Minister of Education Gulnaz Shafikova on the Bashkir language, school extortions and the transfer of the day of knowledge. Khamitov again abolishes the Bashkir language

The head of Bashkiria spoke about the abolition of the compulsory study of the Bashkir language in schools. The Ministry of Education should prepare the necessary documents in the near future.

Head of the Republic Rustem Khamitov commented on a recent statement Vladimir Putin in Yoshkar-Ola, when the President expressed his position on the obligatory study of languages ​​of national regions by children.

Rustem Khamitov noted that he fully agrees with Putin's position and that certain changes should be made to the school curriculum.

“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. These changes will be made, among other things, because there is a harmonization, conjugation of the Bashkir and Russian legislation in terms of federal state educational standards and approaches to the study of native languages, ”- said Rustem Khamitov.

Most likely, this statement means that schoolchildren will no longer be forced to study Bashkir and other national languages ​​in the republic. Nevertheless, the head of the region advocates that everything be done to preserve the language. He proposed expanding the voluntary study of Bashkir everywhere, including in the form of extracurricular activities in schools, evening classes, additional courses at universities and "universities of the third age," the proufu.ru portal writes.

“We need to help ensure that additional lessons appear in schools for those who want to study their native language in depth. These classes can and should be conducted as an elective. I am sure that this form of education will be in demand,” noted the head of the republic.

Besides, Rustem Khamitov expressed confidence that the decision to learn or not to learn the native language should be taken by parents. At the same time, he expressed the hope that the inhabitants of the region would agree that their children study Bashkir as one of the state languages ​​of Bashkortostan.

“You have to understand that learning your native language is, first of all, the choice of parents. In this case, my personal opinion: I would like the Bashkir language to be studied in our republic as the state language, so that parents choose the Bashkir language as the state language and agree that their children study the Bashkir language here, in our republic, as the state language. I hope that the understanding of the parent community in this part, of course, will be found”,- emphasized Rustem Khamitov.

If the amendments to the school curriculum are adopted, then during the revision of the curricula of the 8th and 9th grades, the reduction of hours for teachers of the Bashkir language will not be allowed. They will be able to supplement the missing lessons with extracurricular activities.

It should be noted that not all national republics are ready to interpret the President's statement about learning the language as an order for instant action. For example, Tatarstan. State Councilor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev also commented on the statement Vladimir Putin that it is unacceptable to force a person to learn a non-native language. Shaimiev spoke at the plenary session of the World Congress of Tatars.

According to Shaimiev, there was a "futile hype" in the media. In Yoshkar-Ola, at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations, Putin did not say that one should not learn one's native language.

“He expressed concern about the deterioration in the teaching of the state language - Russian. Yesterday I watched on TV, the delegate from Romania said that one should try to speak Tatar in the family. This is the foundation! Everything depends on ourselves. We know if we take it, we will do it. Our future depends on us."- said Shaimiev, writes "Business online".

According to Shaimiev, every person has the right to receive education in their native language.

“You are taxpayers in your regions, when you return, seriously raise this issue - you have every right to receive education in your native language. This is our constitutional right. Demand! There is no talk of preserving the Tatar language only in Tatarstan. The policy of our country does not interfere with the study of the native language”,- noted the state adviser of the Republic of Tatarstan.

“We need to understand that Russians, Tatars, and other peoples of Russia have their own language - understanding this, we need to provide assistance in preserving these languages. There are 148 schools in our republic where education is conducted in Chuvash, Mari, Mordovian and other languages, and these languages ​​are also studied. Perhaps more is needed. And in Sunday schools there are classes in 25 languages ​​of the peoples of the world. We need to use every opportunity! And you, the leaders of the congresses, I mean the regions of Russia, because conditions are slightly different in foreign countries. You work there, you are taxpayers, you have public organizations, you need to seriously raise this issue. You can come back and say: “Here, in Tatarstan they care not only about the Tatar language - how many schools are there that teach in their native languages. It's possible!" You can come and see, representatives of other republics and regions can get acquainted with their activities. It [the right to be educated in one's native language] is our constitutional right. Nobody forbids anything. There are standards. But there is no policy in the country that prohibits studying in the native language and studying it. Including in our republic. Therefore, we must create conditions for the study of other languages,"- added Mintimer Shaimiev.

