Time to read: 8 minutes(s)

Due to the costs associated with the war in Ukraine, the North Ossetian authorities cut funding for the state program "National and Cultural Development of the Ossetian People" in 2023, and have not allocated any funds for 2024. This means that the preservation and development of the Ossetian language is largely a private endeavor. Enthusiasts are creating apps for learning their native language, translating famous cartoons, and recently, astronomy classes in the Ossetian language have begun in Vladikavkaz.

At the beginning of the year, "NeMoscow" told about the situation with the Ossetian language, which no more than 20% of children in the region speak, while most kindergartens and schools teach in Russian. Together with experts, we examined the reasons for the language's decline and attempted to predict whether it could be preserved. Citing the regional Ministry of Finance, we also reported that the authorities had decided to cut back on language and curriculum costs. "National and Cultural Development of the Ossetian People" for 2021–2025, and the 2023 program included 10 million rubles less than the previous one. The amount was 20 million.

Almost a year later, we decided to return to this topic and it turned out that only 8 percent of the stated amount had been spent on implementing the program. 1,6 million, of which for the subprogram “Preservation and development of the Ossetian language” - 506 thousands, for the subprogram “Preservation of the national and cultural identity of the Ossetian people” - 1,1 млн, although last year this amount was 23 million. According to data regulations  There is no funding for the program at all for 2024–2025.

The document states that "funding volumes for the state program are subject to annual adjustments based on the republican budget's capabilities." A source in the local government reported that the cuts in spending on national cultural development are related to the war. He added, "Everyone is being sent to the SVO, and that's the case in most regions."

At one of the last sessions of parliament, the deputy Soslan Didarov He was outraged that the expenses for these purposes were “cut clean.” 

«Some might say that these are difficult times and we have no time for this. Yes, times are indeed difficult, but we help as much as we can, we cheer for our guys, we worry. But here I want to recall an incident: during the war, Churchillю "They brought the draft budget for review, and he asked, 'Where's the 'Culture' section?' They told him there was a war going on and no time for it. And he told them, 'If there's no culture, then what are we fighting for?' It's the same here—if we don't have the resources for the national and cultural development of the Ossetian people, then what's the point of all this?" — Didarov spoke.

The Minister of Finance announced the priority of military spending in the country's draft budget for 2024 back in late September. Anton SiluanovAccording to him, "everything needed for the front, everything needed for victory, is in the budget." For the first time in modern Russian history, defense spending will exceed social spending, accounting for 38% of all budget expenditures (14 trillion rubles).

In October, the School of Cosmonautics in Vladikavkaz launched an astronomy course in the Ossetian language. This was the dream of the School's founder, a renowned spacecraft designer. Ruslan Komaev.

In 2017, he returned to Ossetia, secured financial support from philanthropists, and began restoring the planetarium, which had closed in 1992. He personally designed the future school and participated in every stage of the renovation. In 2020, the R. V. Komaev School of Cosmonautics (planetarium and cosmonautics museum) officially opened. The designer himself acknowledged that the educational institution is unique, unparalleled in Russia. The school enrolls approximately 500 children. Daily excursions to the cosmonautics museum are held, along with screenings of popular science films for schoolchildren from the republic and neighboring regions. Komaev thought of every detail. He even decorated the passage from the planetarium to the School of Cosmonautics with a starry sky and the main elements of the solar system in Ossetian. The staff themselves call the entrance a "portal."

 Ruslan Komaev was, first and foremost, a dreamer who wanted to give children the amazing world of stars, and he succeeded., says the school principal. Zarina Cheldieva. - He brought to Vladikavkaz life-size models of spacecraft he had built himself, a capsule that delivered lunar soil, and a training lunar rover—an exact replica of Lunokhod-1, which visited the surface of Earth's satellite in the 1970s. He also installed a model of the solar system, a working sundial, and two 1,000x telescopes on the planetarium grounds.

Ruslan Komayev wanted astronomy to be taught not only in Russian but also in Ossetian and English. He wrote the curriculum himself, calling it "Dun-Dune—the Universe," and the teachers translated it. He wanted to teach the first lesson himself, but he didn't have the chance—he passed away in 2021.

