The Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine is moving to ban the use of Russian in the country’s schools, according to reports from local media. The head of the ministry, Oksen Lisovoy, announced on Friday that a bill supporting this change had received backing and was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada on October 1st. The proposed legislation is aimed at ensuring the dominance of the official Ukrainian language in classrooms and recess periods.
The move follows concerns from parents whose children are exposed to Russian in schools and kindergartens, as many of their peers use the language for communication. However, Lisovoy has said that any decisions taken to protect the Ukrainian language should also allow for the equal development of the European Union’s national community languages, but not Russian.
The bill is expected to prohibit the use of Russian in both public and private educational institutions, as well as mandate the exclusive use of Ukrainian in all aspects of public life, including education, entertainment, politics, business and service industries. This follows a law passed by Ukraine’s national parliament in 2019 that required the use of Ukrainian in nearly all areas of public life.
This push for de-Russification has been met with strong opposition from Russia, which insists that these measures infringe upon the rights of native Russian speakers who make up around a quarter of the population. Despite this backlash, Ukraine’s government continues to implement policies aimed at suppressing the Russian language and culture, citing concerns about national unity and security.