August 9, 2017, 19:08

Today, 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 short, it was clear that for the new academic year, one of the youngest ministers, Gulnaz Shafikova (possessing oratorical skills and terminology, who knows how to 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, again, it is not clear. 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 Education 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? Unlikely. 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?

It became known yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a list of instructions following the meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations held on July 20. Recall that then the head of state expressed his attitude to the topic of studying Russian and native languages ​​very clearly.

“I want 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 - Vladimir Putin. As for native languages, according to the president of the country, “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.” And he drew special attention of the heads of regions to this. Now the regions have received a specific list of instructions from Moscow, which specifies the deadlines when the heads of the regions must report on their implementation.

So, the issue of compliance with the volume of study in schools of the Russian language as the state language, as well as the organization of the study of native languages ​​on a voluntary basis at the choice of parents, the heads of the regions should “resolve” and report on the implementation by December 1 of this year.

Since Bashkiria turned out to be among the Russian regions where the issue of learning the Bashkir language became the topic of protests, it is unlikely that anyone will take it with a high degree of probability to say today what the future report of the head of Bashkiria Rustem Khamitov to the President of Russia on the implementation of this order will be.

Until now, the head of Bashkiria has never once formulated his clear position on this issue. At the republican pedagogical council on August 13, he talked about this topic for a long time, setting out in his speech almost all points of view and often using the word “we” in his speech: “we live in Bashkortostan ...”, “we must create conditions”, “we must fulfill ... "We will find a solution." But Rustem Khamitov has not yet expressed his own position on this topical issue.

The mediacorset found out other opinions on this topic.

"The problem is only getting worse"

In my opinion, this is a direct violation of the constitutional foundations of our country, since the constitution gives equal rights to all state languages, because it is accepted that throughout Russia the state language is Russian, and on the territory of the national republics, the second state language is the native language of the titular people, - expressed his point of view sociologist, member of the Congress of the Bashkir people Ilgiz Sultanmuratov.

- This means that the Bashkir state and other state languages ​​have the same rights to study. Not only as a sociologist, but also as a native Bashkir, I am extremely outraged by the neglect of this circumstance by the federal authorities.

As Ramazan Abdulatipov put it, the national question is a rake in Russia. Why step on this rake and cause tension in the situation in those areas where it was not? After all, not only parents of Bashkir nationality are dissatisfied with this situation, but also teachers in schools. Tension is artificially created in schools, in teaching staff, among students and parents. I know cases when dissatisfied parents were persistently recommended to complain to the prosecutor's office, and after that checks come to schools and, as a result, the educational process suffers.

Literally in the last few months they have artificially created a problem. Until the last moment, I hoped that, speaking of native languages, representatives of the federal authorities meant native languages, but this does not apply to state languages, which are considered the second state language in the regions.

I am sure that the problem of learning the Russian language will not be solved in this way, but the problem of learning the Bashkir language will be exacerbated, as well as interethnic relations. It seems to me that all sane people should express their opinion and appeal to the letter and spirit of the law. Vladimir Putin's visit to Bashkiria is expected in the near future, and one should not miss the opportunity to discuss this topic with him. A decision must be made that satisfies all parties.

Firstly, speaking objectively, there are still more Russians, Tatars and representatives of other nationalities in Bashkiria than Bashkirs, so it is not entirely correct to insist on the compulsory study of the Bashkir language in schools, if only for this reason.

