Imposing the Bashkir language is illegal! Bashkir language. What's next? But you decided not to give up

In the Republic of Bashkiria, a struggle has unfolded against the imposition of the Bashkir language in Russian-language secondary schools. The indignant parents managed to achieve the first successes - the republican prosecutor's office at the end of May identified violations and promised to bring one of the directors to disciplinary liability.

Gymnasium 39 in Ufa is considered one of the best schools in Bashkiria. Even families from remote areas of the city seek to settle their offspring here. However, recently the gymnasium has become a real battlefield between supporters and opponents of studying the Bashkir language. Parents of students of this gymnasium have united in the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Parents and Students of Educational Institutions with Russian as the Language of Instruction in Bashkiria and are trying to defend the right of their children not to study the Bashkir language without fail.

The problem has been brewing for a long time. Back in 2006, by order of the Ufa administration, compulsory Bashkir language lessons were introduced in all 160 educational institutions of the city. This was done within the framework of the national-regional component (NRC) of general education, which at that time was under the jurisdiction of regional authorities. The initiators of the innovation were not embarrassed by the fact that according to the results of the 2002 All-Russian Census, 50% of Russians, 28% of Tatars and only 15% of Bashkirs lived in Ufa, a million-strong city.

However, by decision of the State Duma in 2007, references to the NRC disappeared from the federal law “On Education”, and all schools switched to a single federal state educational standard (FSES). According to this document, the main educational program is divided into two parts: the mandatory part and the part formed by the participants in educational relations, which include students, parents and teachers.

In addition to other subjects, the compulsory part of the program includes the Russian language, native (non-Russian) language and foreign languages. But the Federal State Educational Standard does not provide for compulsory teaching of a non-Russian language in the event that it is neither native nor foreign. In other words, those schoolchildren whose native language is Russian are not required by law to study the state languages ​​of the republics where they live. Teaching local languages ​​is a voluntary (variable) part of the educational program.

However, the authorities of many republics, including Bashkiria, continue to force Russian-speaking students to study national languages, thereby depriving parents of the right to choose. Instead of spending hours of the elective part of the curriculum on mathematics or English, schoolchildren are forced to study the complex grammar of Turkic and Finno-Ugric dialects, which is often beyond the capabilities of even language university students. In addition, the knowledge gained from these lessons can hardly be useful in real life or when obtaining higher education.

The lower classes are dissatisfied, the upper classes are inactive

Dissatisfaction with this situation is increasingly breaking out. As Galina Luchkina, a member of the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Russian-Speaking People in Bashkiria, told the site’s correspondent, similar initiative groups also operate in Tatarstan, Buryatia and Komi. " About 5 years ago, we even held parallel rallies for the Russian language: they were in Kazan, and we were in Ufa, standing in single pickets for the right of Russian children to fully study their native language. In 2012, we, parents from Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Buryatia and Komi, were even invited to the State Duma, listened attentively and promised to help, but since then nothing has been done"- says Luchkina.

In May, another scandal on this topic erupted in Kazan. The new gymnasium, the opening of which the residents of the Azino district had been waiting for a long time, in fact turned out to be Tatar: for every four Tatar classes there will be one non-Tatar one, which clearly does not reflect the ethnic composition of the area. Many parents expressed their outrage that children with Tatar surnames are automatically enrolled in Tatar-language classes.

President of the Institute of National Strategy Mikhail Remizov in an interview, the site called a similar language policy "an act of ethnic discrimination".

« It is important that there is essentially legal discrimination against the Russian population, which does not have the opportunity to choose to study Russian as their native language. Classroom hours are divided into the study of the state and native languages, the state language is Russian, and only Tatar or Bashkir is studied as a native language. It turns out that on the territory of these republics the Russian language does not have the status of a native language for the Russian population, explains the expert. - This issue has been raised more than once within the walls of the State Duma, even in the Committee on Interethnic Relations, and the president also gently touched upon it in the sense that it is necessary to ensure greater freedom of choice for parents. However, the problem is still there, and the problem has not been solved “says Mikhail Remizov.

According to the expert, attempts to improve the situation with the Russian language in the national republics are blocked at the very top.

« The former head of the Duma Committee on Nationalities Affairs, Gadzhimet Safaraliev, advocated taking measures that would solve the language problem. But now the committee is headed by Ildar Gilmutdinov, a representative of Tatarstan, who pursues a clear line on ethnic lobbying, so the chances of the Duma making such decisions have decreased "- emphasizes Remizov. By the way, Gilmutdinov himself refused to answer the site’s questions about the situation of the Russian language in the national republics of the Volga region.

