Survey criticizes school plan

A survey of teachers, principals, students and their parents from 50 Russian-language secondary schools revealed that at least half are not ready to teach the core subjects in Latvian by the state-imposed 2004 deadline.

Participants in the survey, conducted by the Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, said weak Latvian skills among teachers, unclear methodology and parental attitudes were the main roadblocks to implementing the reforms.

Latvian law requires all minority secondary schools to teach most academic subjects in Latvian by Sept. 1, 2004. Russian schools would still be able to offer Russian language and literature courses.

A system of bilingual education for primary and secondary school students has been in place at minority schools since 1999 in preparation for the shift in 2004.

According to survey results, 16 percent of secondary schools are well-prepared for the transition while 40 percent have an average level of preparation. Forty-four percent consider themselves unprepared and an additional 6 percent are facing a particularly critical situation.

Institute director Brigita Zepa said the state had rushed plans to make Latvian the sole language of instruction for grades 10-12 and recommended that the Parliament adopt amendments to the education law that envisions a more gradual shift to full Latvian instruction.

"In reality, it simply isn't possible to make this major shift in such a short time," she said. "Preparing a workable methodology for all levels and all subjects takes time."

Forty-seven percent of teachers surveyed sited insufficient material resources and another 43 percent said lack of clear methodologies were main stumbling blocks.

The definition of bilingual education is also understood differently among teachers, with 55 percent saying the method means using two languages in the study of one subject while 23 percent said it means teaching some subjects in Latvian and some in Russian.

Eighty-three percent cited language environment with little or no Latvian spoken and 52 percent said parental attitudes were responsible for the hold-ups.

Still, 80 percent of teachers said students' Latvian skills have improved in recent years.

Some 56 percent of principals surveyed said poor Latvian skills among teachers was the main problem.

But Aija Pridiete, director of the Latvian Language Training Program that offers Latvian language and bilingual methodology courses for minority school teachers, rejected arguments that this means the state has been too hasty with its reform plans.

"Teachers have been a priority group since we started working in 1996, so one has to ask why there are still many who don't speak Latvian or speak it badly," she said. "Have they simply not cared until now? There have certainly been enough opportunities. Maybe they just don't want to learn."Zepa said the Education Ministry should head back to the drawing table with schools that can't make the 2004 deadline and work on additional models for minority schools, including one endorsed by some Russians that would maintain Russian instruction but include intensive Latvian language classes.

She also endorsed more funding for training programs and bilingual education methodology courses in Latvian universities.

"It's not a question of whether schools are ready or not ready but whether it's necessary to do this at all," said Igor Pimenov, chairman of the Latvian Association for Support of Russian schools, a parents' union that says Russians should be allowed to choose to send their children to predominantly Russian-language schools. "It's quite possible to ensure strong Latvian language knowledge in schools that keep teaching the big subjects in Russian."

Estonia recently pushed back a deadline for teaching all subjects in Estonian from 2007 to 2010.

But Latvian officials and supporters of the 2004 shift say a similar delay here would strengthen a segregated school system and deprive Russian students of the chance to learn Latvian well enough to compete for jobs when they graduate.

A recent study by Artis Pabriks, a political scientist at Vidzeme University, concluded that poor Latvian skills are the main impediment to state jobs for minorities.

"Segregation of schools is only hindering the solution," he said.

Druviete said pushing back the deadline would have dire consequences for Latvia's attempts to integrate its Russian minority - some 35 percent of the country's 2.4 million - by giving false hope to those holding out for Russian to be declared a second state language.

According to the survey, 82 percent of parents and 67 percent of teachers support Russian as second state language, but only 42 percent of principals back such an idea.

Priedite added that the only truly effective way to learn a language at school is to study academic subjects in it.

"Courses on the Latvian language alone won't do it," she said.

The ministry has said it will continue working with schools that cannot make the deadline.