Khamitov again abolishes the Bashkir language. Minister of Education Gulnaz Shafikova on the Bashkir language, school extortions and the transfer of the day of knowledge
In the summer of 2017, the language issue became the main topic in Bashkortostan: will the teaching of the state Bashkir language remain mandatory in the republic or not? Let me remind you that the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Belarus published an explanation about the study of the Bashkir language in the schools of the republic. According to the document, teaching native languages, including Bashkir, against the consent of the parents (legal representatives) of students, is not allowed.
In fairness, it should be said that the problems of the Bashkir language began from the very first attempts to introduce it as a compulsory subject. The reason is banal, and it initially did not concern general federal trends - the obligation to teach Bashkir simply ignored regional specifics. I propose to recall attempts to introduce the teaching of the Bashkir language everywhere.
Attempt #1. Publication in 1993 by the Ministry of Education of Bashkortostan of order No. 425 "On the curricula of general educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus since the 1993/1994 academic year." This order provided for the introduction of the Bashkir language as a compulsory subject in the Russian-speaking schools of the republic (of which there was an overwhelming majority and where the bulk of the non-Bashkir population studied: Tatars, Russians, Chuvashs, Maris, etc.). However, after the protest of the Tatar Public Center and the association "Rus", this order was withdrawn as unconstitutional, because. Bashkir was not the state language at that time, i.e. did not have a special status that allowed the introduction of a special position in relation to him.
Attempt #2. It is connected with the adoption in the Republic of Bashkortostan of a regional law on languages - this was in 1999. Bashkortostan was the last of all the national republics to adopt such language legislation and, accordingly, established the state languages of the republic only in 1999. The reason was the intra-republican situation, related to the fact that the Tatar-speaking population, which makes up a third of the population of the region, demanded the inclusion of the Tatar language - along with Bashkir and Russian - among the state languages of the Republic of Belarus. However, the Bashkir ethnocracy, which was strengthening at that time, opposed this. The requirements for the Tatar language were reflected both in 1992 - in the decisions of local governments in the western part of the republic (the territory of compact residence of Tatars), and in 1997 - at the representative (first) Congress of the Tatars of Bashkortostan. However, the legal right of the Tatar part of the population was ignored.
In the conditions of Bashkortostan, this was used not so much to strengthen the role of the Bashkir language, but to reanimate the policy of Bashkirization of the Tatar population
The adoption of the state languages made it possible to write in the regional laws on education a clause on their mandatory study. In turn, this norm was based on the 68th article of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that the subjects of the federation have the right to establish their state languages on an equal footing with the Russian language. In the conditions of Bashkortostan, this was used not so much to strengthen the role of the Bashkir language, but to reanimate the policy of Bashkirization of the Tatar population. First, the Bashkir language was introduced into education as the state language, then under various pretexts (the similarity of languages and, as a result, the excessive complexity of their differentiation for students), the study of the Tatar language was canceled as a subject in Russian-language schools, and Tatar schools gradually began to close altogether. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that this policy, aimed at infringing on the interests of the Tatar population, met with hidden sabotage in the western (Tatar-speaking) part of the republic, which resulted in the purge in 2006 of the heads of regional education departments and even individual "obstinate" directors with the wording "for insufficient attention to the study of the Bashkir language".
The issue of compulsory teaching of the Bashkir language was raised by Tatar public associations in the context of the Bashkirization policy pursued by the authorities of the republic. That is, the Tatar part of the population of the Republic of Belarus opposed the imposition of the Bashkir language on them - in fact, instead of their native Tatar. Thus, the problem of studying Bashkir as a state language initially consisted in the fact that its ideologists deliberately ignored the ethnic situation in the republic and chose the most conflicting options for implementing their plans: for them, the priority was not teaching the population of the Republic of Belarus the Bashkir language, but, first of all, the Bashkirization of the Tatars of Bashkortostan. That is why the problems of the Bashkir language began with its very introduction as a compulsory language - in other regions, similar issues surfaced later, only at the end of the 2000s.
