JUDGMENT
No. 12.-UPPER
SILESIA (MINORITY SCHOOLS)
41
what is to be understood as a person's tongue is not always
clear and beyond doubt ; particularly when a child reaching
the school age is concerned, it is no doubt proper not exclusively to take into account the language which the child
generally employs if the parents employ another language to
satisfy their cultural requirements and if it is that language
which they by preference consider as their own. What has
just been stated is particularly true as regards Upper Silesia,
considering the very special conditions which, according to the
information supplied in the course of the proceedings, appear
to exist there from a linguistic point of view.
The German contention raises yet another question : namely
whether, according to the Convention, the admission of a
pupil or child to the minority schools (classes or courses)
depends upon a declaration in accordance with Article 131.
In this connection the Court observes that it seems to be
beyond doubt that Article 69 does not imply an obligation
for the States in question to grant "appropriate facilities" for
instruction in the language of the minority to be given in
public primary schools to other pupils or children than those
whose language is that of the minority. But, according to
what has been stated above in regard to the relations between
the provisions of Division 1 and those of Division II, it would
be unreasonable to construe these stipulations of the article
in question as being opposed to an extension by the Convention of the participation in the same advantages to other
pupils and children. The question therefore is whether the
Convention has provided for such an extension. The President
of the Mixed Commission considered that it was necessary to
distinguish between, on the one hand, requests for the purpose
of establishing a minority school or courses in a minority
language-with
regard to which Articles 106 and 107 laid
down certain rules-and,
on the other hand, simple requests
for the admission of a pupil to an existing minority school.
The latter, with regard to which the Convention has not
laid down any rules, are not, according to him, subject to
any formality or any condition, with regard to language. The
basis of this construction appears in the first place to be the
"subjective principle" which, according to the German Government, was laid down by Articles 74 and 131, but which