Secondly, I personally know Bashkirs living in cities who do not seek to learn the Bashkir language, because they do not believe that it is in demand. Representatives of the Bashkir public believe that their rights are grossly violated by the abolition of the compulsory study of the Bashkir language. But why don't they take into account that by forcing children of other nationalities to learn the Bashkir language, they violate their rights? It is not for nothing that letters of protest against this state of affairs are now pouring into Moscow from many regions. No one encroaches on the rights of the Bashkirs and other peoples to learn their language, but there is no need to impose this subject on other people. And the Bashkir language at the level necessary for communication can be studied within the framework of local history, there is no need to allocate separate hours for this. As for the teachers of the Bashkir language, who may be left without work, they can retrain and teach other subjects, as was the case with teachers of German and English, when their hours were cut, - believes Galina Luchkina, member of the Language Policy Committee of the Council of Russians of the Republic of Belarus.

Rights and obligations

Political scientist Sergei Lavrentiev, believes that it is certainly necessary to solve the problem of learning the Bashkir language, but at the same time, one should not take too radical measures.

Our Ministry of Education, being part of the federal structure, in solving some issues, sometimes tried to please everyone. The decision to study the Bashkir language to the detriment of the state language falls into this category. And now they do not know how to return this topic to normal. Nobody is against learning the language, but look for opportunities. Do not forget that children leave school not to be able to speak the Bashkir language well, but to become engineers, to master other specialties, - says Sergey Lavrentiev. -

By the way, before the October Revolution, these issues were resolved without any scandals: there were national theaters, national schools, and national publications - everything was there. And no one asked the king for funding for this. Because this issue was resolved as needed. This is how you should treat him.

And if there is a need to learn a language in order to preserve it, then it is better to be creative on how to interest students. And governors should remember that the criteria for their effectiveness is not only the fulfillment of instructions from the federal center, but also the presence or absence of national tension. And if you clumsily solve the problem, then tension cannot be avoided.

Deputy of the State Assembly of Bashkiria Ramil Bignov believes that this issue should be resolved, first of all, in the legal field. To dot the "i" and avoid the contradiction of legislative acts.

In principle, I agree with the approach of the President of the country to the solution of the issue. The study of the Russian language by representatives of non-Russian peoples is mandatory. Since in our country it is Russian that is the language of interethnic communication. As for other languages, relevant laws have been adopted in the regions on their compulsory study, and no one has repealed them. So, now it is necessary, first of all, to make changes to the legislation, and this is the work of the State Assembly, the head of the republic or other subjects of legislative initiative, - Ramil Bignov shared his opinion.

If we talk about Putin's statement, then the main thing in it is what is confirmed at the highest level: learning native languages ​​is a right, not a duty, - believes coordinator of the "Russian Bashkiria" community in the social network "VKontakte" Konstantin Kuznetsov. - The fact is that the term "state language" in relation to local languages ​​was interpreted as mandatory for learning, but all over the world the term "official language" is used for this, but this does not mean that all citizens should know the language. At the same time, the issues of studying and preserving native languages ​​are divided in the minds of the supporters themselves - that is, first of all, the fact of studying is important, and not preservation and development. So the refusal to impose Bashkir could benefit the language, it is better to spend efforts on preserving it. But as long as the language acts as a symbol and ethnic preference, this problem cannot be soberly assessed, and the tension will increase.

At writer Igor Savelyev your point of view on this topic.

I believe that every person should definitely learn their native national language, whether it be Bashkir, Tatar or another language, he says. - Vladimir Putin, in fact, repeated what was already written in the law: Russian should be studied as a state language, and other languages ​​​​should be voluntary. And so that there is no mess in this matter, everything should be clearly stated at the federal level, including whether the language of the national republics is their second state language and whether it is necessary to study it in this region.

If we ignore high political matters and turn to practical issues related to the teaching of native languages ​​in schools, it becomes obvious that there are many of them and all of them also require urgent solutions.

