OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities celebrates the Education Rights of National Minorities

With a conference in The Hague on 20-21 April 2016, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Ms Astrid Thors, celebrated the fact that 20 years ago her predecessor, the first High Commissioner on National Minorities Max van der Stoel ordered the elaboration of the first set of guidelines/recommendations on how to deal with specific issues related to the protection of minorities. The Hague Recommendations provide guidance to OSCE participating States on how best to ensure the education rights of national minorities within their borders.

An audience of 180 representatives of governments, non-governmental organisations, experts, teachers and other stakeholders, including FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen and FUEN legal/policy advisor Frank de Boer, had come to The Hague.

High Commissioner Thors stressed the important role that education plays in preventing conflicts. Especially in multilingual contexts, respect for diversity and pluralism is essential. In particular, the politicisation of teaching can become a problem. Different views should be allowed as an increased level of historical knowledge and understanding will lead to empathy, which can in turn lead to a more harmonious society when the pain of the past is shared. 

Gernot Erler, the German Special Representative for the 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, highlighted how challenges to minority protection have evolved in the two decades since The Hague Recommendations were launched. “Today, we should realize more and more how crucial the right treatment of minorities by ensuring equal rights, tolerance and cross-border dialogue, is for preventing conflicts,” he said. 

Fernand de Varennes, Dean of the Law Faculty of the University of Moncton in Canada explained the value of The Hague Recommendations. When it comes to education in minority language, De Varennes pointed out that to a large extent education in minority language it is already perceived as an internationally recognised human right.

Srđan Verbić, Minister of Education, of Serbia and Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, First Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia went into discussion with experts about the role of education in building multi-ethnic societies and how they use the Recommendations in their work. Questions were raised on how effective the Recommendations are in practice: severe obstacles for implementation remain, such as the lack of teachers, lack of school books in the minority languages and the increasing super-diversity in some school classes. However, many problems can be solved if there is the will, and if students, teachers and parents are listened to.

Unfortunately there is a trend in Europe against inclusiveness of minorities and towards assimilation and the imposition of one exclusive language. This is dangerous, since it disrespects the human rights of minorities and creates resentment. History has shown that giving space to diversity creates more unity in societies and less conflict. This is the bottom line of the series of guidelines issued by the High Commissioner on National Minorities.

High Commissioner Thors said the Recommendations have also encouraged the involvement of parents and minorities in formulating policies as well as providing a framework for dialogue that is useful for both the participating States and national minorities.

At the second day of the conference there were three workshops that focused on reforms to the education sector and accommodating diversity in education. The experts agreed a set of recommendations for future work in the field of minority education rights, which will be published as follow up to this event.

At the upcoming FUEN Congress in Wrocław / Breslau, Poland, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, Ms Astrid Thors, will give the keynote speech at the official opening on 19 May 2016.

“We are very glad that Astrid Thors is willing to share her experience and thoughts about minority protection in Europe”, said FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen. “The OSCE is not in the last place a natural partner for FUEN, because it deals with both security as well as with the important human values, namely with human rights.” 

The Hague Recommendation Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities

Press release by the High Commissioner

HCNM-Video with statements on education and minority rights