Members of the Komi Republic State Council ambiguously assessed the outcome of the Year of Komi Language at the February meeting of the committee on regional parliament national policy. We remind, in February 2008 participants of the IX Komi People Congress accepted the recommendation of the Republic Government for holding the Year of the Komi Language. Subsequently, 2009 was declared as the Year of Komi Language by Komi Republic government.

As the head of the department of the Komi National Policy Ministry Svetlana Kozulina said, sequestration of the republic budget has not prevented the agency to implement all measures planned for the Year Komi Language. Besides, cities and regions, among which she highlighted Syktyvkar, Ukhta, Usinsk, Inta , Sysola, Ust-Vym, Ust-Kulom and Izhemskij areas, joined the general campaign. "Russian-speaking cities pleased, - stressed S. Kozulina. – Vorkuta participated for the first time in the contest “Etnoinitiative” - they with children were looking to the traditions of the indigenous people."

In total, in 2009 in Republic within the Year of Komi Language more than 800 events were held, they were attended by more than 90 thousand people, including about three thousand teachers and 35 thousand students.

According to S. Kazulina, one of the pillars of the Year of Komi Language became work with the youth of the country. So, in 2009 in the region the I (first) youth folklore festival “ethno cocktail” and KVN (Komi Voityr nyumyalö" - "Komi people smile") were held. Also passed holidays and festivals, which became a tradition: "Basil" in Ust-Kulom area, "Komi book" - in Udorskiy, "Lud" - in Izhemskij. She also noted the revival of Komi folk festival "Shondiban" and the premiere of the opera "Ivan Kuratov" on the Komi language.

During the year in the republic hosted conferences on Komi writers and public figures: Ivan Kuratov, Gennady Fyodorov, Agnes Sukhanova, Benjamin Chistalev, as well as a number of forums on languages, among which a special place was taken by the international conference “The functioning of the Finno-Ugric languages in the modern world”.

According to the minister, in the Year of the Komi Language Ministry of Education issued 17 thousand copies of the literature on the Komi language, including five kinds of textbooks. Plan for 2010 - the publication of seven textbooks, in that print one will spend 1.9 million rubles, other 100 thousand rubles will be spent on delivery.

However, the deputies of the Komi State Council noted lacks of real operation of the Komi language in the republic. "I think we still have problems with teaching Komi, and not only the Ministry of Education should be blamed, but also politicians, - the deputy Alexei Tsypanov said. – We must put the question so that we could study the Komi language. Being taught the same way as now – we will never be a national Komi Republic. Take Tatarstan, Chechnya, where people normally speak their native language ... And we simply will not be respected.

As the first vice-speaker of the State Council Valery Markov said, although the Year of Komi Language allowed us to promote indigenous language much more than in previous years, but this propaganda should be strengthened, primarily through the media. "However, in a large barrel of honey, I allow myself to bring a spoon of pitch, - he said. - Year of the Komi Language has passed, but, to our shame, we couldn’t give ABC-books in Komi language to the children of all schools - last time they were published in 2000, although according to the the standards they should be reissued every five years, and previously it was three year. In some schools, ABC-books are absent, even teachers do not have them. We lost five times in the program of supporting national languages – it is not a plus in the Year of Komi language.

"I think, there is a serious discussion with the Republic Government ahead, and the movement of “Komi Voityr (Komi people)” will discuss this issue at its meeting", - he emphasized.

"Now there is not a school in the Komi Republic teaching children in the Komi language – which is not in other national regions. There are general classes of students who have good knowledge of Komi language and students who don’t own them. For some people learning language is it too difficult and simple for others. For many years, we say that classes should be divided for studying the Komi language – then there will be fewer questions from parents, - V. Markov stressed. – In the Year of Komi language, we lost, I do not know exactly how much, a lot of schools that moved from the status of educational institutions, where the Komi language is taught as a mother language, into a status where language is taught as a state’s. There is a Komi national high school in Syktyvkar – Komi language is studied according to the state program, as in conventional Syktyvkar school! Whom we want to close eyes with this?.. "

Also, the first vice-speaker of the State Council offered personal support and involvement of other members on the delivery of textbooks to schools in remoted areas of Komi Republic. "Too many – five per cent of the total – is spent on delivery. It would be possible to publish more books with the money" – he explained.

As the State Council National Policy chairman Vera Skorobogatova stated, "Year of the Komi language is not over, and it gave us all an example of how to work towards the Komi language – through television and other media, education, culture... It is close to the ideal. In June, we will consider the question on the functioning of state languages. There is a decision of our committee to bring an additional reason to the Government to increase funding for programs on state languages this year."

According to her, it is necessary to draw attention to new forms of work with young people, for example, to hold Komi KVN not once in two years, but every year. "We should not reduce all the indicators. The main aim – to solve problems more creatively", - she said, recommending to focus on the use of innovative technologies in education.

As V. Skorobogatova said to “Komi-Online”, offers of Komi-Izhems "Izvatas" movement members on the institutionalization of traditional nature territories by indigenous people and resolving all issues that arise, encounter insurmountable bastion of federal law. "The problem is that the rules of hunting, catching fish and everything connected with nature and forest – is the federal authority. We can only come up with the legislative initiative to the State Duma, and our proposal should be supported by the majority of the Federation, and then we'll work within the State Duma deputies and committees – she explained. - But for today, no complaints on the matter from community members to the Komi State Council were reported. If they are, we will consider them: we need a document, to work out". Such proposals may be submitted to the State Council by districts and settlements through the Komi Council of municipalities, she said.

According to the deputy, with the development of new areas companies natural-users, as a rule, conclude agreements on social partnership with the municipalities’ administrations. "If you want to compensate for the loss of a specific person, in the hunting grounds of whom you came, say, oil companies, it is possible to register separately in the same contract ", - V. Skorobogatova emphasized.

Yuri Popov, Finno-ugric media centre

Translated by Polina Vasilyeva