The case of teaching of German as a minority language. The Commissioner’s opinion to the Minister of Education
Date:
The Commissioner for Human Rights urges the Minister of Education to reintroduce compulsory German language education for pupils belonging to the German minority, in line with other minority languages, by the end of the current school year. While this may pose organisational challenges for schools, delay could exacerbate the social impact on the German minority's right to education.
The Commissioner does not dispute the legislative changes recently porposed by the Ministry of Education. However, the Commissioner is concerned about the timing of their implementation and calls for immediate action to remedy the constitutional and international law violations resulting from the previous regulations. Despite the reduced weekly hours, the demand for German language instruction among minority pupils remains high, leading some local governments to shoulder significant financial burdens to ensure adequate instruction. In addition, the Commissioner urges that the perspectives of national and ethnic minority organisations be included in future consultations. The Commissioner urges the Minister to take these recommendations into account in the current legislative process.
