September 6, Pozirk. Belarus’ Ministry for Emergency Management has issued a statement in support of the Belarusian language to mark the Day of the Belarusian Written Language.
The statement stands in contrast with the government’s policy widely criticized as discriminatory against Belarusian.
The ministry pointed out that the native language forms the basis of Belarusian identity and “inspires, unites and preserves what makes us a nation.”
It called for promoting the use of Belarusian.
The Belarusian government has been holding official ceremonies in Kaściukovičy, Mahiloŭ region, on September 5 and 6 on the occasion.
However, language advocates have criticized it for doing not enough to expand the use of Belarusian in daily life.
According to the Ministry of Education, 58 percent of Belarusian schools provide instruction in Russian. Students receiving instruction in Belarusian account for just about 10 percent of the total number.
