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Reply to Recommendation | Doc. 11489 | 19 January 2008
The place of mother tongue in school education
1. The Committee of Ministers has taken
careful note of Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1740 (2006) on the
place of mother tongue in school education. It shares the Assembly’s
concerns about the preservation of the mother tongues of members
of the different groups composing European society, since linguistic
diversity is one of the features of cultural life in Europe and
there can be no doubt that its value is incalculable.
2. In this field, the Committee of Ministers relies to a large
extent on the work of the Steering Committee for Education (CDED),
whose activities help to maintain and enhance linguistic and cultural
diversity through co-operation with member states in the development
of policies for the promotion of bilingual and multilingual education.
3. The CDED has carried out projects on bilingual education policies,
which have led it to issue expert guidance for decision makers on
devising linguistic policies and legislation on this subject. These
projects have made it possible to foster exchanges and meetings
between decision makers and professionals involved in bilingual
education, as recommended by the Assembly in paragraph 12.2 of the
recommendation.
4. With regard to the Assembly’s proposal to “inventory the different
models and types of bilingual education in Europe” (paragraph 12.1
of the recommendation), the Committee of Ministers refers to the CDED’s
study of the implications of bilingual education, which gives a
classification of the main models of this form of teaching and thereby
contributes to the objective set by the Assembly.
5. With regard to the Assembly’s proposal in paragraph 12.3.2
of the recommendation that steps be taken to “foster development
of children’s plurilingual repertoires”, the Committee of Ministers
informs the Assembly that, further to the specific measures called
for in its Recommendation No. R (98) 6 concerning modern languages,
the CDED has devised practical tools for this purpose, including
the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” and the
“European Language Portfolio”.
6. In addition to the study of the cultural and pedagogic factors
that determine the place of mother tongues in school education,
the Committee of Ministers has adopted a range of relevant legal
instruments, including the European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages, to which the Assembly rightly refers. The charter, through
its menu system, allows parties to adapt their instrument of ratification,
to the way in which regional or minority languages are given a place
in school education.
7. The Committee of Ministers regards this charter and the accompanying
monitoring mechanism as a key instrument for promoting the place
of the mother tongue in school education. Assessment of the charter’s implementation
by the states parties regularly gives rise to recommendations by
the Committee of Ministers. A significant share of these recommendations
relate to teaching in or of regional or minority languages, which are
the mother tongues of most of their users, and to measures to promote
bilingualism, which are largely consistent with the Assembly’s considerations.
8. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
also covers a number of issues raised by the Assembly in its recommendation.
It commits states parties to promoting the conditions necessary for
persons belonging to national minorities to maintain and develop
their culture and to preserve the essential elements of their identity,
namely their religion, language, traditions and historical heritage.
9. The Committee of Ministers also wishes to draw the Assembly’s
attention to the “Commentary on education under the Framework Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities”, adopted by the Advisory Committee
of the Framework Convention in March 2006, which summarises the
experience of that committee at the first cycle of monitoring and
emphasises some of the most crucial issues it has encountered in
its work. This document points out that, in view of the many aims
of education and the multitude of situations, there are no “one
size fits all” solutions in the educational field. It also stresses,
as does the Assembly, that permanent consultation with the persons
and groups concerned is essential for the development of effective
language education programmes.
10. Article 14 of the Framework Convention enshrines an undertaking
by the parties to recognise that every person belonging to a national
minority has the right to learn his or her minority language and
endeavour to ensure, where certain conditions are fulfilled, as
far as possible and within the framework of their education systems,
that such persons have adequate opportunities to be taught the minority
language or to receive instruction in it. This constitutes recognition
of one of the main means whereby such persons can assert and preserve
their identity. In this connection the Committee of Ministers wishes
to draw the Assembly’s attention to the report on the Seminar on
International Legal Guarantees for the Protection of National Minorities
and Problems of their Implementation with a Special Focus on Minority
Education, held in Strasbourg on 18 October 2006. 
11. The Committee of Ministers notes that the Assembly’s recommendation
goes beyond the protection of minority languages per se and covers mother tongue
education in general. The state parties’ interpretation of the scope
of application of the Framework Convention and of the European Charter
for Regional or Minority Languages excludes a number of groups and/or
languages of relevance to the recommendation. The Committee of Ministers
would, however, draw the Assembly’s attention to the fact that the
use of the term “mother tongue” may be problematic in certain contexts,
such as in bilingual families and amongst minorities using a third
language that is neither the official language nor the traditional
language of the said minority.
12. As regards paragraph 5 of the Assembly’s recommendation, the
Committee of Ministers considers that the principle that every young
European has the duty to learn an official language of the country
of which he or she is a resident citizen is an important factor
of social cohesion and integration. Consequently, the primary objective
of language policy in relation to migrant children should be to
ensure their integration into the school system and school life
of the receiving country as rapidly and effectively as possible,
in order to foster subsequent integration into society and working
life. The CDED also initiated a project to support young learners
to be more proficient in school education language(s); an essential
condition for success in their studies, for integration and social
cohesion. Language policy should also, as far as possible, aim at
promoting the migrant child’s links with his or her country of origin
or that of the parents. This is the thrust of Recommendation No. R (84) 7
of the Committee of Ministers on the maintenance of migrants’ cultural
links with their countries of origin and leisure facilities. This
approach is taken up by Article 19.12 of the revised European Social
Charter which reads: “[Parties undertake] to promote and facilitate,
as far as practicable, the teaching of the migrant worker’s mother
tongue to the children of the migrant worker.”
13. This approach has been taken into account in the work carried
out by the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) when drawing up
the draft recommendation on the integration of migrant children.
This text has been finalised and will be considered by the Committee
of Ministers shortly. It advocates measures by member states for
assisting children in acquiring the required proficiency in the
language of instruction whilst promoting, as far as practicable,
the acquisition and maintenance of their native language.
14. The Committee of Ministers wishes to recall the priorities
set by the 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council
of Europe, in May 2005, in matters of social cohesion, education
and culture as well as the guidelines of the Faro Strategy and consequently
encourages member states which have not yet done so to consider
signing or ratifying the relevant instruments adopted by the Council
of Europe and UNESCO.