9,000 National Schools in Russia

Nowadays, there are some 9,000 national schools in the system of public education of the Russian Federation. The teaching is conducted in 80 languages of Russia's nations, reads the statement of the Russian Minister for Ethnic Policy Vladimir Zorin on the International Native Language Day, celebrated on February 21 on UNESCO's proposal of 2001.

Radio broadcasting is conducted in 56 languages and TV broadcasting - in 69 languages in Russia, he stressed. In addition, hundreds of newspapers and magazines are published in the languages of national minorities.

Russia is a poly-ethnic multi-language state, and the interaction of cultures and spiritual cooperation has become a standard of interethnic coexistence, the minister noted. Russian is a native language for more than 80 per cent of the population. At the same time more than 150 languages are maternal for Russia's peoples.