South Ossetia transfers its schools to Russian language
Beginning from the new academic year, Georgian schools in South Ossetia, the territory that declared independence from Georgia in 1991, are shifting to the Russian educational program and will teach courses using the Russian language. The Georgian language will be taught to schoolchildren only as a particular subject, BBC News reports.
The affected Georgian schools, most of which are located in the Akhalgori district, were formerly controlled by Tbilisi before the 2008 war.
The authorities of the breakaway republic say that starting from September, the changes will apply only to the elementary schools and that it will be beneficial for the students themselves, since the future graduates will be able to enter higher education institutions in South Ossetia and Russia.
Georgia called South Ossetia’s plan discriminatory. There are fears that the restrictions on getting education in the native language will force those ethnic Georgians who have still remained in South Ossetia to finally leave their native places.
Most ethnic Georgians were forced to leave their homes in South Ossetia during the 2008 Russian-Georgian war but even today they make up about half of the population of the Akhalgori Municipality, which is unique for the breakaway region of Georgia.
The independence of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia after the war was recognized only by four states: Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru. All the other UN member states consider this region to be part of Georgia.