A/HRC/20/26/Add.1 Court ruled that it is sufficient for a national minority to constitute more than 10 per cent of the total population in an area over a long period of time, to entitle its inhabitants to display bilingual signs. The Court also expressed its opinion that the results of the population census, and not other parameters, were decisive in this regard. 44 This reinforces the concern that the lack of statistical data collection on ethnic background and colloquial language in population censuses may impede fair implementation of this provision. 53. The Independent Expert is concerned that the Constitutional Court ruling on bilingual topographic signs in Carinthia has not been implemented. In June 2010, 10 years after the decision, negotiations between Slovene minority representatives and federal, Länder and local authorities led to the adoption of a compromise concerning bilingual signposts and the use of Slovene as an official language in Carinthia, putting an end to a long-standing dispute. However, the agreed threshold of 17.5 per cent remains far higher than “at least 10 per cent”, as set by the Constitutional Court in its 2001 ruling.45 54. Based on the compromise, a new proposal for amendments to the Law on Ethnic Groups has been approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to the parliament for approval. The Independent Expert is concerned that, although the amendment will affect all minorities in Austria, consultations with members of other national minorities, such as Croat and Hungarian minorities have not been held. Since the amendment is expected to be made at the constitutional level, once approved it will bar the possibility for national minorities to challenge its constitutionality before the Constitutional Court, 46 making appropriate consultation particularly important. Bilingual education 55. During her mission, the Independent Expert visited bilingual schools in areas of historical settlement and in Vienna. She was impressed with the commitment of teachers and principals to provide adequate bilingual education and access to textbooks in minority languages. She observed the beneficial impact that this teaching system has in promoting cultural diversity as an integral part of children‟s development, and in terms of their behaviour towards minority cultures and languages. She noted with satisfaction that, due to the inclusion of minority languages in the school curricula, children of national minorities have developed a sense of pride in using their colloquial language. 56. Notwithstanding efforts to comply with the provisions of the Law on Ethnic Groups, bilingual education in schools and kindergartens is actually rare in Austria. Only a few genuinely bilingual kindergarten and primary level schools exist, particularly in Burgenland and Carinthia, but they remain highly dependent on the personal efforts of individual teachers and principals to operate effectively. Minority languages are mostly taught as elective courses, with Hungarian and especially Romani facing considerable challenges. Classes are held only a few hours per week and are not subject to learning standards. Certificates of proficiency are not provided for minority languages, reducing the interest of students in continuing their language studies. Members of the Croat and Hungarian minorities expressed concern about the continued decline in knowledge of their minority languages among the youth. 57. Opportunities for bilingual education for members of national minorities outside Burgenland and Carinthia are limited. In Vienna, some private initiatives exist, including bilingual Slovak and Czech schools, but they lack public funding. Hungarian and Roma people face particular challenges in accessing bilingual education in the capital city, with 44 45 46 Decision number G213/01, V 62/01 B 2075 /99 13 December 2001. See also ACFC/OP/III (2011)005, p. 23 and ACFC/OP/II(2007)005, p. 23. Ibid. 13