NGO says 1-8 graders in Russian-occupied Akhalgori district forced to study in Russian

The Democracy Research Institute (DRI) says that on September 6, the schools of the Russian-occupied Akhalgori district, which had been Georgian-language until 2017, started teaching in Russian in 1-8 grades by the decision of de facto Tskhinvali authorities.  

 

“If the process continues in this way, schools will become fully Russian-language in three  years,” says the NGO.

 

DRI states that ‘Russification’ of Akhalgori Georgian-language educational institutions has been underway since 2017 which means that the languages of education in the district’s schools and kindergartens are Russian and Ossetian only. 

 

“According to the decision made by the de facto authorities of South Ossetia in 2017, Georgian schools are subject to the general curriculum developed in South Ossetia; textbooks and curricula meet the general education standard of the de facto republic; the Georgian language is just one of the subjects,” DRI says. 

 

DRI has called on stakeholders to use all available mechanisms to ‘end discriminatory practices’ in the Akhalgori district and to restore access to the right to get education in a mother tongue in all educational institutions.

 

Russian has already fully replaced Georgian in Gali district by the decision of de facto Abkhaz government. 

 

Like Akhalgori, Gali is also resided by ethic Georgian population. 

 

Both Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions are currently occupied by Russia.