GEF has become the gravedigger of the national-regional component in the education system
There were no "parental committees" against the study of the Bashkir language at that time. They appeared quite unexpectedly - only at the end of the 2000s, after the State Duma adopted federal law No. 309 "On Amending the Change and Concept of the Federal State Educational Standard" at the end of 2007. Behind the long wording was the elimination of the national-regional component in the Russian educational standard. Later, on the basis of this law, the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES) was created, which, according to civil activists of national associations, became the gravedigger of the national-regional component in the education system.
In general, the problem of the Federal State Educational Standard is that in the paragraph concerning the national component, there is only the subject "native language". Those. there is no history or culture of the subjects of the Russian Federation in it. But here, too, there is a peculiarity: the subject "native language" is taught at the request of the parents and is not mandatory.
Also, in the Federal State Educational Standard there is directly no such subject as "the state language of the republics of the Russian Federation." The absence of such a subject, in fact, is dissonant with the 68th article of the Russian Constitution, which contains a clause on the right of the republics to adopt their state languages, which have the same right as the Russian language. But the Federal State Educational Standard offers an option with the study of two foreign languages \u200b\u200bat once.
Returning to the issue of teaching the Bashkir language, we note that after the resignation Murtaza Rakhimov Although the Bashkir language remained compulsory, it began to be taught only as a state language - 1-2 hours a week (this, of course, did not apply to Bashkir schools and gymnasiums). This, in particular, made it possible to return the Tatar language as a subject to many schools.
In connection with the latest changes, we interviewed several schools in the Republic of Belarus about whether they received specific instructions on the new language teaching procedure. It turned out that most of our respondents are not aware of the upcoming changes.
Ilfir Kutdusov(teacher of the Baitally secondary school of the Kushnarenkovsky district):
- I personally do not know any information about any new specific orders. From conversations with my colleagues, I know that they also did not receive new instructions. This issue was not raised at the district teachers' council. Those. formally everything remains as before. The only thing is that in our region, as far as I know, the Bashkir language is not studied in a couple of schools that have completely switched to the curriculum with the native Russian language - but this happened already several years ago, precisely because of the negative reaction to the policy of Bashkirization of the Tatars. In general, based on my professional experience (and I worked as a teacher, as well as a director and head teacher), the Tatar language in Bashkortostan was once hit hard by two factors: the wholesale Bashkirization of education with the closure of Tatar schools, with the introduction of the Bashkir language de facto as native to Tatar schoolchildren and, of course, the introduction of the Unified State Examination. As a result, the parents of schoolchildren indulged in apathy regarding the study of their native Tatar language. But it is quite clear that the Tatars absolutely do not need to study Bashkir, at least throughout the entire school course. One year is more than enough for the Tatars.
As for the national component in education, it is long overdue to allow schoolchildren to take the USE in their native language. This would make it possible for the existence of national schools in the Russian Federation in the future,” Kutdusov says.
An unspoken order was given by hook or by crook to collect signatures from parents - for consent to the study of the Bashkir language
A source in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, on condition of anonymity, said that the issue of learning native languages was left to the municipalities. Let me remind you that according to the current legislation, the founders of most educational institutions are municipalities. In some areas, this was taken as a go-ahead for the wider introduction of a second foreign language (most often German). And the hours for a given subject are sought out just by selecting them from the hours previously allotted for the study of the state or native language. For example, such "experiments" on the selection of hours allocated for the study of native languages have already been tested not only in Ufa, but also in a number of districts: Chekmagushevsky, Buzdyaksky, etc. Also, despite the decision of the prosecutor's office, an unspoken order was given by hook or by crook to collect signatures from parents - for the consent to study the Bashkir language, therefore, a number of Ufa schools have already started a stream of complaints that the Bashkir language is included in the program without the consent of the parents themselves.
In general, there are two aspects to the question of the obligation to study the state language of the republics. The first is the ethnic situation in the region: the higher the proportion of representatives of a particular ethnic group (native speakers of a particular language), the higher the likelihood that the obligatory study of this language in general educational institutions will be perceived in society complementary. For example, it is one thing to have to study the Chechen language in Chechnya, where Chechens make up 93.5% of the population of the republic, and quite another in Bashkortostan, where the Bashkir language is native to 29.5% of the population.
It is one thing to have to study the Chechen language in Chechnya, where Chechens make up 95% of the population of the republic, and quite another in Bashkortostan, where the Bashkir language is native to 29.5% of the population.