Ufa gymnasium became a battlefield

While the authorities ignore the problem, local parents themselves have to fight for their rights. In Ufa, the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Russian-Speaking Parents and Students of Bashkiria was headed by Natalya Budilova, mother of two children studying at the 39th Ufa gymnasium. For a long time, the leadership of the educational institution did not allow her to choose another subject for her children instead of the Bashkir language.

Budilova complained about the violation of federal legislation to the prosecutor's office of Bashkortostan. And on May 25, an encouraging answer came from there (a copy of the document is available to the editorial website): in the 39th gymnasium, violations were identified in the preparation of curriculum, the guilty official was brought to disciplinary liability, and the situation was reported to the head of the republic.

The site's correspondent spoke with Natalya Budilova about what happened.

Natalya, how many hours per week are devoted to the Bashkir language in the curriculum of secondary schools with Russian as the language of instruction?

Usually two lessons, but there are schools where Bashkir is taught three or five lessons a week. In addition, for 10 years we have been studying such a subject as “Culture of Bashkortostan”. Only Bashkir poets and cultural figures pass there. This takes another lesson a week.

- At what point did you decide for yourself that your children would not learn the Bashkir language?

My daughter is now in the fifth grade, my son is in the seventh. In the fifth grade, when learning the Bashkir language began, my son began to come to me with a textbook on this subject and complain that he did not understand anything, although he was an excellent student and always studied very well. He didn't understand how to complete the assignment or how to do his homework. I started asking other parents how they got by. It turned out that their children were being helped by relatives or acquaintances of the Bashkirs. Then I went to the teacher and said that for my son and other Russian-speaking children it was necessary to create a special group with other teaching methods designed for non-native speakers. But the teacher refused to cooperate and demanded that the children memorize long poems in Bashkir, of which they did not understand a word. And those who did not want to do this were simply given two marks.

- And you decided to fight for your rights?

At first, I just sat down at the computer, went to the website of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan and was surprised to discover that the Bashkir language is not compulsory. They simply hid this information from us. Neither parent, including me, knew that we could legally give up this item in favor of another. And at the end of the school year, at a parent meeting, I explained to other parents that, according to the basic curriculum, the Bashkir language is in the part formed by the participants in educational relations, and therefore we can include any other subject in this part. And the parents almost unanimously signed an application addressed to the director so that the Bashkir language would be replaced with Russian, mathematics or English.

- Probably only Russian parents supported you?

Ufa and other large cities of Bashkiria are predominantly Russian, and many students at our 39th gymnasium come from Russian families. But representatives of other nationalities are not eager to learn the Bashkir language. For example, there are 36 children in our class. Of these, three are Bashkirs, the rest are Russians and Tatars. Only the parents of one Bashkir child expressed a desire to learn the Bashkir language. The rest wanted to change it to Russian or English. By the way, for those who want to fully master Bashkir, there are many schools with the Bashkir language of instruction, and it is not clear why it should be imposed on Russian-language schools.

Chauvinists take it out on children

Unfortunately, Natalya did not find understanding at school. Perhaps the director was under pressure from higher structures.

- Did the school try to take into account the wishes of the parents?

No, we did not wait for the director’s response, and then I wrote an appeal to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan. And then in August, before the start of the next school year, director Kiekbaeva Irina Petrovna personally began calling every parent and saying that she could not exempt our class from studying the Bashkir language. A special parent meeting was held on this occasion, and only seven parents attended. Under pressure from the school administration and a representative of the Republican Education Committee, the parents agreed to study Bashkir, however, instead of the required two lessons, our class was allowed to limit ourselves to one lesson per week.

- But you decided not to give up?

I demanded that the school create an individual curriculum for my children. And then they called me to the director, called all the head teachers, shamed me, and wanted to take me in numbers.

The director shouted at me that I was a troublemaker, a destroyer. I am destroying everything that she has been building here for years, that I am inciting national hatred, that because of me a war will begin here like in Ukraine. She also asked why I hate Bashkirs. They promised to keep my children for the second year.

The photograph of my excellent-study daughter was taken from the honorary daughter. They threatened that they would open a whole case against me and send all my letters to the education committee so that they could deal with me there. In general, few people can withstand the kind of pressure that I did.

After that, I filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, and at the end of the year I wrote a statement of claim to the court so that my children would be given the opportunity to study according to an individual curriculum next year.

The other day, the prosecutor's office ordered that violations in your gymnasium be corrected. Are you not going to stop there?

If our Ministry of Education continues to hide information from school principals about the rights of parents, and continues to misinform them, then the fight will have to be waged in every school. If the Ministry of Education fulfills its functions, then the need for our committee will disappear by itself. After all, all this time their rights were hidden from their parents, and those who found out about them were simply deceived and waged a long-lasting paper war.

