Fresh protest erupts against switch to Latvian language in ethic minority schools in Latvia

RIGA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 500 people had gathered here and protested against the government's plan to make Latvian, the state language, almost the only language of instruction in the country's ethnic minority high schools.

The protesters had gathered outside the Education and Science Ministry building in Riga, the capital, on Thursday, and later marched through the Riga Old City to the president's residence to deliver their message of protest to Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, local media reported.

Miroslavs Mitrofanovs, one of the leaders of the Russian Union of Latvia, which organizes the protests, said his party would initiate a referendum on the ethnic minority schools' autonomy from the rest of the Latvian education reform.

The Russian Union of Latvia proposes a return to the education system Latvia had back in 1919.

Latvian Education and Science Minister Karlis Sadurskis has already called the idea of ethnic minority schools' autonomy unconstitutional.

In October, the Latvian government decided that in three years'time, all core academic subjects in Latvia's public high schools will be taught only in the Latvian language. However, students at Latvia's ethnic minority schools will still be able to learn culture-related subjects, literature and history in their native language.

Under the government's plan, education in ethnic minority pre-schools will be conducted bilingually, three bilingual education models will be used in grades 1-6, 80 percent of classes will be held in Latvian in grades 7-9, and Latvian as the sole language of instruction will be used in grades 10-12. The transition, which is supposed to be finished by the school year 2021/2022 will be gradual. Enditem