LL-L "Language politics" 2005.05.11 (07) [D/E]

Wed May 11 16:15:28 UTC 2005

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L O W L A N D S - L * 11.MAY.2005 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics

Please see the information below for your information.

Reinhard/Ron

***

From: Te Mâl <aksjetemal at yahoo.de>
Subject: language politics

For your information, a copy of the letter I sent to the Council of Europe.
Ter kennisgeving, een afschrift van de brief die ik aan de Raad van Europa
heb gestuurd.
Foar kundskip, in kopy fan it brief dat ik oan 'e Rie fan  Europa stjoerd
ha.

------

The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages
v/ Herr Sigve Gramstad
Eigarskapstilsynet
Ovre Slottsgate 29
N - 0157 OSLO
Noarwegen

Subject: implementation of the Charter in the Netherlands

Ljouwert, 10 May 2005

Kjære herr Gramstad, dear members of the Committee,

Action Group Te Mâl strives for an equal position of Frisian and Dutch in
education in the Netherlands' province of Frisia. We have recently entreated
Frisia's provincial parliament, Provinsjale Steaten fan Fryslân, to advise
the Dutch Minister of Education, Mrs. Maria van der Hoeven, to maintain the
system of equal educational targets for both provincial languages in primary
education. In March, the Provinsjale Steaten have complied with our request
and advised the Minister to uphold the formally established equal position
of Dutch and Frisian in primary schools. We have also requested the Minister
herself to maintain this equality. You will find a copy of our letter as
attachment 1.

We wish to inform you about the reply we received from Minister Van der
Hoeven, in which she makes clear that she will not follow the Frisian
parliament's advice. A copy of her letter to us can be found in attachment
2. The Minister informs us that she intends to implement a new system of
educational targets for Frisian and Dutch. The targets for Frisian would be
less ambitious than those for Dutch and, contrary to the targets for Dutch,
would not be obligatory, since schools will be allowed to decide for
themselves which targets for Frisian they wish to apply. No such freedom
exists for other subjects in Dutch primary education. In your last report,
you referred to this plan as a "serious step backwards", which could
"further weaken the position of Frisian in primary schools."

In her reply, the Minister refers to a report on the position of Frisian in
primary education, published by the Netherlands' School Inspectorate. The
Minister states that many schools consider the present system of equal
targets for Frisian and Dutch unrealistic. No reference is made by the
Minister to factors like lacking educational skills and teaching materials,
and insufficient use of teaching time spent on Frisian, which the
Inspectorate's report mentions as possible causes of the bad results in
Frisian. By giving schools more freedom to choose their own targets for
Frisian instead of trying to improve Frisian education, we fear the Minister
is legalising the widespread refusal among school teachers to take seriously
the rights of Frisian speakers to be educated in their mother tongue.

In our letter we have furthermore asked the Minister to implement the use of
Frisian as a language of instruction in primary schools, by prescribing that
it be used as a language of instruction during approximately the same amount
of time as Dutch. Presently, the primary education act states that Dutch is
the language of instruction in primary education, and in areas where Frisian
or regional languages are in use, these are also allowed as languages of
instruction. We have referred the Minister to the obligation under article 8
in chapter 3 of the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, and pointed
out to her that by assenting to our request, the Netherlands would finally
comply with this obligation. In its past reports on the implementation of
the Charter in the Netherlands, your Committee has pointed out that so far
this is not the case.

In her letter to us, the Minister states that she will not satisfy our
request. She answers (our translation): Thirdly, you ask me to set by law
that Dutch and Frisian be used as languages of instruction during a
comparable amount of time. Apart from the question if such a legal provision
is possible, I see no necessity to do so. Schools have been given by law the
possibility to use Frisian as a language of instruction during their
teaching. It is the school's responsibility to make proper use of this legal
possibility.

We interpret this quotation from the Minister's reply as a blunt refusal to
comply with the obligation in article 8, chapter 3 of the Charter.

We would be grateful if you would take our letter into account in the next
monitoring cycle.

Med vennlig hilsen/Mei freonlike groetnis/Kind regards,

Elbrecht Claus
chairwoman of Te Mâl

Attachments: 2
C.c.: Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages, Minister Maria van der Hoeven, Minister Johan Remkes, Provinsjale
Steaten fan Fryslân, Konsultatyf Orgaan, Secretariat of the Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, press

***

From: Te Mâl <aksjetemal at yahoo.de>
Subject: language politics

Persbericht van Te Mâl
Parseberjocht fan Te Mâl
Press release by Te Mâl
Pressenachricht von Te Mâl

Elbrecht Claus, foarsitter Te Mâl

---

Minister Van der Hoeven weigert Europees taalverdrag na te komen

Minister van der Hoeven van onderwijs, cultuur en wetenschap ziet "geen
enkele noodzaak" om bij wet te regelen dat het Fries een deel van de tijd
als voertaal wordt gebruikt op basisscholen, zo laat zij weten in een brief
aan de actiegroep Te Mâl. Hiermee negeert zij het door Nederland
geratificeerde Europees handvest voor regionale en minderheidstalen. In
artikel 8 van dit Handvest staat dat Nederland zich ertoe verplicht een
"aanmerkelijk deel" van het primair onderwijs in het Fries aan te bieden.
Toezichthouders van de Raad van Europa hebben de Nederlandse overheid
meermaals gekritiseerd vanwege het niet implementeren van die bepaling. De
Raad van Europa heeft echter geen mogelijkheid om sancties op te leggen.

De minister schrijft verder dat ze de kerndoelen voor het Fries in het
basisonderwijs wil verlagen omdat deze op veel scholen niet bereikt worden.
Hiermee negeert zij een recent advies! van Provinciale Staten van Friesland,
die aandringen op het handhaven van gelijke kerndoelen voor Fries en
Nederlands. ‘Het is een schande voor de democratie, ik begrijp het niet’,
aldus Elbrecht Claus, de voorzitter van Te Mâl. Deze actiegroep voert al
sinds januari actie tegen het voorstel van minister van der Hoeven om de
kerndoelen van het Fries te verlagen en om een gelijke rechtspositie van het
Nederlands en het Fries te bewerkstelligen.

Actiegroep Te Mâl gaat door met actievoeren. Te Mâl heeft de
toezichthoudende instanties bij de Raad van Europa en in Den Haag op de
hoogte gesteld van de weigering van minister Van der Hoeven. Verder beraadt
Te Mâl zich op juridische stappen tegen de minister

Voor de brief van Te Mâl aan minister Van der Hoeven en haar reactie daarop
verwijzen wij u naar onze internetsite: http://www.temal.tk

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