• Ministry of Education and Science prepared proposals on easing state language proficiency certificate requirements
• Telegraf prints opinions about conflict between the Ombudsman Romans Apsitis and his subordinates
• Concord Centre (SC) denies that its deputies have insufficient state language proficiency

Telegraf reports that the Ministry of Education and Science prepared proposals on easing state language proficiency certificate requirements. The Ministry proposes to extend language proficiency examination deadlines, because the Education Content and Examination Centre is unable to process all examination applications by the currently envisaged deadlines. The Ministry also proposes to free from language proficiency certificate requirements elder people who are incapable to learn Latvian language and those who have certain health problems. At the same time, the Saeima’s faction For Human Rights in United Latvia appealed to the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis also proposing to revise and ease state language attestation process. 

Telegraf prints opinions about conflict between the Ombudsman Romans Apsitis and his subordinates who demanded his resignation. Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris considers that during two years in the Office Romans Apsitis was not active enough and that he should have been more assertive in relations with authorities. The MP Boris Cilevics (Concord Centre) believes that Mr. Apsitis performed better than expected. For instance, Mr. Apsitis had strict position on rights of non-citizens and language issues. The MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka (FHRUL) positively evaluates the Ombudsman’s activities stressing that he held back nationalistic positions.

Latvijas Avize reports that the Riga City Council’s faction the Concord Centre (SC) denies assertion of a deputy from the New Era Edgars Jaunups that some of the SC deputies have insufficient Latvian language proficiency. According to the SC faction’s head Nikolajs Zaharovs, those SC deputies who have low state language proficiency are improving their skills.