyze the implementation of the reform but only evaluates whether schools are ready for it. Although the report concluded that schools are ready for this academic year as provided in legislation, he was not able to assure that the implementation of the reform is successful. The first credible analysis of the reform will be available only after the first semester in January. A scrupulous examination of all schools is planned in March and April.

On the other hand, the Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia believe that the Latvian authorities have implemented repressive methods towards opponents of the education reform. The report of the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian Schools in Latvia (based on a continuous monitoring of the implementation of the reform at schools) came to the following conclusions: studies have turned into a farce because teachers have to translate and explain Latvian terms which the students do not understand what causes an obvious decrease of the quality of education, lesser interest towards studies and psychological trauma for students.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, November 8 and 10, 2004, NRA, Chas

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Updated (March 2005)

ETHNICALLY MIXED COMPANIES 

According to the study, "Social Integration and Business: Ethnic Aspects", conducted by the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences and the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, the number of ethnically mixed companies is on the increase, while the number of “pure” Russian and Latvian companies is on the wane.

In the 90s, the concept of segregated Latvian and Russian businesses was true; however, currently economic interests are placed higher than ethnic factors and more attention is paid to professionalism of employees than to their ethnicity. 

The study says that big companies are mainly multinational, while smaller ones have rather mono-national staff. Forty-nine percent of Latvian companies, twenty percent of Russian and forty-seven percent of mixed companies prefer to use the Latvian language in their business activities. On the other hand during celebrations and festivities the Latvian language is used in ninety-five percent of Latvian, six percent of Russian and twenty-five percent of mixed companies.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Latvijas Vetnesis, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize, November 25 and 26, 2004 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EDUCATION REFORM

Inspections conducted by the Education State Inspection (ESI) monitored the implementation of the education reform at minority secondary schools. Almost sixty percent of all minority secondary schools, mainly those, which reported to have problems with the reform, were visited by the ESI. 

According to the results, 61 education institutions fully observe the requirements of the Law on Education, 14 schools have some problems with the implementation of the reform, while 3 schools do not comply with the requirements at all.

The inspection also concluded that Chemistry, History and Economy textbooks in the Latvian language are difficult to understand for minority students.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, Telegraf, November 26, 2004

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Updated (June 2005)

MINORITY EDUCATION REFORM

An opinion poll, conducted by the Education State Inspection, indicated that implementation of the minority education reform is generally passing successfully. However, the inspection also pointed to several problems in this area: poor Latvian language proficiency of teachers and the negative attitude of students and their parents towards the reform.

According to the poll, 20 percent of 9^th grade students and 30 percent of 10^th grade students believe that they do not need to study in Latvian to be able to continue their studies or to get a good job. Only 30 percent of 9th grade students stated that they are ready to study in Latvian.

Another problem is that the Latvian language proficiency of teachers is rather poor. According to the data gathered by the inspection, 70 percent of teachers have good Latvian language skills, while 25 percent can communicate in Latvian only about their subject. Out of 802 teachers working at Russian-language schools, 546 teachers evaluated their Latvian language skills as fluent, 203 teachers stated that they are able to communicate on education subjects and 50 admitted that they are able to speak only about their subject.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, June 4 and 10, 2005, Chas, Latvijas Avize

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Updated (August 2005)

RUSSIAN THE MOST WIDELY UNDERSTOOD LANGUAGE IN LATVIA

An opinion poll conducted by the Latvijas Fakti showed that Russian is the most widely understood language in Latvia, when 94 percent of respondents were able to communicate in Russian. Latvian was spoken by 91 percent of respondents. English was the third language with 29 percent, followed by German (16 percent).

Approximately 3 percent of respondents spoke Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian and 2 percent could communicate in Lithuanian. Less than one percent could speak Italian, French, Spanish and Estonian.

The poll also revealed that 95 percent of non-Latvians spoke Russian and 80 percent of them could communicate also in Latvian.

source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, August 10, 2005, Latvijas Avize, Telegraf

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Updated (October 2005)

LANGUAGE USE AT PRIVATE UNIVERSITIIES

The working group under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Science will examine the use of the Latvian language at private universities, which provide studies in Russian. According to the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry currently only about 6-10 percent of the total amount of studies and examinations at these universities are conducted in Latvian. The Secretary believes that new legal norms, which would regulate the use of Latvian and set a specific proportion of languages to be used at Russian universities, should be adopted.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, October 5, 2005, Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Telegraf

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Updated (February 2006)

RESEARCH ON MINORITY EDUCATION REFORM

The two members of the FHRUL, Yakovs Pliners and Valeriys Buhvalovs, conducted a research on the results of the implementation of minority education reform. According to their research, the level of Russian and Latvian language skills of secondary school students has dropped in recent years, as well as the schools do not have a sufficient number of bilingual teaching aids, such as books, dictionaries and reference literature. They have also found out that most school directors and representatives of school administration believe that ninth grade students, who will be the subjects of the reform next year, are not ready for its requirements.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, February 4, 2006, Chas

