A draft law has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which prohibits the use of the Russian language in educational institutions. The initiators of the document believe that such measures will contribute to the development of the Ukrainian language and increase the security of the country.
People's deputy Nataliya Pipa acted as the initiator of the documents.
In the explanatory note, she emphasized that the language of the educational process in educational institutions is the state language. However, currently the law does not regulate the issue of the language used by the participants of the educational process outside its formal boundaries (during breaks, in teachers' rooms, on the territory of the educational institution after classes, lessons, couples, etc.).
The purpose and objectives of the adoption of the draft law are to establish at the legislative level the clear duties of subjects of educational activity (…) to create a Ukrainian-speaking educational environment in an educational institution, to support and ensure its existence. That is, the conditions under which the participants of the educational process communicate with each other only in the state language both during the formal educational process and during informal and unstructured interaction with each other in the premises and on the territory of the subject of educational activity
The People's Representative is sure that ensuring the Ukrainian language as the language of the educational environment will contribute to the development of the state language and the security of the state. Also, the introduction of mechanisms to encourage communication by pupils, pupils, and students in the Ukrainian language in the educational environment will have a positive effect on youth, children, and other participants in the educational process, when the Ukrainian language will be used among them, even in non-formal communication.
The Ukrainian-speaking educational environment is an environment in which students, pupils, preschoolers, teachers, teachers and educators communicate in the Ukrainian language on the territory of the educational institution, both during lessons and classes, and during breaks, in shelters, in extracurricular time
According to her, today in Ukraine, outside of classes, children, students and teachers in the educational environment often communicate in a foreign language, mainly Russian.
Pipa emphasized that this negatively affects both the formation of speech skills (competencies) in children, as well as the formation of the state language and the formation of Ukrainian identity, which directly depends on the development and security of the state.
She emphasizes that 90% of teachers continue to communicate in Ukrainian with students during breaks. At the same time, the student survey showed that the percentage of teachers who speak exclusively in Ukrainian during classes and during breaks is lower — 78% of teachers communicate during lessons only in Ukrainian (82% last year), 69% during breaks (last year — 74%).
The issue of introducing a Ukrainian-speaking educational environment is relevant today, because it will increase the level of use of the Ukrainian language, consolidate its importance and strengthen the national security policy of Ukraine
As of February 2024, the vast majority of Ukrainians – 66% – believe that the Russian language should be eliminated from official communication. This is evidenced by the survey results of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