Officials washed their hands of

The editors of the site turned to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan for comments, but they rushed to shift responsibility for what was happening to the leadership of the educational institution. " In relation to the gymnasium, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus does not have the right to carry out control and supervisory activities“, explained the department’s press service.

According to officials, “for the 2016-2017 academic year, the Ministry did not approve approximate basic curricula; accordingly, educational organizations independently developed and approved curricula.”

This information was confirmed by the director of the 39th gymnasium, Irina Kiekbaeva. In her response to the site’s request, she indicated: “according to current legislation, a school can build its own educational trajectory. In our gymnasium, for all students without exception, the emphasis is on the humanitarian component and language learning. We study Russian, Bashkir, English, German, French and Chinese. When parents come to our school, they get acquainted with our regulatory framework, where our priorities are spelled out.”

However, Kiekbaeva did not answer why the curricula in the 39th gymnasium are drawn up without taking into account the opinions of parents, which was revealed during the prosecutor’s audit.

She also ignored the question about why, in a gymnasium with a language bias, this very bias must necessarily be towards the Bashkir language, and not English or French, as the students themselves and their parents would like. One can only guess how many more directors like Kiekbaeva continue to serve the interests of regional ethnocracies in Bashkiria and other national republics.

How are things going in your national republic or autonomy? Are children forced to learn the local language or, perhaps, on the contrary, are they deprived of the opportunity to master the second state language of a given territory? Write in the comments and to our email, if possible, leave information for feedback: INFOX editorial team. RU plans to cover this topic further and, to the best of his ability, contribute to the normalization of the situation.

Statement by Vladimir Putin onthe inadmissibility of forced learning of non-native languages ​​at school, made by the presidentat a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations in Yoshkar-Ola, caused a rather heterogeneous reaction from the public.

Let us recall that in our republic, as in some other national regions of the country, the issue of studying the native language in schools is quite acute.

Mediacorset decided to interview a number of experts about what Putin’s words really mean and what actions should be expected from regional authorities in this regard.

"Policy for the liquidation of national republics"

In particular, Vladimir Putin stated that “each territory has its own characteristics of interethnic relations, and, of course, they need to be taken into account, while ensuring uniform approaches to solving the problems of the national policy of the state as a whole.”

I would like to remind you, dear friends, that the Russian language for us is the state language, the language of interethnic communication, and it cannot be replaced by anything, it is the natural spiritual framework of our entire multinational country. Everyone should know him. The languages ​​of the peoples of Russia are also an integral part of the original culture of the peoples of Russia. Learning these languages ​​is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, a voluntary right. Forcing a person to learn a language that is not his native language is just as unacceptable as reducing the level and time of teaching Russian. “I draw special attention to this from the heads of regions of the Russian Federation,” Vladimir Putin emphasized, quoting Putin’s words kremlin.ru.

Political scientist, senior researcher at the Center for Comparative Historical and Political Research at Perm State National Research UniversityStanislav Shkel reports that, in short, two main points should be taken from Putin’s speech:

Firstly, ethnocentrists will have to change their rhetoric and refer less to the Russian President, which objectively weakens them. Secondly, the heads of the regions received a clear signal about resolving issues in language policy in favor of abandoning the compulsory study of languages ​​other than Russian as not only the state language, but also the language of interethnic communication,” Shkel said in an interview with our correspondent.

Social activist Azamat Galinsays that Putin’s statement yesterday is quite serious and baffles active supporters of the study of the Bashkir language in schools.

Now regional authorities need to intelligently figure out what to do about this. I can’t imagine how supporters of the same “Congress of the Bashkir People”, who support Putin’s policies, but at the same time advocate compulsory language learning in schools, will react to this. In general, this is a fairly serious trend and a kind of logical result of the last ten years. The policy is aimed at changing administrative boundaries and the formation of new territorial administrative units - regions that will no longer be national, said Azamat Galin.

Executive Director of the Congress of the Bashkir People, sociologistIlgiz Sultanmuratovcommented on Vladimir Putin’s statement:

I completely agree with the president’s words: “I have said more than once that everything related to national identity and traditions is a delicate and very sensitive area, and one should act here extremely delicately and wisely.”Regarding the Russian language, I also support “It cannot be replaced by anything: it is the natural spiritual framework of our multinational country.”

But Putin also said that at the same time, national languages ​​are also an integral part of Russian culture. That is, it is impossible to divide or solve the problems of teaching the Russian language at the expense of other national ones. And our Ministry of Education should be more responsible, because... the long-term lack of development of important issues of language teaching on their part causes an increase in social tension in this area, says Sultanmuratov.

