Ukraine submits draft education language law to Hungary, awaits response
Ukraine has submitted a draft education law to Hungary that partly addresses Budapest’s demands related to language policy in schools, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka said on Nov. 6.
Hungary has previously formulated an 11-point request to Ukraine regarding the rights of national minorities, which included the restoration of the status of a national school, the ability to take a high school diploma in Hungarian, and the ability to use Hungarian in public life.
Budapest has repeatedly accused Kyiv of discriminating against the Hungarian ethnic minority concentrated in southwestern Ukraine, an accusation that the Ukrainian leadership denies.
The draft submitted takes into account 5 out of 11 Hungarian requests, Kachka noted, that have to do with Hungarian minorities in Ukraine. He did not specify which exact points were included.
If Budapest approves the current version, Kyiv is ready to bring the bill to the parliament and expects a response soon.
Kachka noted that in roughly two-thirds of the 100 Hungarian schools in Ukraine, the primary language of instruction is Hungarian with some subjects taught in Ukrainian, while the rest are Ukrainian-language schools with several key subjects in Hungarian.
"Today, de facto, we fully cover the request of the Hungarian community for education that satisfies their interests,” Kachka said.
Alexandra Brzozowski
