Draft bill #10288-1 of December 5, 2023 

Status: signed by the President 

Who is affected: representatives of national minorities (schoolchildren and students), the Ministry of Education, educational establishments, local governments, the Commissioner for Human Rights, and national minority centers 

Summary: 

  • the bill clarifies the concept of a locality where representatives of national minorities traditionally reside (for more than 100 years) and constitute a significant part of its population (over 10%) 
  • in such localities, the executive committee of a village, town, or city council will ensure the right to use the language of the respective national minority 
  • the Commissioner for Human Rights will monitor the situation with the protection of the right to use the languages of national minorities 
  • the rules of the use of languages of national minorities in education will change: 
    • private higher education establishments will be allowed to freely choose as language of instruction any of the official languages of the EU. The state language will be a separate discipline 
    • in classes and groups using minority languages that are official EU languages, the right to use the language of the respective national minority in education alongside the state language will be guaranteed 
    • the requirement to gradually increase the number of subjects taught in the state language will not apply to curricula for schoolchildren — representatives of national minorities whose languages are official languages of the EU and who started their education before September 1, 2018 
    • representatives of national minorities will be able to obtain basic and specialized secondary education in the respective national minority language. The exception will be disciplines related to the study of the Ukrainian language and literature, as well as the history of Ukraine, which will be taught in the state language 
    • in such classes, the list of subjects in the state language can be extended if the educational establishment decides 
  • the functions of the national minorities centers are clarified. They will be responsible for developing and implementing programs and organizing events for representatives of national minorities 
  • TV broadcasters who broadcast in the languages of indigenous people or national minorities will have to ensure that at least 30% of their weekly content is in the state language 
  • the norms regarding the use of national minority languages in election campaigning, book publishing, public events, advertising, television, and communication with the authorities do not apply to the Russian language 

What is right:  

  • European Commission requirements for the protection of national minority rights are fulfilled 
  • the authority responsible for ensuring minority rights protection is designated 
  • the functions of national minority centers are clarified. 

What is wrong:  

  • permission to use a minority language alongside the state language in education violates Article 10 of the Constitution: the state is required to ensure comprehensive development and functioning of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of public life throughout the entire territory of Ukraine 
  • the state violates the right of schoolchildren — representatives of national minorities to learn the state language at a level necessary for higher education and admission to qualified work. 

Additional information: