Few students in Mari El learn Mari as mother tongue
In the Republic of Mari El, Mari is the mother tongue of 7,400 pupils, which is nearly 9% of the total number of schoolchildren: of the 248 general education schools in the Republic of Mari El, Mari is taught as a mother tongue in 81 schools.
These are the findings of this year’s survey on the preservation and development of the official languages of the republics of the Russian Federation. Students in Mari El are studying the republic’s titular language as a mother tongue less and less.
However, according to the document, as many as 10,200 pupils, or nearly 12% of the total number of pupils, study Mari as a state language. This means that a quarter of all learners of Mari are of other nationalities. In total, 55 schools in the republic are teaching Mari as a state language, compared with 83 last year – a marked decrease.
Mari as a state language is taught in an integrated way with the history and culture of the peoples of the Republic of Mari El in 111 general schools. In total, 10,500 children, or 12% of the total number of pupils, learn Mari. Last year there were 23,600 children, or 30% of the total number of pupils.
A separate subject, the culture and history of the peoples of Mari El, is taught in 161 schools. The subject has a total of 35,400 pupils in Mari El, or 41% of the total. Last year, the number of pupils was 34,100, or nearly 43% of the total.
Language and education
According to the 2021 census, the Mari made up 40% of the population of the Republic of Mari El. According to the 2010 census, 44%. The Mari language is the mother tongue of Mari whose parents have applied to the school. As a rule, the language is studied for two hours a week.
Mari as a state language is studied by both the Mari and the Russians of the republic. However, as a rule it is limited to one hour per week and is at a basic level.