Apparently, this issue has finally reached the highest circles. The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, I think, was quite indifferent to our questions regarding the study of the Bashkir language in schools. Why not spend more hours studying mathematics, for example? Bashkirs live not only in Bashkiria. Let it be taught in the Chelyabinsk region, Tataria. I am for the language to be studied as part of the subject “Culture and History of Bashkortostan”. And now the issue is being escalated; all these discussions only contribute to interethnic disputes. I would advise regional authorities to simply go to universities and ask around how they treated this subject,” said Mediakorset Galina Luchkina.

Evgeniy Belyaev, political scientist, activist of the Council of Russians of the Republic of Belarus:

Putin's statement is not his decree. I think the Ministry of Education will be able to somehow bypass it. In areas where predominantly Bashkirs live, the Bashkir language will remain. In others it will become optional. This is where I see the solution to the problem. I don’t think this should be given any political coloring.

Vyacheslav Shaydullin, arvoy (religious figure among the Mari) of the Krasnokamsk region of the Republic of Belarus:

I believe that we have the opportunity to learn any language. It all depends on the family - whether they speak their native language or not. Any person can master three languages. These are native, Russian and English. Why don’t the residents of Bashkiria know Bashkir? Or Tatar. I think you just need the desire and “right direction” of the parents. No one should be forced to do anything. Especially for learning the language.

Bold dot over I

Deputy of the State Assembly of the Kurultai of the Republic of BelarusRamil Bignovsays that Vladimir Putin “has finally put an end to the difficult issue of studying native languages ​​in national schools.”

Everything is said clearly - we are talking about voluntary language learning. I think that after his words it is unlikely that this issue will be raised again. There is no coercion,” the deputy concluded.

Bignov’s “colleague” in parliament Rimma Utyasheva has a slightly different point of view. According to her, journalists could have taken the president’s phrase somewhat out of context.

We have two state languages ​​in our republic - Bashkir and Russian. No need to take it out of context. No one here forces anyone to study the Bashkir language. My grandson is studying the Tatar language, and quite successfully. And he knows Bashkir perfectly. In our republic they speak 14 languages!

Why is the Bashkir language being attacked in Bashkortostan?! Where else can we learn it? I agree with the words of Vladimir Vladimirovich - all Russians should know the Russian language, the great language of Pushkin. My parents, I remember, sent me as a young girl to study in Chelyabinsk so that I could learn Russian. Mom told me that you must know Russian perfectly. I agree that authoritative people should deal with national issues. The only thing that raises a question for me is the Bashkir textbooks that are used for teaching.

Head of the Congress of Tatars of the Republic, deputy of the State Assembly of the Kurultai of the Republic of Belarus Zagir Khakimov in a conversation with Mediacorset, he said that the republican authorities need to create all the conditions so that people can learn their native language.

In the Russian Federation, Russian is the state language and the language of interethnic communication. Knowing Russian, you can communicate with a representative of any nationality in any of the republics. It is impossible not to take into account the peculiarities of national republics; the preservation of our native languages ​​is very important for us. If people of a certain nationality do not know their native language, it has no future. Therefore, it is important to create all the conditions for its study.

Here we need to work more with parents, I think. As the head of the Congress of Tatars of the Republic of Belarus, I often travel around the regions and see how Tatar parents, for example, force their child not to learn their native language and choose English in his favor, because with it the child has more opportunities. Yes, schools are closing in Mari and Tatar villages. But for only one reason - there are no children in them! Soon my delegation and I are going to Kazan for the World Congress of Tatars to raise the issue of creating jobs in the countryside. We will deal with this issue.

Let us note that in recent months there have been quite serious debates in the republic about the study of the Bashkir language in schools. Supporters for and against took part in the debates and held discussions with the active involvement of the media. The majority of parents of children for whom Bashkir is not their native language argue that education in institutions is conducted on a “voluntary-compulsory” basis. We wrote about a case in a prestigious school, where the management, despite the desire of one of the parents to hold a meeting about learning the Bashkir language, threatened to terminate the training agreement with some of the parents who applied.

The prosecutor's office of the republic, after numerous checks, made a corresponding submission to Rustem Khamitov. So far the head has not made any specific decisions on this issue and has not commented on this issue. Let us note that our correspondent has not yet been able to reach representatives of the White House and find out their position on this matter, but we will monitor developments.