INTERNET PORTAL OF EUROPEAN RUSSIAN ALLIANCE

On 10 February 2006, the political union For Human Rights in United Latvia opened the Internet portal of the European Russian Alliance www.eursa.org. The Internet portal will discuss situation and problems faced by the Russian communities across EU countries.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, February 11, 2006, Vesti Segondnya, Chas

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Updated (April 2006)

FIRST CULTURAL CENTER FOR NATIONAL MINORITIES ESTABLISHED IN MARCIENA

The first cultural center for national minorities has been established in Marciena, a region in the central part of Latvia, in the framework of the project called "Cultural Initiatives for the Integration of Society in Vidzeme". The initiators of the project are planning to open such cultural centers in other regions as well.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, March 1, 2006 Latvijas Avize

RIGA CITY COUNCIL IS PLANNING TO CLOSE SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROVIDING EDUCATION IN RUSSIAN 

The representative of the Riga City Council, Guntis Helmanis, has announced that some primary schools with Russian-medium education might be closed soon. He argued that the number of students has declined recently. Furthermore, there is a tendency that students from Russian-language schools start attending the Latvian ones.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, April 18, 2006 Chas, Vesti Segodnya

CONFERENCE ON THE RESULTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MINORITY EDUCATION REFORM

On 17 April 2006, teachers from numerous Russian medium schools took part in a conference held by the FHRUL's Education and Culture Council. The conference focused on the process and results of the minority education reform.

At the conference, the MP Jakovs Pliners (FHRUL) noted that due to the implementation of the reform, the knowledge level of subjects taught bilingually or in Latvian has deteriorated. He also argued that the level of distrust towards the state has grown among young people of Russian origin, which has strengthened the tendency to leave the country. He concluded that the implementation of the minority education reform poses threat of marginalization.

Another participant argued that the only positive aspect of the reform is an improvement of the Latvian language proficiency. However, academic achievement level in other subjects is falling. 

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, April 18, 2006 Chas

MINISTER OF EDUCATION: IT IS TOO EARLY TO SPEAK ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE MINORITY EDUCATION REFORM 

The new Minister of Education, Baiba Rivza, in an interview with the private TV channel LNT stated that it is too early to speak about the results of the education reform at minority schools because the process started only a year ago and the actual results of the reform will be seen only after students who are in the 10th grade today graduate. According to the Minister, the education reform is necessary to prepare students for enrolment and studies at universities.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, April 20, 2006 Telegraf

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Updated (July 2006)

THE USE OF RUSSIAN IN SIGNS OF PRIVATE COMPANIES

The Latvian daily "Vesti Segodnya" featured an article about procedures of posting private company signs in a foreign language, especially in Russian. According to current legal norms, the signs should comply with the State Language Law. That means that the text on signs should be bilingual and should be approved by the Riga City Council.

According to an official of the Council, there were only few applications to confirm signs in Russian.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, July 25, 2006, Vesti Segodnya

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Updated (November 2006)

SOCIOLINGUISTIC STUDY ON LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN LATVIA

The results of a sociolinguistic study conducted by the State Language Agency in collaboration with the consulting firm "Data Service" have been published. They reveal that 19 percent of residents in the Latgale region and 14 percent in the capital and region of Riga use the Russian as their only communication language. Further, of economically active population, 90 percent can understand information for consumers in Russian and 87 percent in Latvian. Out of these, those who are able to use only one language at work have the lowest level of income.

The study also reveals that the Russian language is used primarily in the area of industry, transport and consumer services, whilst Latvian dominates legal services and the agricultural sector. 

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, November 10, 2006, Republica.lv

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Updated (October 2007)

STATE LANGUAGE AGENCY HAS RELEASED RESULTS OF A STUDY “ATTITUDE TOWARDS STATE LANGUAGE”

The State Language Agency conducted a study of “Attitude towards State Language”, which has revealed that 56 percent of Latvians believe the State must ensure usage of the State Language in service industry. 49 percent think that the level of Latvian language proficiency for certain professions and posts must be defined in legal norms.

The study has also revealed that 34 percent of ethnic minority respondents had stated that they use their mother tongue in private life but also in other spheres.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies, October 15, 2007 Latvijas Avize

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Updated (April 2008)

LASHOR WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

The Latvian Association for Support of Russian Language Schools (LASHOR in its Russian acronym) has re-affirmed that its future activities are aimed at facilitating preservation and development of Russian-language education. The LASHOR believes that development of Russian language and culture in Latvia is possible only in correlation with preservation and development of Latvian language and culture and cultures of other ethnic groups in Latvia.

Source: Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights, April 10, 2008

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Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 26, 2008 http://www.am.gov.lv/en/policy/4641/4642/4643/