The second aspect is the practical side of the issue or, more simply, how large is the scope of application of one or another state language of the national republic. This largely determines the demand for learning a particular language (including among non-native speakers). Despite the fact that at Murtaza Rakhimov the language law worked to the full, the Bashkir intelligentsia itself was not ready for its high mission of preserving the Bashkir language and culture. Therefore, it is very symptomatic that even at events held by Bashkir organizations, and even among the communication of the Bashkir public men themselves, the Bashkir language plays a secondary role.
As for the public consensus within the republic on the position of the Bashkir language, it has a negative trail, an imprint from the time of the first president of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov, clearly associated with the authoritarian methods of government of the republic, accompanied not only by a number of excesses in national politics, but also by banal political repressions. And what especially aggravates the situation is that in defending the position of the Bashkir language, Bashkir public figures appeal to the era of Rakhimov, citing him as an unconditional role model, which, of course, can cause nothing but irritation among 71% of the non-Bashkir population of the republic.
MIN BASHKORT
I am a Bashkir, but I never thought that someday I would start screaming about it. Scream silently, could you? Shout silently when there is nothing to shout with because my tongue was cut out?
Today my tongue was cut out to leave me without a nation and culture. And tomorrow they will cut off my legs to leave me without my roots and history! And after tomorrow?
They will cut off my heart to leave me without faith and religion!
And you know what's the worst?
It's scary that I'm silent.
But I'm getting used to, because you know, we know how to survive.
We are strong.
At first we will get used to being silent, then to walk without one leg, then without both, and completely dead. Live dead.
Could you?
Or do you only know how to live on the dead? Walk on dead souls?
Yes. You don't need living people. You don't need talents and personalities. You don't need any culture! No faith!
You need fallen souls who will worship you and do what you want.
You will speak with our mouths, kill with our hands, trample us with our own feet, and bury everything sacred on our own lands with our own shovels.
Those lands that our grandfathers defended, shedding Bashkir Muslim blood, for the sake of Russia.
Minen olatay, hinen olatay!
And what do you do in response? I'm not talking about factories, natural resources and sovereignty ...
You took everything from us.
And now the native language.
And you know what's the worst?
It's scary that I'm silent.
Of course I am silent, because the language has already been cut off.
I was born in the Bashkir Muslim land. I went to a Russian school and spoke two languages from childhood.
We lived under two flags, under two anthems, cultures and religions.
We lived under the slogan and motto "Bashkortostan and Russia together forever."
And my mother always taught me kindness and tolerance, and most importantly, equality.
She taught me to love the Russian language, but at the same time to appreciate and know my native Bashkir.
I remember how my mother liked it when I spoke my native language, so the most precious words for me were “Mom”, “I love”, “I'm sorry”, “I miss you”, I spoke them only in Bashkir.
Ah, this affectionate and gentle Bashkir mother's language ...
I will always remember.
"Kyzym", "Balam", "Maturim", "Bapkesem".
When I hear these words somewhere, from other lips to other hearts, tears come to my eyes.
After all, most of all we miss words filled with care and love.
And my mother called me that. It was the warmest and most tender treatment for me.
Is it possible to forget it?
And the native language will never be forgotten. Even if I know a hundred languages. Although I do not write poetry in the Bashkir language, and speak it poorly, I pray in my native language, rejoice and cry in my native language.
Do you know why? Because my heart speaks my native language. Is it possible to take your heart and throw it away?
No, you can throw yourself out of the country, from the Motherland. And wherever I was, wherever they asked me, I always said that I was a Bashkir. And they asked in surprise, “And why not only Russians live in Russia?”. “No,” I answered naively and stupidly, “Russia is a multinational state, we are a single force”
And what will happen in ten years? If today the Bashkir native language was canceled in schools.
Who will teach our children grammar? Who will retell our history and develop our culture? Who will nurture morality and faith in us?
Who will go to defend our Motherland? Our house? Our religion? Our forests if you cut down their roots?
That's just the point, we have nothing to protect.
Leave us our native, and take everything else for yourself.
Today you made us swallow our tongue, and tomorrow you will swallow our Republic!
