KNUT VOLLEBAEK, INDIRA VARDANIA DISCUSSED ISSUES OF TEACHING IN GEORGIAN IN GAL DISTRICT SCHOOLS, SITUATION WITH EDUCATION OF ARMENIAN CHILDREN
03/02/2010 18:30 ABKHAZIA, SUKHUM
The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek and the Minister of Education of Abkhazia Indira Vardania discussed the issues of teaching in the Georgian language at the Gal district schools and the situation with education of Armenian children.
Vardania told Vollebaek that Armenian schools function normally in Abkhazia and the state finances them the same way as others.
According to her, the Abkhazian language is studied at all schools of Abkhazia in line with the legislation on the state language. The history and geography of Abkhazia are studied in Russian at all schools.
Knut Vollebaek was especially interested in the process of teaching the Abkhaz language at the Georgian schools of the Gal district; the Minister said that teaching methods there are the same as at the Armenian schools.
According to Vollebaek, one year ago sharp when he was visiting #1 Gal school, children kept telling him that they preferred to study in the native Georgian language, rather than in Russian. (#1 Gal school is Russian, but the Georgian language and literature, as well as the Abkhaz language are also studied there). “Could you give the children a possibility to study in the Georgian language?” the OSCE representative asked the Minister of Education.
Indira Vardania expressed a disagreement with the opinion that Gal district children are infringed upon something. “The statement that Gal children are deprived of the possibility to study the native language and receive education at the Gal district schools does not represent the facts”, Vardania said”. “If they go to a Russian school, they learn the Georgian language and literature in any case, and rural schools are basically Georgian”.
She also told Vollebaek that Gal district residents whose children studied at schools of the city of Tbilisi, of the Zugdidi and other Georgian districts, applied to the Ministry of Education asking to transfer them to Gal district schools. “Today literally I’ve signed an order to transfer a child to one of the Gal district schools”, she said.
According to the Minister of Education, there are 20 schools in the Gal district, including Russian and Georgian ones where 2985 children go to. There are obligatory subjects: the Abkhaz language, History of Abkhazia and Geography of Abkhazia. There are no violations about it, as the Gal district is one of the districts of Abkhazia, and education should be carried out according to the State Educational Standard approved by the Republic of Abkhazia”, the Minister emphasized.
Despite the Minister’s answers, Knut Vollebaek, referring to article 6 of the Constitution of Abkhazia, stated again that any groups of Abkhazia’s population have the right to use and speak the native language. ”International practice and the Council of Europe standards also say that parents have the right to choose the language of education for their children”, he added.
The Minister of Education stressed again that actually all Abkhazia’s residents, including the Gal district, have the possibility to speak the native language and to use it when studying at school.
At that she pointed to the fact that no parent had complained to the Ministry because children are taught in Russian at the Gal city schools.
The Minister of Education also said that the Abkhaz state had no problems with academic books publication. “Manuals of history and geography of Abkhazia are periodically enlarged and republished. The enlarged “Geography of Abkhazia” and "History of Abkhazia” which will be translated into the Abkhaz language are being prepared for publishing now. And after that we will be ready to discuss other possible translations”, Vardania said.
Knut Vollebaek said that OSCE finances a number of projects of the Sukhum house of youth on the Abkhaz language development.
“If we consider this or that project useful, we will give consent. But we don’t consider it possible to try on ready projects as they are offered. We can be partners, but we reject the projects some organizations impose on us categorically”, Vardania said.
She told the OSCE representative that the republic had its own system of pedagogical refresher programs – the Institute of Pedagogics of the Ministry of Education that works out teaching methods, holds methodical seminars with teachers. According to Vardania, over the last two years labor relations with Russian colleagues who send experts to Abkhazia to hold seminars have been established. “Our teachers are also invited to respective institutes in Moscow. We accept the offers where we are ready to participate as partners”, the Minister said. “As to OSCE projects, offer us exemplary ones, we are ready to work on the more useful”.
