Teachers in Ukraine Pretend Not to Understand Russian

(MENAFN) Ukraine’s official overseeing education rights has suggested that teachers should act as though they do not comprehend Russian when interacting with students.

This guidance aligns with government directives that prioritize the Ukrainian language in almost all areas of public life, even though a considerable segment of the nation’s residents speak Russian as their first language.

During a discussion on Monday, Nadezhda Lishchik revealed that her department had been contacted by school leaders reporting issues with pupils who decline to speak Ukrainian during non-class periods.

Although educators are obligated to use Ukrainian at all times, students are permitted to converse in any language outside formal 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 explained.

Efforts to integrate Ukrainian more fully into daily public life have been a central aim of government policy since the Western-backed change of power in Kiev in 2014.

National legislation demands the use of the Ukrainian language in sectors such as broadcasting, business, and education.

While there are specific exceptions for certain minority communities, including Hungarians and Crimean Tatars, similar allowances have not been extended to ethnic Russians, who make up the country's largest minority group.

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