"As a minority in a republic in close proximity to the nation's capital, the Erzya have continually been faced with assimilative pressure... In the 1990s and beginning of the new millennium, first-language instruction for subjects other than the native language became an issue. What started out in village primary schools brought about a new trend in publication practices, and now use of other new media is spreading, i.e. the scattered population of Erzya speakers actively utilize services offered by mobile phones and the Internet in Erzya. The publication of readers in environmental studies and mathematics has been announced for the lower grades, as well as a complete curriculum for Erzya language in the primary and secondary schools."