Subjects:

A student from one of the schools in Ufa found himself in a difficult situation. Sixth-grader Vladislav Martins is being retained for the second year for refusing to study Bashkir. This decision was made by the pedagogical council. Formally, this subject is not compulsory and, despite good performance in other disciplines, the student is forced to go through the entire program again. The boy's parents are trying to challenge the teachers' actions, citing legal rights, but to no avail. Mikhail Chernov understood the difficulties and contradictions.
KOR: The report card of 6th-grader Vladislav Martins has four marks in history, mathematics and literature, and five marks in art and technology. C grades in Russian and biology. And only one bad mark in the Bashkir language. Not certified because I didn’t go.
VADIM MARTINS (VLADISLAV MARTINS' DAD): They just force this Bashkir language on us. We didn’t study it, I didn’t study it, my parents didn’t study it. We live a great life, we live in Ufa. We must take the Unified State Exam in Russian, not in Bashkir. Bashkir in general is not included in the certificate.
BOY: Russian and English are more important to me than Bashkir.
KOR: The parents insisted that their son not learn Bashkir. They notified the school director about this and took the child away from national language lessons for 2 years. For this, Vlad was left for the 2nd year. The parents received a notice from the school and responded by complaining to the prosecutor's office. They posted their appeal with reference to articles of the Constitution on the Internet. The Martins are no longer welcome at their home school.
WOMAN 1: I won’t have a conversation, I’ll just comment on the fact that we have no violations of the law.
COR: You can’t talk to your parents?
WOMAN 1: No, I can't.
KOR: It is necessary to sow the reasonable, the good, the eternal in Bashkir, teachers convince, but the parents of a 6th grader do not realize the importance of their native language, they say at school.
VALERIYA KINZYAGUL (TEACHER OF BASHKIR LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE): We live in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Bashkirs are considered the indigenous people of this republic; I believe that those who refuse to study the Bashkir state language make a big mistake.
KOR: The local Ministry of Education also supported native speech. The Bashkir language is the second state language in the republic, which means that everyone is obliged to study it, thus, without an exam in the national language, Vladislav Martins will not receive a certificate of secondary education.
ALFIS GAYAZOV (MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN): Today you can refuse, say, Bashkir, tomorrow you can give up chemistry there and so on, this does not happen.
ZOYE MARTINS (MOM OF VLADISLAV MARTINS): The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic spoke on TV last night. She explained that our child should learn the Bashkir language in case he has a neighbor who does not understand Russian, so that he can communicate with him, or in case he marries a Bashkir woman.
KOR: To convince people to sit down with Bashkir textbooks, the methods they use are far from pedagogical, parents say. At school, Vlad is distinguished by exemplary behavior, but since he refused to learn the national language, they were summoned to the school council for the prevention of crime and to the commission on juvenile affairs.
In order not to go to the 6th grade a second time, the school offered a unique solution: to pass the Bashkir external exam, go to home engagement, or to a correction class, they verbally hinted that there was another option to move to another region. However, Vladislav’s parents do not yet plan to leave the republic.
Mikhail Chernov, Igor Akimov, Olesya Orgetkina, Oleg Brykin, NTV. Bashkiria.

23:58 — REGNUM

In Bashkiria, after a period of relative calm, controversy has flared up again around the study of state and native languages ​​by Russian-speaking schoolchildren in schools and classes with Russian as the language of instruction. The discussion arose after the publication of data from the prosecutor's audit and an interview with the head of the region Rustem Khamitov one of the publications where the topic of teaching the Bashkir language was touched upon. Interviewed IA REGNUM experts agreed that language policy in the republic should be in full compliance with federal legislation.

Alexandra Mayer © IA REGNUM

Prosecutor's inspections together with representatives of Rosobrnadzor on the study of the Bashkir language took place in the republic's schools in mid-May. As the chairman of the committee for protecting the rights of Russian-speaking schoolchildren told the agency Natalya BudilovA, about 300 schools were inspected. The audit showed that in most schools of the republic, the Bashkir language as a state language is included in the mandatory part of the main general education curriculum as a compulsory subject, while this discipline can only be included in the part of the curriculum formed by the participants in educational relations, that is, it must be included into the curriculum only at the request of the parents.

Let us remind you that a prosecutor's audit in schools revealed facts of infringement of the rights of parents to choose curricula, their non-compliance with the Federal State Standards (FSES), curricula are adopted without taking into account the opinions of parents in schools in Ufa, Neftekamsk, Oktyabrsky, Arkhangelsk, Baltachevsky, Blagovarsky, Gafuriysky, Davlekanovsky, Sterlitamak districts, which contradicts the requirements of Article 44 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”. In many schools, the Bashkir language is taught to the detriment of the study of the Russian language: for example, in the compulsory part of the MOBU curriculum (with Russian as the language of instruction) in the village of Imendyashevo, Gafuriysky district, the number of hours in the first grade allocated to the study of the Bashkir language was 5 hours, allocated for the Russian language only 2 hours.

Parent activists believe that the violations became possible due to pressure on school management from the Ministry of Education of Bashkiria and representatives of district administrations, who enter into a contract with school directors and may not renew the contract in case of “disobedience.” Directors were forced to adopt the curriculum that was beneficial to the regional Ministry of Education and officials, that is, a training plan with the Bashkir language. Directors of Russian-language schools and employees of the Ministry of Education of the Republic deliberately misled parents that the Bashkir language was a compulsory subject to study. Even on the website of the Ministry of Education there were old curriculum plans in which the Bashkir language was a compulsory part.

