“In order for the Ukrainian language to have more of a home, the state language must truly be everywhere and anywhere.”
In order to effectively combat bilingualism among children, Ukrainian must become the language of communication at home. And the language children speak outside of school hours depends on adults, which is why language courses for parents are available in Ukraine. This opinion was expressed in an interview for “Ukrainska Pravda” by Taras Kremen, the Commissioner for the Protection of Language.
He believes that the language young people will speak in 5-10 years depends on the behavior and culture of parents, as well as the role of education and the authority of teachers.
“Such language courses already exist, but I believe that they should be at every school – as an opportunity for both children and parents to master the Ukrainian language, to get acquainted with new works of Ukrainian literature. These are conversation clubs and meetings with interesting people. This was and is. But we need to talk about this more,” Kremen noted.
He recalled the results of a recent study by the State Service for Education Quality. They show that this year the number of students, their parents and teachers who consider Ukrainian their native language has decreased.
Identity: what is it and how is it formed
Less than 40% of students communicate only in Ukrainian outside of school. About 20% – in Ukrainian and Russian equally. Among the reasons why this happened, children named the habit of communicating in the state language (33%) and Russian as the language of communication in the family (20%).
“In order for the Ukrainian language to become more common at home, the state language must truly be everywhere. Both in areas defined by law and in undefined ones – in particular, in religious institutions and organizations.
- In March, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a program to ensure the development and functioning of the Ukrainian language. By 2030, 100% of civil servants and officials must be proficient in the state language in accordance with the requirements of Ukrainian spelling. Ukrainian must also become the main language of communication in everyday life. By 2030, the state plans for 80% of Ukrainians to speak Ukrainian in their families and everyday life. The share of the Ukrainian-language cultural product should increase from 55 to 85%.