And you will do it not only with us. After some time, such assimilation will take place with Tatarstan, with the Chechen Republic, with Dagestan, and so on ... But whether they will allow themselves to be trampled on is another question.
And I have only one question for you.
And what if we were not called the Republic of Bashkortostan,
and the Republic of the Dumb?
Would you cancel sign language too?
And you know what's the worst?
It's scary that we're already dumb.
Compulsory study of the Bashkir language will be canceled in schools of Bashkiria. This was made clear by the head of the republic, Rustem Khamitov. The other day, he commented on Vladimir Putin's speech in Yoshkar-Ola on July 20, in which the president directly stated that it is unacceptable to force people to learn non-native languages. The position of the head of state and the reaction of the regional authorities aroused the rejoicing of the parents and the grumbling of the nationalists. The opinions of the parties were clarified by the correspondent of "FederalPress".
The leadership of Bashkiria did not comment on one of the painful topics for the national region for a long time. More than two weeks had passed since Putin's speech at the Council on Interethnic Relations in Mari El, when Rustem Khamitov finally made a lengthy commentary on the issue of teaching the Bashkir language in schools.
“The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Bashkortostan once again analyzed the situation with the study of native languages in the region and saw that it was necessary to make changes to the basic educational plans for the eighth and ninth grades regarding the obligatory study of the Bashkir language as the state language,” said the head of Bashkiria.
At the same time, he refers to the need to "pair" the Bashkir and Russian legislation in terms of educational standards.
“Relevant orders will be issued by the Ministry of Education. I want to say that this will in no way change the situation in terms of learning Bashkir, Tatar, Chuvash, and other native languages,” emphasizes Rustem Khamitov.
Further, the head of the region speaks about the need to unconditionally preserve and develop the language, study it at schools and universities. Encourages parents to encourage their children to learn Bashkir.
However, behind all the conciliatory rhetoric, the public considered a clear signal for the abolition of the mandatory study of the Bashkir language as the state language.
Language is my enemy
Back in the spring, discussions about the need for compulsory study of the language of the titular people flared up with renewed vigor in the republic. The reason was the decision of the supervisory authorities. At the end of May, the prosecutor's office protested the violation of federal educational standards in the region's schools regarding the teaching of languages. The head of the republic made a presentation.
The leadership of Bashkortostan was silent even then. They understood how delicate the topic was and did not want to disturb the public once again. In June, the executive committee of the World Kurultai of the Bashkirs held a meeting on the problem of learning languages. The discussion turned out to be timid, on duty and resulted in a decision to correct the curricula.
More resolute representatives of the national elite expressed their direct disagreement with the "assault on the Bashkir language."
Apparently, similar sentiments were brewing in other republics of the Volga region and reached the ears of the president, who expressed his categorical "no" at a meeting in Yoshkar-Ola.
“To study these languages is a constitutionally guaranteed right, a voluntary right. Forcing a person to learn a language that is not native to him is just as unacceptable as reducing the level and time of teaching Russian. I draw the special attention of the heads of the regions of the Russian Federation to this,” Vladimir Putin said at the time.
Heads between two fires
The leaders of the regions could not disagree with the president's decision. As in Bashkiria, in other national republics it took a long time to decide what to say to the people. Reducing language lessons in schools is fraught with at least dissatisfaction of some voters, including teachers of these languages.
Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov believes that Putin put Rustem Khamitov in a very difficult situation, forcing him to make a deliberately unpopular decision.
“Putin said an unambiguous thing: schoolchildren should not be forced to learn languages that are not native to them. If Khamitov repeats this, the parents will be delighted, and the nationalists will be furious. Khamitov, as always, tried to get away from unambiguity: he gave out a set of niceties, one cannot but agree with each of them individually, but in the aggregate it is impossible to understand, ”says the political scientist.
According to the expert, Khamitov wants to continue to sit on two chairs at the same time, so that neither the parents of the schoolchildren would be offended by him, nor the nationalists.
“In the end, of course, he will anger both those and those. Everyone is waiting for a decision from him, but he is not able to solve anything, out of habit he tries to get away with talking, ”says Abbas Gallyamov.
