Among them is the chairman of the board of the association, former member of the Saeima Igors Pimenovs (S), as well as some children. When the picket started, the deputies of the Saeima faction of the “Stability” party Natalya Marchenko-Yodko and Svetlana Chulkova joined the protesters.
One of those who arrived has a large Latvian flag in his hands, while the gentleman standing next to him has a poster with the inscription “We are Latvia” in Russian. Another picketer is holding a placard with the inscription “For free choice of the language of instruction”, and another – “Learn in the mother tongue”.
As evidenced by the archives of the LETA agency, the association also organized a picket a year ago against the transition to teaching only in Latvian. At that time, despite the rain, around 30 people came to the protest.
Pimenovs explains the decrease in the number of protesters by the fact that the association did not inform the public about the protest this time. At the same time, he said that the purpose of the picket was not to “gather a lot of people”, but to express the opinion that “teaching in the mother tongue is the most important”, because it “ensures good knowledge for those who study in school”.
“Of course, the national language, ie the Latvian language, is by no means foreign to minorities and non-nationals in Latvia. It’s another story with what means this skill is ensured,” Pimenovs reasoned.
He admits that some parents’ opposition to the transition to education only in Latvian is no longer relevant. At the same time, a part of the Russian-speaking population, according to Pimenov, although dissatisfied, “has given up” because they do not believe that they can influence change.
The association maintains the position that the law should determine the competence of the school board to choose to what extent the learning content is learned in Latvian and to what extent in the native language, including Russian.
Pimenov pointed out that studies in other languages are allowed, among other things, by concluded international agreements. Such an agreement has not been concluded with Russia, so the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Latvia “must try to convince society and the government that such a requirement exists”.
Pimenovs referred to the conclusion of the advisory board of the Council of Europe that in 2022, withdrawing from studies in minority languages is unacceptable. “Another story is that the government has objected – this is not the decisive opinion, the government has its own competence,” said Pimenov.
As reported, the association believes that families themselves should decide which language their children learn.
The transition to studies only in Latvian will take place gradually, over three years. From the 2023/2024 school year, the educational process was implemented only in the national language in preschool education and at the level of primary education in the 1st, 4th and 7th grades. In the new school year, students of the 2nd, 5th and 8th grades will start studying only in the national language, but from September 1, 2025, the students of the 3rd, 6th and 9th grades will also join.
2024-08-31 13:10:31