A new clause in a guidebook

Students will be denied a right to protest Latvian school reforms

Government's inspection of education of the Ministry of Education of Latvia informed of its intention to include additional paragraph in schools' guidebooks. According to the newly added clause, students will be held responsible for protesting against reforms of Russian schools. This has been reported by Assistant Director of the Government's inspection Valda Puishe in regards to the recent protest in Riga and Daugavpils which took place last week. The protest aimed at liquidating secondary education in Russian language.
 
According to Valda Puishe, all protestors have been revealed already. They will all face the school board and try to explain their actions, reports RIA “Novosti”.

Police in turn demanded school teachers to submit a list of students who were absent on Thursday and Friday. The protest took place right by the Latvian Ministry of Education. Several thousands of seniors of several Russian schools participated in the protest.

The clause reveals that all school subjects in senior grades of secondary schools (including those schools of national minorities) will be taught in Latvian language, except for “native tongue” and “literature”.

The discussion was boisterous. Delegates of the leftists/centrist opposition suggested to include additional clause, according to which Russian schools will be able to decide for themselves what subjects and in what languages to teach.

Rightists in turn rejected such suggestion, accusing their opponents in ignorance, extremism and instigation of terrorism, and “Stalinism”. Their leitmotiv was such that in Latvia all decisions are made by representatives of a “titled nation” and everybody else has to follow the orders.

Delegate from the People's Party Alexander Firstein advise of his intentions to study in Russian and leave for Russia. He called the protest “political order”, thus clearly indicating that the order had been emanating from Russia.    

Source: RIA “Novosti”, Rosbalt, DELFI