Bashkir public figure Azamat Galin believes that the head of Bashkiria had no choice at all. He simply has to fulfill the will of the federal center, regardless of public opinion. “I would not say that (Khamitov) found himself between two fires. The public poses no threat to him. In our country, as you know, the entire vertical is tied to one person. And if there are protests in Bashkiria, then there will probably be some adjustments. It's hard for me to predict anything. Let's wait and see," Galin said.
At the same time, he believes that in order to abolish the norm on the mandatory study of the Bashkir language as the state language, it will be necessary to change the Constitution of Bashkortostan.
“We have a constitution. And this rule is spelled out in it. This means that the Constitution will need to be amended. This means that someone will have to initiate this,” said Azamat Galin.
In fairness, it must be said that many parents, indeed, did not hide their joy at the decision of the president and the head of the republic. Children will no longer be bothered by the already confused Unified State Examination, a difficult and incomprehensible language that no one knows when it will come in handy in life, and whether it will come in handy at all.
For the intelligentsia, this step was a signal of retreat in the struggle to preserve the Bashkir language, which, according to the UN, remains in the vulnerable category.
Rustem Khamitov tried to soften the blow by saying that now missing Bashkir lessons in schools can be held as electives or evening classes. Introduce additional (voluntary!) courses at the higher educational institutions of the republic. Teach Bashkir pensioners in "universities of the third age."
“The Bashkir language was, is and will be. The study of the Bashkir language was, is and will be. The scope of the study largely depends on the decision of the parent community. But at the same time, we understand that here, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, we must preserve the language and provide all support measures,” the head of the republic concluded.
23:58 — REGNUM In Bashkiria, after a period of relative calm, disputes have again flared up 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 the data of the prosecutor's check and the interview of 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 The experts agreed that the language policy in the republic should be in full compliance with federal legislation.
Prosecutor's inspections, together with representatives of Rosobrnadzor on the study of the Bashkir language, took place in the schools of the republic in mid-May. As the chairman of the committee for the protection of the rights of Russian-speaking schoolchildren told the agency Natalia Budilova, about 300 schools were tested. The audit showed that in most schools of the republic, the Bashkir language as the state language is included in the mandatory part of the main general educational 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 should be included in the curriculum only at the request of the parents.
Recall that a prosecutorial audit in schools revealed facts of infringement of the rights of parents to choose curricula, their inconsistency with the Federal State Standards (FSES), curricula are accepted without taking into account the opinions of parents in schools in Ufa, Neftekamsk, Oktyabrsky, Arkhangelsk, Baltachevsky, Blagovarsky, Gafurysky, Davlekanovsky, Sterlitamaksky 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 learning the Russian language: for example, in the compulsory part of the curriculum of the MOBU (with Russian as the language of instruction) in the village of Imendyashevo, Gafury District, the number of hours in the first grade allotted for studying the Bashkir language was 5 hours, the Russian language was allocated only 2 hours.
Parental 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 sign a contract with school principals and may not renew the contract in case of "disobedience". Directors were forced to adopt the curriculum that is beneficial to the regional Ministry of Education and the officials, that is, the curriculum 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. Even on the website of the Ministry of Education there were old curricula in which the Bashkir language was a mandatory part.
According to Budilova, for several months they have been collecting 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 to deepen their knowledge, except for the Bashkir language. There were also other facts of violation of the educational rights of students. “Parents from Sterlitamak contacted me, they said 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, only 5 hours a week, ”said 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: “Yes, this check is not for us, 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 prosecutor of the republic made a submission to the head of Bashkiria Rustem Khamitov, which "is under consideration."
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 such students in the republic) as part of the national-regional component (NRC) of general education, which at that time was under the jurisdiction of the regional authorities. The most difficult, according to social activists, had Russian-speaking children with speech disorders, hyperactivity, physical and mental disabilities. In many Russian-speaking kindergartens, the positions of speech therapists were reduced, and teachers of the Bashkir language were taken in their place. The study of 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 NQF was abolished. According to the updated federal law "On Education", all Russian schools have switched to the unified federal state educational standard (FSES). According to this document, the main educational program is divided into two parts: the mandatory part and the optional part, formed by the participants in educational relations, that is, students, parents and teachers.