It cannot be considered correct to force one or another subject to be studied when there are so few hours in schools, especially when the same hours, for example, could be spent on preparing for the Unified State Examination. As long as the Bashkir language has the status of the second state language, it, in theory, can be included in the curriculum, - said Anton Astashkin, lecturer at the philological faculty of Bashkir State University.- I can say, as a philologist, my point of view that there are no many languages. After all, language is the bearer of culture, we live in this ethnic space and must know its subtleties. We need to think and look for reasonable solutions to the issue.

Elena Khusnullina, teacher of Russian language and literature at one of the Ufa schools outlined the current state of affairs with the study of native languages ​​in schools.

At our school, the position of most parents is as follows: the hours allocated for learning their native language should be better spent preparing for exams - the OGE and the Unified State Examination. As a result, every week we spend an hour of our native language in-depth study of various topics in the Russian language, and dedicate half an hour of native literature to the analysis of works, - Elena said. -

But the teachers of the Bashkir language, of course, are not to be envied now. After the abolition of the compulsory study of the Bashkir language, they lost hours and, accordingly, lost their salaries. For example, if before they had four lessons a week in the parallel of the seventh grade - one for each class, now there is only one left, because the number of students has decreased.

So, only two students from my class enrolled in the Bashkir language, about the same number in other classes. As a result, they barely scored one class from the parallel. The salary of teachers of the Bashkir language in a city school today rarely exceeds 15 thousand rubles. Many of them are thinking seriously about changing their profession.

Schoolchildren and students have formed their own position, which also deserves attention, despite their young age on this issue.

I study at a rural school, we have never been asked whether we want to learn Bashkir or not. We always want the whole class to take Bashkir lessons. If I had been given a choice, then, of course, I would not have gone to Bashkir lessons, because this language is not needed anywhere except Bashkiria, it is not in demand. I would rather spend this time studying Russian, English or another foreign language, - says tenth grade student Ekaterina Ivanova.

To be honest, while I was at school, the need to study the Bashkir language in the presence of other subjects in which I would have to take exams annoyed me a little. It's good that now in the final grades Bashkir was removed from the curriculum, - said sophomore of the Bashkir State Pedagogical University Lyubov Mayorova.- When I entered the university, my position on this issue changed somewhat. I realized that one of the reasons for the obligatory study of the Bashkir language is the desire to preserve it, because the number of people who speak it is actually decreasing from year to year. Nevertheless, such issues must be resolved carefully, taking into account the opinions of all interested parties. You can't shoot from the shoulder.

During the controversy surrounding the study of the Bashkir language, many have lost sight of the fact that other languages ​​are also meant by native languages. As the Mediacorset found out, native speakers of other languages ​​living in Bashkiria are not at all concerned about political, but about completely different, more mundane, problems that arise when teaching.

It has become difficult to provide a decent study of the native language today. So I'm worried that the teacher who teaches the Mari language in our Sunday school may leave us. And it's not so much about money, but about language. In the city, the main language of communication is Russian, young people today speak little of their native language, forgetting it without practice. From this state of affairs, the teacher simply loses her hands, - said Chairman of the Union "Ervel Mari" in Bashkiria Pavel Bikmurzin.

If ten years ago, in Bashkiria, the Mari language was studied in 118 schools, today teaching in the Mari language is conducted only in eight. And the reasons for this disastrous situation are connected not only with the unwillingness of children or parents to study it, but also with the reorganization and enlargement of schools, and the reduction of small schools.

If, for example, the village school, where children studied the Mari language, is reduced, and they are transferred to study in the regional center, where the curriculum is different, parents will not always insist on the study of the Mari language by their children. So the connection between generations is lost, in which language plays the most important role. And so things are, I know, with the study of not only Mari, but also other native languages. But this is the most important problem! And politicians should better not arrange verbal battles, but solve real problems, look for ways to remedy the situation.

The media corset intends to continue the conversation on this topical issue and really hopes that the opinions expressed by various people in this material will be heard by politicians and become useful to them in making their own decisions.

