Activists call for introduction of the Adyg language in seven Kuban schools

The schools situated in areas of compact residence of Adygs in Kuban (Krasnodar Territory) allocate too little time for teaching the Adyg language; while the textbooks on this subject have not yet been approved by the Russian Ministry of Education, the leaders of the "Adyge Khase" have emphasized.

The main topic of the sitting in the administration of the Krasnodar Territory was the increase in the number of school lessons allocated to the Adyg language, Aslan Schukov, the head of the Armavir branch of the public organization "Adyge Khase", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The authorities promised that the Territorial Ministry of Education would ask its colleagues in Adygea to provide the Kuban schools, where they teach the Adyg language and literature, with the necessary textbooks.

Mr Schukov has noted that a great interest in studying the mother tongue is watched in children from settlement of Adygs' compact residence. In large cities, fewer children from Adygs' families are interested in studying the language.

The Adyg language may disappear due to non-use in everyday life, Khalid Tlif, the head of the public organization "Adyge Khase" of the Black Sea Adygs-Shapsugs, has stated.

In his opinion, it is easier for Adygs to preserve their mother tongue in Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria than in the Krasnodar Territory.

Sergey Mozgovoy, the head of the Division for Interethnic Relations and Interaction with National Cultural Associations of the Krasnodar Territory, said that about 30,000 Adygs live in the Territory.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.