The language 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 the mandatory teaching of a non-Russian language if it is neither native nor foreign. The teaching of regional languages belongs to the voluntary (variable) part of the educational program. Parents, as representatives of the interests of students, have the right to choose one of several options for the curriculum, 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 on June 15 in the House of the Republic by the head of Bashkiria, Rustem Khamitov. Members of the government of the Republic of Belarus, heads of relevant ministries and departments, representatives of the scientific community took part in the conversation. In the information from the official website of the head of the republic, it was noted that following the results of inspections conducted by Rosobrnadzor in general educational institutions of the region, a number of violations of legislative norms were revealed regarding the use of textbooks and teaching aids, the regulation of the educational process, as well as the inconsistency of local acts of some schools with the norms of the federal and republican education legislation. “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 observance of federal and republican legislation,” the meeting emphasized.
The fact of holding the meeting did not cause any resonance among the expert community and the public.
Language and career, they are, to be honest...
A surge of emotions erupted on June 20, after the publication of an interview with Rustem Khamitov on one of the resources. In this interview, the head of the republic noted that "the Bashkir state language is taught in all schools in the amount of 1 to 2 hours" starting from the second grade. “The native language can be Bashkir, and Russian, and Tatar, and Chuvash, and the program allots for the study of native languages at the choice of parents from 2 to 3, up to 4 hours a week. In total, it turns out, if about the Bashkir language, in the limit of 1 plus 4 - this is 5 hours. So, to learn your native language, you need written consent from your parents. This is the first. Second - and this is the main condition - if there is such consent, then the children learn one or another native language at school. Today we know that there are violations in a number of schools, that not all parents have received written consent to study the Bashkir language. Here again, by September 1, we want to put things in order in this part, as they say, by interviewing parents, 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 digression: “The situation with the study of native languages in schools dates back to the 90s. Then very tough laws were adopted in the republics, when they were simply obliged and that's it. Then the legislation was modified, the conditions were softened. Then there were reforms in this part, and the last of them in the 12th, 13th year, when they stopped learning their native language in the 10th-11th grade. But it was after all - from the 1st to the 11th. Today the 1st is missing, the 10th, the 11th is missing - and nothing happened. Our citizens approached this story very sensibly and accepted it calmly, without any conflicts or contradictions. The next iteration, the next step to soften the position, of course, it will be. And there is no difficulty, terrible, moreover, when passions are pumped up, when it is spoken about, the opposing sides appear, no.
How accurate the head of the republic was in interpreting the republican legislation remains to be seen, but describing the psychological component of the linguistic conflict, he was certainly right: for the most part, the inhabitants of the republic, having their own opinion on this burning issue, perceive today's linguistic realities quite calmly. There are exceptions, however. Individual representatives of individual national movements regarded the conversation between the host 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 again abolishes 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 canceled 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 from all representatives of the public sector, including doctors, policemen and politicians, and that the career of the inhabitants of the republic depended on knowledge of the national language, as is done in Kazakhstan ”, “Khamit’s Ministry of Education makes no attempt to train teachers”, “opponents of the study of the Bashkir language are supported from Moscow” and the usual clichés about “anti-Bashkrian sentiments”, “disrespect” and the threat of “liquidation of national republics”.
Expert opinions: Bashkiria is not Kazakhstan for you!
Former leader of the World Kurultai of the 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, in the future, Russian. “The global economy is erasing not only borders, but also languages. For voluntary language learning, the appeal to traditions, customs and boundaries does not stimulate "non-natives". It is possible to force one to learn, but it is impossible to force one to learn a language. There must be a leading industry that motivates. For example, earlier 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 compulsory system of universal study of the Bashkir language was introduced by Rakhimov to demonstrate his loyalty to the Bashkirs.
Political scientist DmitryMikhailichenko 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 of the "titular nation". “It is characteristic that journalists in Moscow perceive Bashkiria as a national republic. I always object to this, “but why is the Saratov region a nationless one?”. Our republic is multinational, not national, and we need to talk about preserving the traditions, culture and language of all the languages of traditional ethnic groups (Bashkirs, Russians and Tatars). In addition, there are a lot of interethnic marriages and people with a mixed (inclusive) identity in the republic,” the expert believes. The interlocutor of the agency is sure that the issue of learning the Bashkir language should become a matter of public consensus. “At the same time, of course, it is not worth imposing it directively. This elementary will not lead to a positive result, but it will certainly meet with resistance. In this case, it is important that the institutions of civil society and the citizens themselves come to an agreement in each specific case. To impose, I emphasize, it is impossible. I see the role of the republican government and, above all, the Ministry of Culture in establishing, and not imitating, this dialogue, ”the political scientist emphasized.