This question has not advanced one iota in a quarter of a century.

Last week, the question of the obligatory study of the Bashkir language in schools suddenly escalated. The day before, the republican authorities were attacked on this issue both from above and from below: in the first case, it was about Vladimir Putin, in the second, about the “Congress of the Bashkir People”, which held a protest action in Ufa. And although the "national" slogans were not brought to the fore, they were, as it were, implied by the values ​​and activities of this previously unknown organization.

However, everyone who remembers the history of Bashkiria over the past twenty years knows that the national map at its peak turns out to be a means, but not an end. There are at least two such moments: 1999 and 2010. In both cases, there were either rumors, or not rumors, that columns of Bashkir youth were to arrive on specially organized buses from distant regions to Sovetskaya Square in Ufa to teach the Ufa people about national politics. In both cases, there was a multilateral blackmail of the Moscow and Ufa elites by the people, who are about to demand respect for their special status and language tomorrow, at X-hour. At first, the first violin in this campaign was played by the Union of Bashkir Youth, an organization surrounded in Ufa-1999 by a rather sinister mythology. The townspeople were discussing in an undertone the photo shoots of the leaders of the union in the Chechen "green" almost in an embrace with Shamil Basayev: at another time they would have become material evidence in a criminal case, that autumn these pictures were respectfully exhibited in the foyer of the opera house. In Ufa-2010, the III World Kurultai of the Bashkirs, the bodies created by it and the appeals distributed by it, acted as a "collective organizer and agitator". If even in that hot June-July (and it’s not just about the drought) these declarations, communiqués and appeals were distributed somehow in an undertone, then in today’s official sources, where peace and quiet, you will not find this evidence, even if you start find out what that "memorable" III kurultai was doing. In quotation marks, because they immediately tried to forget him. And what role did he play in the immediate resignation of Murtaza Rakhimov.

Here is the key. Despite the sonority of the slogans, the formidable question of the national policy in the region and the status of the Bashkir language has always turned out to be only a facade of much more pragmatic processes. In 1999, Rakhimov, along with some other "heavyweights" overestimating the weakness of the Yeltsin team, relied on the alliance between Luzhkov and Primakov. The tightening of the screws that happened then in some bizarre way fused the most brutal campaign in support of the "Fatherland" (with a pressure that United Russia is still far from today) with a campaign in the field of national politics. This, for example, is the draft law on citizenship of the Republic of Bashkortostan - an idea that would allow anyone to be deported from Ufa - even a small group of dissenters, even large national groups. The then edition of the law on languages. Appearing next, like a genie from a bottle, Vladimir Putin, although he mixed up the plans of the sovereign "heavyweights", they nevertheless tried to fight - the first months. The severity of the issue with Bashkiria, Tatarstan (in 1999, translated the Tatar language on the sly into the Latin alphabet - but not for long) and several other republics (I’m not talking about Chechnya) was such that the newly-minted acting. President devoted even part of the New Year's speech-2000 to this. It is curious that the passages he stressed (something about the fact that the laws of the Russian Federation continue to operate in all the republics), the local authorities not only tried to openly ban them, but when the Ufa Molodezhka brought them to the front page, the newspaper had Problems. And for several more months Murtaza Gubaidullovich fussed, holding confused symposiums on federalism and vaguely hinting that "not a step back." It ended up that the new tsar forgave all these liberties, accepted the white flag, changed the constitution of Bashkiria (and the day off in honor of the constitution day - December 24 - was annoyedly canceled), and the question of the status and study of Bashkir was sent to the archive for a long time.

There is nothing to explain about 2010. Against the backdrop of the looming threat of resignation, our "heavyweight" again tried to intimidate the Kremlin with an imminent national uprising. Again there were gloomy discussions about language, other "materials of the third congress", and again everything magically resolved - the next day after the decree on resignation. In general, all this is like in a parable about a shepherdess who shouted “wolves, wolves” twice. Try to convince us that for the third time the question is really about the language, and not about the showdown for the main seat in the Bashkir White House.

