Revival of ethnic schools in Karelia: the experience of the first decades

In Karelia, the educational system has played a vital role in preserving and developing the republic’s Baltic-Finnic languages – Karelian, Veps, and Finnish – for over 35 years. The article examines the early period of the revival of ethnic-oriented education in Karelia, from the 1980s to the early 2000s. This period was marked by innovative approaches, active communication between language advocates and government officials, and collaborative efforts by citizens and scholars to incorporate Karelian and Veps languages into school curricula. The push for ethnic revival coincided with significant social changes that influenced language and educational policies. During the first decades of ethnic education revival, foundational legal frameworks regulating the use of minority languages in education were established. One of the cornerstones was the Program for the Renewal and Development of Ethnic Schooling in the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1991–1995). The context for the revival of ethnic education was characterized by a relatively relaxed federal oversight, which allowed for greater autonomy in ethnic policy decisions. Overall, this period proved to be highly productive, leading to an expanded regulatory framework, a broader range of tools, and increased activity in the field of ethnic education.