Education and Science, Latvia, Legislation

The court has opened the case based on an application filed by representatives of an ethnic minority - students of a private elementary school where lessons are taught in Russian, which is the students’ native language. Under the disputed provision, the private school is supposed to switch to teaching in the state language starting September 1, 2019.

The applicants argue that the requirement would restrict their constitutional rights to education and to preserve and develop their minority language. They also claim that the language requirement is unfair and ignores their legitimate expectations.

According to the applicants, the amended Education Law has been adopted without sufficient consideration and taking into account objections from the public. Furthermore, the legislation is unlikely to serve its intended purpose as it only affects a small part of Latvia’s society, the applicants said.

The Constitutional Court has asked Saeima to provide its legal argumentation by January 14, 2019. The case has to be prepared for hearing by April 12, 2019. The court will then decide on the procedure and date of the hearing.

In July, the Constitutional Court already opened a case over the constitutionality of the switch to education in Latvian in Latvia’s ethnic minority schools.

That case was opened based on an application filed by 12 Saeima members from Harmony party.

As reported, on March 22, 2018, the Latvian parliament passed in the final reading amendments to the Education Law and the Law on General Education under which schools of ethnic minorities will have to start gradual transition to Latvian-only secondary education in the 2019/2020 academic year. The legislative amendments providing for a gradual transition to education in Latvian in all public schools will be implemented gradually from September 1, 2019, to September 1, 2021.