Mother Tongue Education in Conflict-Affected Regions: The Case of Abkhazia

Type: Text

Title: Mother Tongue Education in Conflict-Affected Regions

Subtitle: The Case of Abkhazia

Creator: Shalva Tabatadze

DOI: 10.15457/cp_1_167-196

Date of Publication: 19.02.2018

License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Language: English

Availability: Download

Description: Language education in conflict and post-conflict societies is one of the main sources of inter-ethnic tension. However, non-discriminative language eduction is also an opening for the improvement of inter-ethnic relation and reconciliation. This paper outlines the positive effects of mother tongue education and bilingualism for conflict-affected societies. Analysing statistical data on the educational system of Abkhazia, the paper identifies significant shortcomings in the field of mother tongue education for ethnic Armenian, Georgian and Abkhazian schoolkids. The author argues in favour of a developmental approach to education towards the de facto republic, to support a non-discriminative mother tongue-based multilingual approach to education for all ethnic groups. This approach could increase the quality of education and linguistic tolerance in the region.

Geographical Area: South Caucasus, Georgia, Abkhazia

Keywords: mother tongue education, bilingualism, ethnic conflict, Abkhazia, Georgia

Structured recordings: Relitz, Sebastian (ed.): Obstacles and Opportunities for Dialogue and Cooperation in Protracted Conflicts. Regensburg: Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS), 2018. ISBN: 978-3-945232-01-9. http://doi.org/10.15457/cp_1.

Citation: Tabatadze, Shalva (2018): Mother Tongue Education in Conflict-Affected Regions: The Case of Abkhazia. Version: 1. Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS). Text. http://doi.org/10.15457/cp_1_167-196.