Latvia's education policy is aimed at completely eliminating the Russian language from schools. Meanwhile, Saldus Secondary School, stating that "we actively study the Russian language," has been paying increased attention to the study of this foreign language for many years, reports TV3 News.
Reporting on news from school life, Saldus Secondary School published information at the beginning of the week that for the first time, a chemistry lesson in Russian was held online with Armenian and Lithuanian teenagers for 10th-grade students. This announcement unpleasantly surprised the Minister of Education and Science, as reported by TV3.
"The fact that this project is happening and the Russian language is being used as a basis for international cooperation is, of course, the autonomous choice of the school. But from my side, I must say that it is, of course, sad that the school community may not feel or see the broader context. We respect the autonomy of the school and the teacher, but it must go hand in hand with a responsible attitude towards the overall foreign policy of the state and national security," said Minister of Education and Science Dace Melbarde.
After interest from TV3 regarding why chemistry should be taught in Russian, the words "in Russian" were removed. The principal of Saldus Secondary School, Inga Mankus, explains that the text was corrected to avoid misunderstandings:
"In fact, this is not the study of chemistry in Russian, but rather the opposite. In Russian — how I can talk about what I do in chemistry."
Such additional classes conducted in Russian can be attended voluntarily by students. Their implementation is an initiative of the Russian language teacher. Noting that the teacher has Ukrainian origins, the principal points out that the goal is to improve the quality of Russian language learning.
"Saldus is an extremely Latvian city, where the language of national minorities cannot be heard anywhere on the streets. Perhaps it is spoken somewhere in families. And that is why these children need, just like for any foreign language, practical experience of application," explains Mankus.
The concern for strengthening knowledge of the Russian language at Saldus Secondary School comes at a time when the transition to teaching only in Latvian has been completed, and starting from September 1 of this year, it will no longer be possible to begin studying Russian as a second foreign language. This is noted by the chairperson of the Saeima Education Commission.
"The state has very clearly outlined its path and also that it will not finance the study of the language of the aggressor state. This does not correspond to the course we have chosen. (TV3: And how do you evaluate such actions of the school?) What evaluation can I have if we encourage the development of the Russian language?" said the chairperson of the Saeima Education Commission, Agita Zarinya-Sture.
A similar opinion is expressed by the opposition representative Czeslaw Batnya, who was the principal of Adazi Secondary School: "As the head of an institution, I would not allow such a situation because, in my opinion, it is related to compliance with ethical norms — that we support the language of the aggressor state. But, obviously, the school had its arguments for why to do this."
To improve the study of the Russian language, this academic year, Saldus Secondary School, using the international cooperation network eTwinning, is implementing another project. It discusses the safe use of the internet in Russian. Two projects were also conducted last academic year — "Kaleidoscope of Travels: Trips to Countries Where Friends Live" and "Journey into the World of Holidays."
Data shows that Saldus Secondary School is the only educational institution in Latvia that implements these projects in parallel with English also in Russian. Out of more than 240 projects this academic year, two are being implemented in Russian. The same was true last year.
Increased attention to teaching the Russian language at Saldus Secondary School has been given for a long time. An entry from 2018 can be found in the archive of its website, which is four years after the annexation of Crimea, in which the school happily reports that "a new international project of the Erasmus+ program 'We Actively Study the Russian Language' has been approved." Thus, it was planned to increase students' motivation to learn the Russian language and improve their knowledge.
Before the merger of schools, it was Saldus Secondary School No. 2, which opened its doors in the late 1970s. The Russian language was often heard here because education was once conducted in two streams — Latvian and Russian.
When asked whether it has historically turned out that the Russian language is esteemed here, Principal Mankus responds: "In my opinion, no. If I am not mistaken, the Russian stream as such ended in this building a quarter of a century ago. A sufficiently long period of time for us to attribute something like that."
At the same time, the principal emphasizes that Saldus Secondary School already offers German and French as alternatives to the Russian language.
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