U.S. English Foundation Research

 

YUGOSLAVIA

Language Research

6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other

VOJVODINA

In Vojvodina, the teaching in primary school is in five different languages (Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian and Ruthenian) and in secondary schools in four minority languages. College and university education in Hungarian is organized at seven faculties while education in Slovak, Rumanian, and Ruthenian is organized at two faculties for each language.

The Constitution of the FRY guarantees to the national minorities the right to be informed in their own respective languages (Article 46). In Yugoslavia, there exist over 150 newspapers and magazines published in the languages of the national minorities. The Radio and TV Pristina broadcasts its programs in the Serbian, Albanian, Turkish and Romani languages. TV Novi Sad broadcasts its regular programs in five languages – Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, Rumanian, Ruthenian. The radio stations in Vojvodina broadcast their programs in 8 languages of the national minorities.

Members of national minorities have the right to establish educational and cultural organizations, in conformity with the law, which are financed on the principle of voluntary contributions, and may also receive assistance from the state (Article 47).

KOSOVO

The members of the Albanian national minority boycott the legal system of education that is offered in Albanian. Such endeavors of the members of the Albanian national minority are against the Constitution and directly opposed to International Law standards concerning the status of national minorities. Before the boycott, there existed 904 Albanian primary schools, 69 secondary schools and the University in Pristina, with 37,000 students, out of whom 80% were Albanians studying in their language. The Albanians in Kosovo established a parallel educational system, based on extra-legal curricula, criteria and textbooks, whose contents are directed against the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The diplomas issued by that system are recognized neither in the FRY nor abroad.

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