A/CONF.189/PC.2/22 page 31 designation (separate schools, separate lessons, minority schools), separate educational systems should not be run in such a way as to prevent minority groups from understanding the language, culture and religious beliefs of the majority. (c) Training teachers 107. Even the best planned reforms are bound to fail if teachers are not properly trained and not committed in their work to combating discrimination and intolerance. The teacher’s role cannot be reduced to that of a technician responsible for implementing prescribed procedures; the teacher is a professional capable of making judgements about the teaching approach that would be most appropriate and effective in a particular situation.114 It is up to the teaching staff in particular to help alleviate tensions between pupils in mixed classes, to ensure that the school curriculum takes account of group diversity, and to promote pluralistic and tolerant education and a culture of non-discrimination. Moreover, teachers should be recruited not solely on merit, but also in the light of the specific needs of pluralistic societies and the importance of reflecting their ethnic variety. Similarly, intercultural education and the fight against xenophobia, racial prejudice and intolerance should be integrated into the official initial and further teacher training courses115 and possibly brought to the attention of the relevant treaty bodies.116 (d) Taking appropriate linguistic measures 108. In a situation where there is linguistic diversity in a multi-ethnic school setting, linguistic reform can be central to the whole question of racial discrimination and religious intolerance. In the first place, the use of the mother tongue should not be seen by its users as a hindrance but as a factor in achieving balance, protecting their cultural identity and promoting a multicultural education that respects diversity, and as a factor contributing to integration and social cohesion. Linguistic reform certainly depends on the political will of the Government and the particular context in each State, but even when this will exist and special laws or constitutional provisions on the use of minority languages in State schools have been adopted and local circumstances permit, many technical, financial and pedagogical questions remain. They concern the choice of minority or indigenous languages,117 the status of these languages (are they a vehicle for teaching or the subject of it?), the status in schools of an official language other than the mother tongue, the need for all children (not just those from minorities or indigenous peoples) to be bilingual, teacher training and recruitment, the financial consequences of multilingualism, etc.118 There is obviously no adequate general answer to these questions and it is basically necessary to take account of local constraints and the ethnic and linguistic concentration of the population, the number of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds in each class and each school, etc.119 In any case, any reform in this area should respect the existing balance and meet the specific needs of ethnic groups and minorities, especially when there is no majority.120 It is likewise essential that each measure should promote social cohesion and integration since, as we have said, linguistic diversity can also be a divisive or discriminatory factor. It is furthermore important that minorities should be taught in both their own language and the majority or official language. Finally, attention must be paid to the financial implications of any linguistic reform, including the cost of teaching materials and teacher training.121