Ukraine push for Russian speaking negligence in schools
(MENAFN) Ukraine’s education ombudsman has suggested that schoolteachers should pretend not to understand Russian when interacting with students, reinforcing the government's push to prioritize Ukrainian in public life—even though many citizens speak Russian as their first language.
In a recent interview, Nadezhda Lishchik shared that school officials had voiced concerns about students choosing to speak Russian during their free time. While teachers are obligated to use Ukrainian at all times, students are not restricted from using other languages outside of classroom instruction.
“My advice was: ‘You are not obliged to know a foreign language, unless you teach one, like English or German. You have full right to say you don’t understand and insist on being addressed in the same language you use during classes.’ You can influence students in a gentle way,” Lishchik stated.
The Ukrainian government has focused heavily on reinforcing the Ukrainian language in public domains since the change in leadership following the 2014 uprising. The law requires Ukrainian to be used in sectors such as education, commerce, and media. While there are exceptions for some minority groups, such as Hungarians and Crimean Tatars, ethnic Russians—the country’s largest minority—are not granted similar allowances.
Despite these efforts, Russian remains prevalent in daily life. According to a 2024 study cited by local media, around 80% of Facebook posts in Ukraine last year were written in Ukrainian. However, the figure dropped significantly on TikTok, with only 47% of content in Ukrainian—down from 55% the previous year. This contrast is attributed to differences in platform demographics, with Facebook being more popular among older users and TikTok favored by younger audiences.
The struggle to encourage widespread use of Ukrainian among the youth has been acknowledged by officials. Former language ombudsman Taras Kremen previously noted that only 39% of students used Ukrainian at home, with even fewer speaking it among peers.
Russian authorities have condemned Ukraine's language policies, accusing Kyiv of targeting ethnic Russians through what they describe as extreme nationalist measures. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has labeled the language campaign a “legislative extermination” of Russian cultural identity.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