Today, the language discussion has developed from four components. In addition to the aforementioned "rally and puting", these are, in their own way, remarkable statements by the head of the republic, Rustem Khamitov, and the Minister of Education of Bashkiria, Gulnaz Shafikova. As for Vladimir Putin, his role in this story can be described by the formula "God gave - God took." He “took” it now, suddenly declaring that the compulsory study of national languages ​​in Russian schools against the will of students and their families (not native speakers of these languages) is unacceptable. It is clear that here, in Bashkiria, both the minister and the head had to “smooth and explain” this unpopular commandment for the elites – without any desire and in such a way that it turned out to be as incomprehensible as possible.

And when did "God gave"? And Putin had such a joke at one of the press conferences of the Ufa summits of the SCO and BRICS. Answering a question about the working languages ​​of these international organizations, the president either decided to please the hosts, or simply spontaneously joked, as is increasingly the case with him. Chinese, Brazilian and other journalists restrainedly laughed at his advice “everyone should learn Bashkir”, and even in the Bashkir environment, the presidential humor was not very actively touched. The fact that it was a joke is the key to the entire 18-year history of "Putin and National Languages". At all times, Putin reacted to this topic in a purely situational way: he could joke, he could repeat the common truths from the law (as a few days ago), he could develop a strange discussion “is it easy for a Tatar in Bashkiria, but for a Bashkir in Tatarstan”, which betrayed that he did not in the subject and is not going to dive into it. Putin makes it clear every time that he really has no point of view on this issue.

The head of the Republic of Belarus, Rustem Khamitov, could not remain silent in such a situation and had to explain himself. The head of the republic stated with extreme caution that changes would be made to the Bashkir laws, which can be understood in such a way that the Bashkir language will be studied optionally. Of course, Rustem Khamitov supplied this pill, bitter for many, with promises that the Bashkir language “will definitely be studied”, because there are more than 1 million of its native speakers in the republic, and the number of hours taught by Bashkir teachers will not change and demanded that school directors in no case fire teachers. However, the public still had questions: both those who demanded the obligatory study of the Bashkir language in schools, both state, and those who shouted about the forcible compulsion of children to learn a non-native dialect. But, given that Bashkir laws have been brought into line with federal laws for many years, it seems that the hype will subside in the near future, as it has happened many times in recent decades.

Thus, today's surge of discussions about the Bashkir language at school has no real basis. He stands on three whales of meaninglessness. First: national protests, as always, served the current issues of the struggle for power. Second: Putin has no ideas, no position, he “mirrors” the question of national languages ​​always in different ways and in any context-friendly form. Third: the local authorities tried to say so as not to say anything specifically. For the second week we have been discussing something that has not really changed for thirty years.

More precisely, at least twenty-seven. In August 1990, I was supposed to be registered in Ufa School No. 9, but in the end I was sent to School No. 90, because the whole discussion about languages ​​was just unfolding. In the corridors of the clinic, at some medical examinations, in the corridors of schools. All parents discussed in the word of mouth mode: here, they introduced Bashkir lessons from the first grade, but are they mandatory, but there they say - no, but there they say - yes. Neither in the schools themselves, nor in the RONO could explain anything worthwhile. More precisely, they spoke with about the same degree of clarity as the authorities today.

This question has not moved one iota anywhere in a quarter of a century. This question is not going anywhere. This is a story that has no solution. Moreover, in my opinion, the majority of schoolchildren still do not fully understand whether they are learning Bashkir. In general, such dreams come true. Terrible for some, pleasant for others. In fact, this is the same scholastic toffee as the discussion about how many angels fit on the point of a needle: this question has been tediously and senselessly discussed for several centuries, from Thomas Aquinas to Jonathan Swift. So perhaps we are only at the beginning of the journey.