The expert stated 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 attractive forms. 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). To say that you need to pay "tribute of respect", I think, is wrong. If I do not know Bashkir, this does not mean that I do not respect the culture of this people. I have many friends of the Bashkirs, I studied the history of the Bashkirs for five years and respect the tradition of this original people. But this does not mean that my children have to pay some kind of “tribute”. And it seems insulting to me that the director of the school or some official from the Ministry of Education will directively indicate, ”Mikhailichenko summed up.
Tatar social activists, preferring not to mention the language problem (ethno-linguistic 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".
Ordinary Ufa residents answer briefly: “Bashkiria is not Kazakhstan for you, Bashkiria is Russia, but we’ll figure it out with languages somehow, we never hit each other because of the language, they don’t hit, and they won’t”
August 9, 2017, 19:08Today, on the eve of the beginning of the academic year and the August teachers' council, a press conference was held with the Minister of Education of Bashkiria Gulnaz Shafikova and the head of the department for control and supervision in the field of education of the Republic of Bashkortostan Aibulat Khazhin.
The speakers spoke beautifully and confidently, and even revealed those problems that, perhaps, no one had thought about. It was clear that representatives of education over the summer recovered from prosecutorial checks, public and journalistic pressure. We prepared our answers to all the most pressing questions. In a word, it was clear that for the new academic year one of the youngest ministers, Gulnaz Shafikova (possessing oratorical skills and terminology, who can both joke and throw a taunt for self-defense) is quite ready.
Yes or no obligatory Bashkir?
At a meeting with journalists, the minister raised a lot of problematic issues, but she kept silent about the main thing that worries all the inhabitants of the republic - the mandatory study of the Bashkir language in schools.
The question was asked by our editors and a large, detailed answer was received, which is not easy for a non-educational specialist to understand. So to teach or not to teach? Probably not. No - because in order to teach the Bashkir language as the state language, a collegial decision must be made. And not by the head of the region or the government of the republic, but by each individual school. That is, each educational institution of Bashkiria must decide, together with teachers, children and parents, to cancel the lessons of the Bashkir language or leave them.
To our question - why, then, in the Chechen Republic, which also relies on the Constitution of its republic and the Russian Federation, the native language is obligatory, Gulnaz Shafikova answered: "I am not responsible for Chechnya."
Of course, the Bashkir minister is not obliged to be responsible for other regions. But why the ministers do not bring national languages as state languages to the federal level, why the experience of other regions is not studied, is again unclear. After all, in fact, the current teachers' council was supposed to be devoted to the problems of studying the Bashkir language as a native language and as a state language.
But, apparently, an important political issue was resolved quietly, without noise, at the mercy of schools. And it seems like the minister has nothing to do with it, they say, the decision was made by educational institutions. And Deputy Prime Minister Salavat Sagitov too. And the head of the region Rustem Khamitov.
All summer in Ufa, they discussed the need to study the Bashkir language in schools - on the radio, on the Internet, even discussion clubs gathered and only the Ministry of Defense remained silent. Shafikova explained the silence of the department by the fact that there was no time, there was a lot of work.
Irek Agishev, a representative of the Bashkir Center for Assistance to National Education "Aktamyr", was also present at the press conference. Immediately after meeting with the minister, he published a post on Facebook.
