The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has expressed concern in an opinion about Latvia's policy to reduce the use and learning of minority languages and has addressed a number of urgent recommendations to the Latvian authorities.
While acknowledging Latvia's legitimate concerns regarding national security caused by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, the Advisory Committee notes that this led to undue restrictions in the rights of the Russian national minority. Should all the measures be implemented as planned, Latvia's system of minority education will no longer comply with the Framework Convention's provisions regarding equal access to education, the right to set up and manage private minority educational establishments, and the right to being taught the minority language or for receiving instruction in this language, the opinion alerts.
As a result, the Committee urges the authorities to widen their approach to integration beyond promoting the use of the Latvian language by incorporating a greater emphasis on intercultural dialogue and minority rights. This would strengthen the feeling of belonging to Latvian society among everyone, including persons belonging to national minorities, whilst enabling expression and promotion of minority identities.
It also calls on the authorities to guarantee equal access of Roma children to quality inclusive education within the mainstream school system by undertaking annual monitoring, including from a gender perspective, of the enrolment and attendance of Roma children in preschools and schools. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a sufficient number of qualified and adequately paid Roma mediators and teaching assistants, and to ensure that Roma children are appropriately supported.
The decision to transfer to full education in the Latvian language should also be reviewed in the light of its possible negative consequences for equal access to quality education of children belonging to national minorities. The impact of any measures on children's educational outcomes should be monitored, paying attention to preschool and primary level as well as to children with special educational needs.
The Advisory Committee therefore urges the authorities to reconsider, in close consultation with representatives of the national minorities concerned, the decision to phase out the bilingual teaching model. The opinion has been published together with the comments of the Latvian authorities.
Press release
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and Latvia
