Ukraine prepares to expand minority rights amid talks with Hungary
Photo: Péter Magyar (Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced agreements reached between Kyiv and Budapest that provide for amendments to Ukraine's education legislation and the expansion of a number of rights for national minorities, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Ukraine has agreed to introduce a number of changes to the law on secondary education and expand the rights of national minorities in the educational, public, and cultural spheres.
This is outlined in a document detailing the agreements between the Ukrainian and Hungarian sides, which Magyar announced on June 3.
Under the document, students in classes taught in minority languages will be able to use their native language not only during lessons but also in other forms of communication with classmates and teachers.
Changes in education
Educational institutions that have classes or groups taught in a national minority language will be eligible to obtain minority school status.
Such institutions will be allowed to display signs and other publicly accessible information in the relevant minority language. At the same time, the principal or a deputy principal must know this language.
At the request of parents, educational certificates and diplomas may also be issued in a national minority language. Graduates who studied in such languages will be allowed to use translated versions of external independent testing, except for the Ukrainian language and the history of Ukraine exams.
At the same time, Ukraine expressed readiness to increase the number of subjects taught in the state language in minority classes if such an initiative is supported by at least two-thirds of students' parents.
The document states that the parties have generally agreed on the main approaches and formulations across 11 items of the education section.
Education-related issues have remained the main source of disagreement between Kyiv and Budapest in recent years.
What rights could national minorities receive?
A separate section is devoted to the social, political, and cultural rights of national minorities.
In particular, local authorities in areas with a significant concentration of minority communities will be able to require employees to know the relevant language or organize language courses.
The proposals also provide for communication with local government bodies in minority languages.
In addition to oral and written language use, the proposal grants the right to use minority languages in electronic formats as well.
Furthermore, public events organized for national minorities may be conducted in their languages.
In municipalities with a concentrated population of such communities, local councils may authorize the dual-language placement of official names on local government buildings and public institutions.
During election preparations, campaign materials and voter guides are planned to be duplicated in national minority languages.
For local elections in areas of their traditional residency, a similar rule may apply to election ballots.
The duplication of names for streets, squares, parks, and other toponyms in the respective languages is also provided for.
National minority symbols may be displayed during official events, provided they do not visually dominate Ukraine's state symbols and do not conflict with Ukrainian legislation.
Following the change of government in Hungary, Prime Minister Péter Magyar's administration began adjusting its approach to relations with Ukraine. One of its first decisions was to lift Hungary's blockade within the European Union regarding the operation of the European Peace Facility, which is used to reimburse EU member states for military assistance provided to Ukraine.
