In Kyiv, a teacher at one of the capital’s secondary schools was fined 3,400 hryvnias after showing a clip from a cartoon with a Russian-language voiceover during a lesson in a Year 1 class. According to media reports citing the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, an investigation was launched following a complaint from a pupil’s father.
Briefly about the main points
- A teacher at a Kyiv lyceum was fined 3,400 hryvnias.
- A cartoon in Russian was used in a Year 1 lesson.
- The investigation was initiated by the father of one of the pupils.
- The teaching staff member admitted to the breach.
- The fine was paid on the day the decision was issued.
The complaint formed the basis for an investigation
According to the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, the body received a complaint from the father of a Year 1 pupil — a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war. He reported that during a lesson, a teacher had shown a clip from a cartoon with Russian voice-over.
During the official inspection, the breach was classified under Article 21 of the Law «On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language». The teacher admitted to the breach during the examination of the case materials.
The ruling was issued by the broadcasting ombudswoman
Following the results of the inspection, a report and a statement of an administrative offence were drawn up. The Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language Elena Ivanovskaya passed a resolution imposing a fine of 3,400 hryvnias.
According to the Commissioner’s office, the payment was made on the same day. The amount corresponds to the lower limit of the penalty for a first breach of language requirements in the relevant sectors: the law provides for a warning or a fine of between 3,400 and 5,100 hryvnias.
What are the requirements for the educational process?
Article 21 Language Act stipulates that the language of instruction in educational institutions is the official language. For general secondary education institutions, the law also provides for the right of pupils to receive an education in the Ukrainian language.
The Office of the Language Ombudsman has reiterated that this requirement applies not only to the teaching of subjects, but also to teaching materials and the day-to-day communication between teachers and pupils. Ihor Spiridonov, a representative of the Commissioner, noted that ensuring the educational process is conducted in the state language is the responsibility of the teacher, the educational institution and its administration.
Sanctions have already been imposed in schools in Kyiv
This is not the first recorded instance of administrative penalties being imposed in the Kyiv education system. At the end of June, the Commissioner’s office reported that fines had been imposed on two teaching staff members at a Kyiv lyceum following a complaint from a member of the public and an investigation into the use of the Russian language in the lower years.
The current case concerns a single teacher and a specific incident involving a cartoon. The pattern of such decisions suggests that complaints from parents and the findings of inspections may form the basis for administrative proceedings relating to language requirements in schools.
