Loránt Vincze: Education in mother language is a human right

“For minority communities the preservation of their distinct identity, language and culture is the most important goal. Unfortunately many minority groups face assimilation and language loss. Education in minority language is the main pillar to preserve the unique linguistic heritage of such communities and to pass it on to the next generation” – said FUEN President Loránt Vincze on Monday at Brussels, at the Regional Forum on Education, Language and the Human Rights of Minorities, convened by the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues.

Presenting the different situation of minorities in Europe, Loránt Vincze pointed out that regarding the recent amendment of the education law and the language law in Ukraine, “we have to clearly state that a setback in minority rights is a human rights violation, and it has to be addressed thusly by all European and global institutions.” He also voiced his opinion that during the forum it would be important to keep a general, European perspective of what could be achieved as far as standards on minority education are concerned, and FUEN had the same objective in mind with the Minority SafePack Initiative.

The FUEN President pointed out the main conclusions of the organisation’s expert team on education, stating that financial and administrative concerns appear to be the most common ones: access to all levels of education, proper funding, partaking in the decision-making process and administration of schools and universities. The adequate curriculum, teaching materials and textbooks as well as providing funding for teacher training is the second most important concern. Incorporating best practices in teaching foreign languages into the methodology for teaching official or state languages and on the other hand promoting the teaching of both the regional or minority languages and the official language, would address the existing mistrust and sensitivities both in the majority and the minority groups.

Loránt Vincze praised UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes, saying that his aim is not only to create a forum for minorities, to make their voices heard and to present good and bad practices, but also to provide,in the remits of his mandate, guidelines on minority education for the UN Human Rights Council.He also offered FUEN’s help with expertise and input. The Forum is organized by the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues and the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest in partnership with several minority organisations including the FUEN. Many FUEN Member Organization representatives and the Working Group on Education is represented at this important event.