An "independent state" with no education in its own unique language is nonsense. Nevertheless, a similar curiosity is the separatist regime which considers itself "independent" in Georgia's occupied Tskhivali region and which bears the loud name "The Republic of South Ossetia-Alania".

However, the situation is not much better in North Ossetia, which is a part of the Russian Federation. Here there is only one Alanian grammar school where the Ossetian language is studied.

At present in Vladikavkaz, where more than half of North Ossetia's population and most of the Ossetian people in general live, only 10-20 per cent of first grade Ossetians speak their native language. By the end of school even these 10-20% will have forgotten their native language, because they communicate with teachers and their peers in Russian. As a result, the Ossetian language is dying out in the same way as the Abkhazian language, despite the fact that the Kremlin seems to have created puppet "independent" pseudo-"states" for the Abkhaz and Ossetians.

Meanwhile, when the Ossetians and Abkhaz, as the separatists now like to put it, were "enslaved by Georgia", the Ossetian and Abkhaz language and literature were successfully developing. Not only Ossetian schools were operating in the South Ossetian Autonomous District of Georgia but there was also a full-fledged pedagogical institute in Tskhinvali that taught in the Ossetian language.  Whereas now there is not even secondary or primary education in the Ossetian language in the separatist so-called republic of South Ossetia, but in Georgia, Tskhinvali had not only secondary but also higher education in the Ossetian language! At the same time in the North Ossetian ASSR that was part of the RSFSR all education here was translated into Russian language.

Planned liquidation of Ossetian schools in North Ossetia started back in the USSR. Until the beginning of the 50s of the last century there were Ossetian schools, where teaching was given in Ossetian language till the 7th grade and only in 8-10 grades in Russian. But then, step by step, they began to be transferred to Russian schools.

On 1st September 1951 a new curriculum for Ossetian schools was adopted, which increased the number of hours set aside for the study of the Russian language and literature, and reduced the hours for the native language. On September 1st 1952 the teaching in Russian language was introduced at some Ossetian schools for 5-7 classes. In 1953-54 school year all Ossetian schools adopted Russian as the language of instruction from the 5th grade.

The authorities of the North Ossetian ASSR themselves consciously reduced the prestige of education in their native language.  It is interesting that at that time North Ossetia was one of the first republics of the Soviet Union to raise an issue of transferring national schools into Russian language starting from 5th grade.

 The number of Ossetian schools was rapidly decreasing. 66 schools were established in 1953 (with 6641 students), while there were already 35 schools in 1955 and in 1956 there were 29 primary Ossetian schools with 1 241 students in North Ossetia. There were also mixed Ossetian-Russian schools, which by 1956 consisted of 107 (4 elementary, 52 seven-year and 51 secondary schools), where 12 390 pupils of 1-4 grades were taught in Ossetian language.

In 1964, the abolition of education in the Ossetian language also began in primary schools. In May 1964 an academic conference was held in the capital of North Ossetia on the issue of transition to Russian language teaching in Ossetian primary schools. That was followed by a rapid transition to Russian language of teaching in 1-4 grades at Ossetian schools. In most national schools, where the necessary conditions were in place, the transition to Russian took place during the 1964-65 school year, and by 1970 none of the schools in the North Ossetian ASSR were teaching in Ossetian any more.

In the 1970s-1980s, former "Ossetian schools" had already been completely translated into Russian, and at best only native language and literature were still taught as a subject. The study of the Ossetian language became a formal tribute to the already insignificant status of the 'national school' and was perceived as an additional workload, which was abandoned in every possible way. Thus, in fact, education in their native language was eliminated for Ossetians living in the RSFSR.

At the same time in South Ossetian Autonomous District that was part of the Georgian SSR Ossetian schools were not only preserved but also developed and new textbooks were published. Ossetian-language newspapers were also published in Tskhinvali, there was an Ossetian book publishing house and Ossetian literature was published at the expense of the Georgian SSR.

Therefore, many Georgians were genuinely surprised when at the instigation of Armenian provocateurs, for whom a separatist precedent for their "Artsakh" was still needed, some Ossetians of Tskhinvali began to demand first "the status of the republic" and then "joining to North Ossetia" and Russia. After all, it was in Georgia where Ossetians had all conditions to preserve their identity and receive education in their native language. There was nothing of the kind in North Ossetia.

Ossetians themselves used to say then that only Tskhinvali had "Ossetian spirit" and a city of Ossetian language and culture, as opposed to almost entirely Russian-language Vladikavkaz. But today this is all in the past. Separatism "killed" national identity of Ossetians of Tskhinvali.

Today in Tskhinvali the language of the occupants is already spoken. The Ossetian language and Ossetian culture are in oblivion. The situation is even sadder in the hinterland of the Tskhinvali region. Villages where Ossetian schools used to function and life was boiling at the time when the region was part of united Georgia are deserted, many schools are simply closed, and teaching in the remaining ones is in Russian.

It is a paradox, but now nobody reads Ossetian literature in the remaining libraries in the occupied Tskhinvali region. The reason is simple. The youth have practically no native language to read and understand printed words and there are no people who were taught to read and write Ossetian even in the primary school. It is clear that new literature in Ossetian language is no longer published due to its uselessness.

In the once large Ossetian villages there are at best a few old people left, and grandchildren who come to visit them for the summer often cannot speak Ossetian with their grandfathers and grandmothers, because they simply do not know it.  Their mothers and fathers have forgotten their native language since they found themselves in a Russian-speaking environment. But in many villages of the occupied region, alas, neither Ossetian nor any other language is spoken. Simply because in most Ossetian villages there are no inhabitants left at all. The number of completely extinct and abandoned villages on the separatist territory is just staggering.

Against this background, the situation in the non-occupied territory of Georgia, where Ossetian villages have survived, is much better than in "independent" South Ossetia. So, in the largest Ossetian village of Georgia, located in the Lagodekhi district of Kakheti Areshperani, there is a secondary school named after Kosta Khetagurov, where the Ossetian language is taught.  And in this village the Ossetian language can be heard much more often than in occupied Tskhinvali. So it is hoped that restored territorial integrity of Georgia and reconciliation of the brotherly Georgian and Ossetian peoples will give a chance to revive the Ossetian language and culture in Tskhinvali region as well.

Kavkazplus