According to Budilova, for several months they collected complaints from parents of schoolchildren from different regions of Bashkiria, published on the website of the government of the Republic of Belarus and official responses from officials. Parents said that their children, in violation of the law, are practically deprived of the opportunity to choose any subjects other than the Bashkir language to deepen their knowledge. There were other facts of violation of the educational rights of students. “Parents from Sterlitamak approached me, they told me that in a regular school with teaching in Russian, despite the protests of parents, the Bashkir language was introduced already in the first grade, although according to the law, the Bashkir language as a state language can only be studied from the second grade, if this parents wish. In one of the gymnasiums in the city of Yanaul, all schoolchildren of different nationalities from the second to the 11th grade studied the Bashkir language 3 hours a week as their native language in addition to two hours of Bashkir as the state language, for a total of 5 hours a week,” noted the consultant of the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Russian-Speaking Schoolchildren Bashkiria Galina Luchkina.

According to those present at the inspection, many school directors showed complete incompetence in the field of legislation in relation to the study of native and state languages. At first, some directors flaunted: “What do we care about this inspection, we are not afraid, there is someone to stand up for us,” but later, having become convinced of the precariousness of their position and its inconsistency with federal legislation, they changed their minds.

From the response of the republican prosecutor's office dated May 25, 2017 to Budilova, it follows that the republican prosecutor made a submission to the head of Bashkiria Rustem Khamitov, which “is under consideration.”

Alexandra Mayer © IA REGNUM

From the history of the issue

Compulsory study of the Bashkir state language in all schools and many kindergartens of the republic was introduced in 2006 at the insistence of the then head of Bashkiria Murtaza Rakhimov. The Bashkir state language was taught to Russian-speaking students (the majority of them in the republic) as part of the national-regional component (NRK) of general education, which at that time was under the jurisdiction of regional authorities. According to social activists, it was most difficult for Russian-speaking children with speech disorders, hyperactivity, and limited physical and mental capabilities. In many Russian-language kindergartens, the rates of speech therapists were reduced, and teachers of the Bashkir language were hired in their place. Studying the Bashkir language was not easy for Russian-speaking first-graders with speech problems (their share among first-graders is up to 25%).

At the initiative of the State Duma in 2007, the concept of NRC was abolished. According to the updated federal law “On Education,” all schools in Russia have switched to a unified federal state educational standard (FSES). According to this document, the main educational program is divided into two parts: a mandatory part and a variable part, formed by participants in educational relations, that is, students, parents and teachers.

The compulsory language part of the program includes Russian, native (non-Russian) language and foreign languages. But the Federal State Educational Standard does not provide for compulsory teaching of a non-Russian language in the event that it is neither native nor foreign. Teaching regional languages ​​is a voluntary (variable) part of the educational program. Parents, as representatives of the interests of students, have the right to choose one of several curriculum options, both with and without the Bashkir state language.

Unnoticed meeting

Presumably, the result of the “consideration” was a meeting on the teaching of state and native languages ​​in the region, which was held by the head of Bashkiria Rustem Khamitov on June 15 at the House of the Republic. The conversation was attended by members of the government of the Republic of Belarus, heads of relevant ministries and departments, and representatives of the scientific community. Information from the official website of the head of the republic noted that, based on the results of inspections carried out by Rosobrnadzor in educational institutions of the region, a number of violations of legislative norms were identified in terms of the use of textbooks and teaching aids, standardization of the educational process, as well as non-compliance of local acts of some schools with federal and republican standards legislation on education. “The priority of the activities of educational authorities and educational organizations should be to meet the needs of schoolchildren in learning their native languages, subject to strict compliance with federal and republican legislation,” it was emphasized at the meeting.

The fact of holding the meeting did not cause any resonance among the expert community and the public.

Alexandra Mayer © IA REGNUM

Language and career, to be honest...

An outburst of emotions erupted on June 20, after an interview with Rustem Khamitov was published on one of the resources. In this interview, the head of the republic noted that “the Bashkir state language is taught in all schools for 1 to 2 hours” starting from the second grade. “The native language can be Bashkir, Russian, Tatar, or Chuvash, and the program devotes 2 to 3 to 4 hours a week to studying native languages ​​of the parents’ choice. In total, it turns out that if we talk about the Bashkir language, in the limit of 1 plus 4 - this is 5 hours. So, to learn your native language you need written parental consent. This is the first. Secondly, and this is the main condition, if there is such agreement, then children learn one or another native language at school. Today we know that in a number of schools there are violations, that not all parents have received written consent to study the Bashkir language. Once again, by September 1, we want to restore order in this part, as they say, by interviewing parents and holding class parent meetings,” Khamitov stated.

