Inspection of the underground school 'Perspective'
The Office of the Authorized Person for the Protection of the State Language found no violations of the language legislation at the underground school 'Perspective', located on the territory of the Holy Protection Golosiiv Male Monastery of the UOC MP. During the inspection, it was revealed that the language of the educational process in the institutions mentioned in the investigation is Ukrainian. The directors of the institutions have certificates of proficiency in the state language, and none of the parents of the students provided any official evidence or complaints regarding the teaching of children in a non-state language.
However, other state authorities have identified a number of violations related to:
- educational programs,
- student admission rules,
- assessment systems,
- forms of education.
The educational ombudsman appealed to law enforcement due to the possible forgery of documents and fictitious enrollment of students in other schools. In early January, information emerged about the activities of the underground school 'Perspective', where more than 60 children from grades 1 to 9 were studying and 16 teachers were employed. Some subjects were taught in Russian using Soviet textbooks.
“The only potential hook was that the educational program of this private educational institution had a strange paragraph that provided for the development of competencies in younger students to communicate, besides state and foreign languages - 'native language'. However, the presence of similar paragraphs in educational programs does not fall within the competence of the Authorized Person for the Protection of the State Language,” said the agency representative Yelyzaveta Sachura.
The need for coordinated actions
It should also be noted that to halt the activities of underground schools, coordinated work is necessary:
- law enforcement,
- State Service for Quality Education,
- Ministry of Education and Science,
- language ombudsman institution,
- local education departments,
- parents.
The State Service for Ethnopolitics began an inspection of the possible connection between the monastery and the Russian Orthodox Church.
This situation highlights the complexity and importance of adhering to language legislation in educational institutions in Ukraine, especially in the face of existing threats from underground education. The identified violations in educational programs and the learning system require attention and action from various state structures to ensure the quality of education and protect children's rights. Coordinated efforts by government authorities can become a guarantee against similar cases in the future.