Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, through the press service, expressed disagreement with the opinion of the UN Special Rapporteurs that the transition to Estonian-language education could violate the rights of national minorities.
“Estonia has been preparing for a long time the transition to Estonian-language education in schools in order to offer all children, regardless of their mother tongue, the opportunity to receive a quality education in Estonian, create uniform opportunities in the labor market and increase social cohesion,” he said in a comment.
“It is unreasonable to link the transition to teaching in Estonian, which is part of the integration policy, with the guarantee of human rights. Estonia supports the opportunities for minorities to learn in their mother tongue, as well as cultural diversity in general,” said Tsahkna.
According to him, Estonia has acceded to international conventions on human rights and is fulfilling its obligations. The minister promised to respond to the appeal of UN experts “within the agreed time frame.”
Recall that earlier the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement in which it noted that “limiting the opportunity to receive education in Russian in Estonia is contrary to international human rights treaties.”
Source: Rosbalt
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