According to the head of the republic, “today there is no difficulty for those who would like to study the Bashkir language as their native language and for those who would like to study Russian as their native language.” Khamitov gave a short historical excursion: “The situation with the study of native languages ​​in schools dates back to the 90s. Then very strict laws were adopted in the republics, when they were simply obliged and that’s all. Then the legislation was modified and the conditions were softened. Then there were reforms in this part, and the last of them was in the 12th and 13th years, when they stopped studying the native language in the 10th and 11th grades. But it was from the 1st to the 11th. Today the 1st is gone, the 10th is gone, the 11th is gone - and nothing happened. Our citizens approached this story very intelligently and accepted it calmly, without any conflicts or contradictions. The next iteration, the next step to soften the position, of course there will be one. And there is no complexity, a terrible one, when passions are heightened, when this is talked about, warring parties appear.”

How accurate the head of the republic was in his interpretation of the republican legislation remains to be seen, but in describing the psychological component of the linguistic collision, he was certainly right: for the most part, the residents of the republic, having their own opinion on this burning issue, perceive today’s linguistic realities quite calmly. There are, however, exceptions. Some representatives of individual national movements regarded the conversation between the presenter and the head of the republic as policy statements, which made them extremely alarmed.

The scale of the storm in a teacup caused by these words can be assessed by the headlines: “Khamitov is again abolishing the Bashkir language,” “The prosecutor’s office of Bashkortostan asked the head of the republic, Rustem Khamitov, to deal with the Bashkir language,” “Compulsory study of the Bashkir language may be abolished in schools.” A purely technical question about the choice of curricula was accompanied by tendentious statements that “mandatory knowledge of the language should be required of all representatives of the public sector, including doctors, police officers and politicians, and that the careers of residents of the republic depend on knowledge of the national language, as is done in Kazakhstan.” “,” “Khamitov’s Ministry of Education makes no attempts to train teachers,” “opponents of studying the Bashkir language are supported from Moscow,” and the usual cliches about “anti-Bashkir sentiments,” “disrespect,” and the threat of “liquidation of national republics.”

Alexandra Mayer © IA REGNUM

Expert opinions: Bashkiria is not Kazakhstan!

Former leader of the World Kurultai of Bashkirs Azamat Galin with his characteristic self-irony, he noted that the problem of learning the Bashkir language by children who are not native speakers can be attributed to the general problem of most languages, and in the future, Russian. “The global economy is erasing not only borders, but also languages. For voluntary language learning, appealing to traditions, customs and boundaries does not encourage “non-native speakers.” It is possible to force someone to learn, but it is impossible to force someone to learn a language. There must be a leading industry that motivates. For example, before in space everyone spoke Russian, since Russia was the leader. Now English and Chinese are already fighting for leadership, this is a natural process. You can't stop it, you can try to slow it down. The conclusion is simple: become a leader, and everyone will learn the language themselves. In all seriousness, the public figure believes that the forced system of universal study of the Bashkir language was introduced by Rakhimov to demonstrate his loyalty to the Bashkirs.

Political scientist DmitriyMikhailichenko also called the current state of the problem with the study of the Bashkir language in the republic the inertia of Rakhimov’s policy to create a special position for the “titular nation.” “It is characteristic that journalists in Moscow perceive Bashkiria as a national republic. I always object to this: “is the Saratov region nationalless?” Our republic is multinational, not national, and we need to talk about preserving the traditions, culture and language of all languages ​​of traditional ethnic groups (Bashkirs, Russians and Tatars). In addition, there are a lot of interethnic marriages and people with mixed (inclusive) identities in the republic,” the expert believes. The agency’s interlocutor is confident that the issue of studying the Bashkir language should become a matter of public consensus. “At the same time, of course, there is no point in imposing it directively. This simply will not lead to a positive result, but it will certainly meet resistance. In this case, it is important that civil society institutions and citizens themselves reach agreement on a case-by-case basis. Let me emphasize, it is impossible to impose. I see the role of the republican authorities and, above all, the Ministry of Culture as establishing, and not imitating, this dialogue,” the political scientist emphasized.

The expert noted with regret that some activists are trying to resolve the issue head-on. “But the situation is more complicated. If you want people to learn Bashkir, make it attractive. Interest in the language is awakened not by orders (in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and Latvia all this has already happened), but by soft power, the creation of attractive, modern formats (gamification, for example). I think it’s wrong to say that you need to pay “tribute.” If I don’t know Bashkir, it doesn’t mean that I don’t respect the culture of this people. I have many Bashkir friends, I studied the history of the Bashkirs for five years and respect the tradition of this distinctive people. But this does not mean that my children have to pay some kind of “tribute”. And it seems to me an insulting situation when the school director or any official from the Ministry of Education will give directives,” concluded Mikhailichenko.