“Questions were asked regarding the mandatory study of the state Bashkir language. She answered this question that the study of the state Bashkir will be carried out by the decision of the collegiate council of the school. Then I asked a specific question about whether in all classes of general educational organizations the obligatory study of the state Bashkir language would be carried out by decision of the collegiate council of the school. I quoted the republican law "On Education" Article 6 to her. clause 2 where it is written that the Bashkir language as the state language of the republic is studied in all general educational organizations located on the territory of the republic, in accordance with the federal state educational standard and other standards. In the future 2017-2018 academic year, in all general educational organizations of the country, students from grades 1 to 7 will study according to the Federal State Educational Standard. In these classes, they may not study the state Bashkir language, since the Federal State Educational Standard ignores the national component. But students of grades 8-9 will continue their education according to the old educational standard, and there the compulsory study of the state Bashkir language should be continued. And in the law of the Republic of Belarus "On Education" it is written that the compulsory study of the state Bashkir language is carried out in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard and with other standards. The old standard does not ignore the obligatory study of the state Bashkir language. However, Minister Shafikova replied that the compulsory study of the state Bashkir language in all classes would be carried out by decision of the collegiate council of the school. Such a stupid incompetent answer. Either she does not understand state standards, or she was given such an instruction from above ...
Editorial photo
Bashkir language teachers will not be left without a load
The Ministry of Education is already ready for mass layoffs of Bashkir language teachers. Therefore, Gulnaz Shafikova warned in advance:
We discussed this issue. Not a single teacher of the Bashkir language will be left without a load. We guarantee it. Let's look at their specialization. Maybe they are also teachers of Russian or a foreign language. There are electives. But we have an instruction so that not a single Bashkir teacher is left without a load.
Now let's imagine the following situation. It is no secret that teachers in schools try to take on as much work as possible so that the salary looks more or less decent. Here, at the teacher's council of some Russian school, it turns out that the Bashkir teacher is left without a job. The director reports that the whole world needs to help out a colleague and give him a few hours of Russian or a foreign language.
Who will agree to this? teachers? Parents? Hardly. After all, all these years the Bashkir teacher was a specialist in the Bashkir language.
Another question is that teachers of the Bashkir language who are left out of work in their school will be given a job in another educational institution where there is a vacancy.
Editorial photo.
Knowledge Day Defender
Of course, at the press conference, the journalists asked the most intriguing question - what date will the Day of Knowledge be held in Ufa? The fact is that because of the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the Ministry of Education and Science decided that on September 2, children who study six days a week will sit at their desks, and for five days, the recommended date is September 4. But the mayor of the capital of the republic, Irek Yalalov, was outraged by this decision, and it is quite possible that the Day of Knowledge will traditionally take place in the city on the 1st.
Ask Ufa what decision Ufa will make, - Gulnaz Shafikova answered shortly.
And the city administration, apparently, is not going to back down, and even decided to conduct a survey on social networks, finding out the opinion of residents when the solemn assembly, timed to coincide with the Day of Knowledge, should take place. Only people do not share the indignation of the city manager. There are more than 60 percent of respondents on Vkontakte, which is more than 7,000 votes for children to go to school on September 4th.
School fees
The journalists were keenly interested in the issues of school fees - for school textbooks, for repairs and voluntary-compulsory fees of 5,000 rubles to the "Children are our future" fund. Gulnaz Radmilovna said in this regard that all complaints are considered and the ministry should be informed of all such cases.
As for textbooks, she assured that they are fully provided in the republic at the expense of the budget.
If the leaders misunderstand, then you can talk with the parents. Such deposits are illegal. And in case of a complaint, there will be no consequences for the parents, - Aibulat Khazhin explained, speaking about the forced contributions to the “Children are our future” fund, which he had heard about.
Parents of the whole republic - unite!
Every year, the republican teachers' council, in addition to solving current problems, is dedicated to one topic. This year it will be held on August 11-12 and will discuss the improvement of the education system in Bashkortostan.
For the first time, discussion platforms will work at the teachers' council, one of which will be given to parents. I must say that the Ministry of Education is increasingly working with parents. Representatives of the department, for example, invited active parents to the 1st Republican Parent Forum.
Now these parents are uniting in a new organization, which was called nothing less than "Advanced parents of Bashkortostan," said Gulnaz Radmilovna with a smile.
The Ministry of Education plans to create a council of parents who will act as consultants on regulatory documents that affect the rights of parents.
Whether such an unexpected and attentive attitude to parental activity is a reaction to those “advanced parents” who even manage to challenge the teaching of Bashkir as the state language remains a mystery.
In any case, parents are more and more interested in the quality of education and upbringing in schools, study their rights, the charter of the school, unite and force them to reckon with them.
What educational issues are of concern to you?