  He saw teaching astronomy in Ossetian as one of the directions for the development of the school.“- Zarina continues. — Although he himself spoke little Ossetian, having lived his entire life in Moscow, he watched programs on local television, tried to talk to us, and when he remembered some words, he would ask, “Khorz na dzuryn?” (I speak well). In September 2021, we contacted the Alanskaya Gymnasium (a national school where all subjects are taught in the Ossetian language up to the 4th grade) and agreed on cooperation.

Today, 12 fourth-graders are enrolled in the "Dun-Dune" supplementary general development program at the Cosmonautics School. The group is called "Bonvaernon" (a star rising at dawn) and has a maximum capacity of 20. Classes are held twice a week. Each lesson begins with "astro exercises" and a song in Ossetian. Plans include creating workbooks, and in the meantime, covers for the children's workbooks have been created in Ossetian.

Zhanna Tegetaeva, a teacher at the School of Cosmonautics, says the program is being expanded and improved.

 We'll be exploring two areas: astronomy and cosmonautics. We'll talk to the children about galaxies and the solar system, and they'll also learn how to pronounce various astronomical phenomena in Ossetian. "We'll be paying special attention to the lunar program," says the teacher. — Our main goal is to develop children's design thinking, and we also aim to develop and support the Ossetian language. If children speak their native language not only in core classes but also in additional classes, this will significantly expand their language use.

According to Zhanna, the children studying at the astronomy school speak Ossetian and Russian equally well, seamlessly switching between the two languages ​​when communicating. They are fascinated by space and enjoy talking about it in their native language.

 They are very active in class. This is largely facilitated by the interactive materials I prepare and translate for each lesson. We work with texts and dictionaries, and to help the children remember words better, they even create crosswords on their own. When presenting the material, it's important not to overdo it with scientific facts, although they are essential. Our project is long-term, and we have many ideas for its development. For example, we plan to write a cosmonaut school anthem in Ossetian., — the teacher shares.

We spoke with parents of students at the School of Cosmonautics about the state of the Ossetian language and the role of the Alan Gymnasium in saving it. They all agree that the language is in dire straits and cite three main problems: the republic's authorities' insufficient attention to preserving and developing the Ossetian language, adults' reluctance to speak to their children in their native language, and the quality of teaching.

 We speak Ossetian at home, so there was no discussion about my daughter attending the Alanskaya Gymnasium. It was only later that she signed up for astronomy classes., - says one of the parents. - When I sent her there, many people told me I was crazy, that no one needed this language. And I felt so hurt for our language. I believe that first and foremost, a child should know their native language, and then they'll learn others. We need to create national schools to somehow influence the situation. 

We live in Vladikavkaz, but once at the hospital they asked us what village we were from. So, Ossetian-speaking city dwellers are such a rarity that they're mistaken for villagers. 

"I can't say anything good about the state of the Ossetian language. If a child isn't taught at home, not every teacher will care."— the grandfather of one of the students reasons. — Neither the city nor the villages speak their native language anymore, and state policy is to blame for this. During the Soviet era, Ossetian was no longer taught in schools. Naturally, several generations of people grew up "non-fluent" in the language, unable to pass it on to their children or grandchildren. 

У Chermena Murasheva Three children attend the Alanskaya Gymnasium, and one of their daughters takes astronomy classes in Ossetian. They all speak their native language fluently, but the father of many children notes that they still speak Russian on the street. He blames this on "gadgets and technology."

 When it comes to language learning, upbringing, and the transmission of traditions, home is one thing, but society also plays a significant role. The Alanskaya Gymnasium is the place where children are taught not only the language but also traditional values. If a child hears their native language in lessons, during recess, and from teachers, it's easier for parents to teach their children., - Murashev believes. 

According to him, there should be at least ten such gymnasiums in the republic. Kindergartens should also be created where the educational and upbringing processes should be primarily in the native language.

 Every time I sent Ossetian-speaking children to kindergarten, Russian-speaking ones returned. Then, at school, they had to relearn the language. Measures to preserve the Ossetian language must be taken at the level of the republic's leadership. If we don't help ourselves, no one from the outside will help us.“Our interlocutor is confident. 

Let us remember that the Ossetian language belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages ​​and is one of two northeastern Iranian languages ​​that have survived to this day.