Verkhovna Rada adds bill to vote agenda that recognizes Ukrainian curriculum abroad

Ukraine’s legislature on Feb. 26 voted to include an education regulatory bill to its docket that addresses the recognition of educational outcomes from both formal and non-formal education, including weekly schools administered within the Ukrainian diaspora.

Lyuba Lyubchyk, chair of the International Educational Coordinating Council (IECC) of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), shared the news. 

She called the decision “a pivotal step that supports the return of Ukrainian citizens, facilitates their reintegration into Ukraine, and raises the status of Ukrainian studies educational centers abroad.”

Lyubchyk continued: “We’ve taken the first step together! I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the working group at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.”  

The new resolution streamlines the process for recognizing educational performance results for children attending school abroad, as well as those studying at non-formal educational institutions with a Ukrainian studies component. 

It also stipulates the creation of a list of educational institutions abroad.

Lyubchyk encouraged educators and administrators at foreign Ukrainian educational institutions to join the public discussion and submit any proposals or recommendations not already considered.

This bill is crucial for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children living abroad, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

“It is now essential for the government to swiftly adopt the necessary by-laws, as without them, the law will not be effective,” she said.