Tatar social activists, preferring not to mention the language problem (ethnolinguistic conflict) in Tataria, believe that “language policy in the republic should be in full compliance with federal legislation, which gives student representatives the opportunity to determine whether or not their child will learn Bashkir or any other national language.” language".

Ordinary Ufa residents answer briefly: “Bashkiria is not Kazakhstan, Bashkiria is Russia, but somehow we’ll sort out the languages ​​ourselves, we’ve never beaten each other just because of language, we don’t beat each other, and we won’t beat each other.”

Background

In the national republics, for many years there was a problem with the teaching of native languages; there were complaints about being forced to study native languages, in particular Tatar. Parents of Russian-speaking schoolchildren complained about the prevalence of the Tatar language over Russian. A prosecutor's inspection carried out in the republic in 2017 as part of Vladimir Putin's instructions revealed a lot of violations, including in almost all schools in Tatarstan the volume of Russian language lessons was below the standards approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Violations of students' rights have been eliminated and now parents can choose a program where they independently determine their child's native language. In Tatarstan, over 115 thousand parents chose Russian as their native language.
In Bashkiria and Tatarstan today there are republican programs for supporting native languages.

The prosecutor's office of Bashkortostan, as a result of numerous inspections, recognized the issue of compulsory study of the Bashkir language in schools as a violation. The department recommended that the head of the region, Rustem Khamitov, look into this.

The story of complaints about the compulsory study of the Bashkir language in the republic’s schools began after the parents of Ufa school No. 39 created the so-called “Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Russian-Speaking Schoolchildren,” which united opponents of the imposition of the Bashkir language in the school curriculum.

Many parents of students from other schools in the city also believe that learning the Bashkir language should be purely voluntary, citing the law of the Russian Federation. They demand that schoolchildren have the opportunity to choose whether or not to study a given subject, just as this happens with a number of other school subjects, writes the online publication Ufa1.ru. But in fact, as activists state, school directors are forced to deny parents and children their right to choose, because are under pressure from the Ministry of Education and the administration that the curriculum is approved only if there are certain mandatory hours of the Bashkir language. The director of the 39th gymnasium confirmed to the publication that studying the Bashkir language is mandatory for all students at the school.

“In our school, teaching is conducted in accordance with the legislative framework of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Bashkortostan. The Bashkir language is required because we have a UNESCO school with a humanitarian focus, and a lot of languages ​​are studied. Schoolchildren study Bashkir from fourth to ninth grade.", - said the head of the educational institution.

But the UNESCO school can hardly be called an indicator for controversy, because it was initially organized with the condition of learning several languages ​​at once. Why not Bashkir too?

But in ordinary schools, for example, in 44, the Bashkir language is included in the compulsory curriculum from the second grade. Parents have different views on this. Some Russian speakers who are not native speakers of Bashkir culture are happy to learn the language, considering it an excellent workout for the brain and the overall development of the child. And some are categorically against the “extra” item.

“I am against the imposition of any language. Russian is our state language. We will teach him. If we were offered to study Bashkir as a foreign language, I would have no complaints. But I still wouldn't agree. The whole world speaks English, Chinese has become very widespread, so they can really come in handy,”- said the mother of one of the future students of the school.

The activists, however, did not stand still; they collected signatures from parents who were opposed to studying Bashkir at school and sent complaints to the prosecutor’s office. As Ufa1.ru writes, a number of inspections were carried out by Rospotrebrnadzor in all schools of the republic, which also revealed a whole list of violations of legislative norms, for example, in the use of textbooks and teaching aids, standardization of educational processes, as well as inconsistencies of local acts of some schools with federal standards and republican legislation on education. All identified violations were collected in one document and attached to a submission from the republican prosecutor’s office addressed to Rustem Khamitov with a demand to eliminate the violations. The response must be received no later than 30 calendar days after the submission. The press service of the regional head confirmed that they had received the request and were ready to respond within the specified time frame.

It is not yet clear what the head of the republic himself thinks about what is happening. In the regional government, at one of the meetings, he said that general education institutions in Bashkiria have a sufficient basis for the transition to compulsory study of the Bashkir language, but immediately softened his statement with the statement that the government should rely primarily on federal educational standards. It turns out that the head of Bashkortostan does not yet have an official opinion, as such, only possible options for the development of events. The floating formulations still do not make it clear what is important in the current long-term situation: will the Bashkir language be in the compulsory curriculum or will it become an elective? We hope that the response to the regional prosecutor's office will come with more precise instructions and explanations.