Pliner: the calm protest actions won’t be held in Latvia

“Preserve Latvian and Latvia” society together with Visu Latvijai neo-national block! – TB/DNNL is going to collect the required amount of civilian signatures for consideration of Seim to review the revisions to Constitution, which stipulates that all state school education in the country must be held in Latvian. At the moment 8000 signatures are collected. In order to present the proposition on revision 2000 more signatures must be collected.

At present, the 112th clause of Satversme asserts that every person has the right for education. The government gives him primary and second level education. Primary education is compulsory. The neonazis offer to add the statement to this clause “in state language”. They are gathering signatures for a year now. Next action will be held on Saturday, on the 26th of February and in total will be held in 20 cities of Latvia.
In the run-up to this event Yakov Pliner, the doctor of education and co-chairperson of the government of party “For man’s rights in unitary Latvia” has commented the idea of national block VL-TB/DNNL for IA REGNUM and shared his vision concerning what is happening for the last few years with Latvian education:

"I expressly consider these activities directed at break up of already fragile agreement of normal relations between the people of Latvian society. Because nothing efficient nor useful these people can offer to society nor people, while prior to elections they had incited the national part of the society, that they will remove Russian language from schools of Latvia – they continue with their tries to distract people from needful problems such as economic, social and day-today.

From those days when Latvia was Livonia it always was multinational, multicultural formation. The Latvians, the German, the Russians and other nations were living here.

In the first Latvian republic the schools were working in 8 languages: Latvian, Russian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Byelarussian, Hebrew or Yiddish and Polish. In the first legislation “The law of educational institutions” of Latvian republic of 8th of December, 1919, 3 clauses were devoted to the education issue. 39 clause “Children in schools must learn in their family’s language”. 40th clause: “The language of the family is defined by the family, while giving their child to school”. Also 41st clause: “For national minorities that amount of schools must be established, which is required for their children”. This first law was signed by first Latvian president Yanis Chakste. And for that moment in relation to education this law was the most democratic in Europe. And to a considerable degree, the civil peace was thanks to this law.

Moreover, the schools of national minorities had high reputation. Under the ministry of education a department of national minorities’ education was operating to manage Russian, Jewish and Polish schools and so on. The head of the department had the right to take part with consultative voice in session of the ministry if issues concerning culture and education of national minorities are viewed. This means that he could appear, defend, propose, assert or be against any proposition, which concerns the cultural and educative programs for national minorities. And only during voting he didn’t take part.
If Imant Paradnieks and Raivis Dzintars think that they outsmart their predecessors, they are grossly mistaken. And that part that they want to move all the education to Latvian language, contradicts the first Latvian law on education. That means that these pals don’t know what they do, or consciously leading Latvia to further break-up. Latvia is a two-society government anyway. While they are leading if not to civil war but to disturbances.

We got through it already. Remember, that on the last session of 6th Seim, a new law on education has been approved, which in fact operates until now, with amendments. Well, it specified that from 1st of September 2004 starting with 10th grade, the children of state and autonomous schools are taught in state language, in other words Latvian language. The subordinate acts also included that all the exams are passed only in Latvian language.

By coming to 7th Seim, I was the first to appear against this law, at least in that part, where it says about education in state language. I was talking that day that this is an absurd: meaning that one must deliver English and German exams in Latvian language as well as Russian… it is funny and stupid! I doctor of education know and I’m sure, based on own expertise and literature, that children are taught best in their family language. The children can be taught in Chinese as well but its better that it will be mother language. However, many propositions on changing this situation didn’t receive that feedback and support from the majority of Seim deputies.

When I understood that this law can’t be canceled through Seim, I have started to call people for nonviolent resistance. “Headquarters for Russian schools protection” has been established and we had gathered people – up to 20 thousands, to be exact, they were seniors, grandmothers and grandfathers as well as parents. In addition, no man was hurt, no car was rolled upside down and no glass was broken during this action. I appear for the right of people to protest, but against vandalism, because as a result of the last we get more grief than advantages.

As a result of this unprecedented fight, which lasted for 1.5-2 years, we haven’t won, but neither had we lost. We were told, and today are reproached, that we were fighting ineffectively. But it’s not true. First of all, instead of “only in state language” statement, today a proportion of “60 to 40” approved. The law stipulates that “no less than 60% of lesson in schools must be taught in state language and no more than 40% in mother language”. This proportion doesn’t have any scientific grounds as admitted by the minister of education Eviya Papule. During one of those discussions in presidential mansion she told directly that this was a political decision. But it’s better than education only in state language.
Secondly, a statement on examination was also changed, which that time was also dictated that all the exams must be delivered in state language. Today, school graduates get their examination tasks only in Latvian language, but have the right to choose from answering in Russian or Latvian, while nobody has the right to decrease the mark for answering in Russian. Sole condition, with which one started with that he, must continue. Under the ministry of education and science two commissions were established for this period: one checks everything in Russian and the other in Latvian.

Third: from that time the ministry doesn’t check the proportion of bilingual education, because it fears that teens might hit the streets once again. Respecting that “60 to 40” principle adhered it is asked only during school accreditation. And only those subjects, which are held in Latvian language, while nobody gets into the roots whether the lessons are held only in Latvian language or the definitions and statements, are duplicated in Russian. How this percent proportion is adhered, is left to teachers’ and directors’ consciousness. Some schools, of course, are ahead in this sense, but the majority follows the “don’t do harm” statement.

However, of course, all this education reform has brought, certainly, more harm than benefit. Today there are almost no Russian children among the winners of academic competitions. The main thing is that nobody knows and there are no researches on the amount of time and nerves and health, which are spent by children for translation of these home assignments, first of all from Latvian to Russian and vice versa. In addition, nobody proved that somebody has won as a result of this innovation.

Of course I can only hope that all this commotion with moving of schools won’t pass the necessary processes of law and fail. But if understand that this is truly threatens education, children, then once again a group of people will rise. However I really don’t want to do it today. If one will gather people on streets, then holding them within the bounds of one sole action, for example, protest against the education only in Latvian language will be impossible. Today people are going to protest against small salaries, against unemployment and against the actions of government concerning pensions, medicine and other. Of course, vandalism will occur. Lord forbid, but I think that there will be those who will get killed or injured, crippled as a result. And it will be impossible to hold the amounts of people who reached the end of the line.