Taras Kremin, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, says that in 2024, signs of a slowdown in Ukrainization began to appear. In particular, he noted a decrease in the proportion of people who consider Ukrainian their native language, as well as the growing Russification of the Internet and media space in the south and east of Ukraine.
He wrote about this on his Facebook page, UNN reports.
Details
Unfortunately, this year, signs of a slowdown in Ukrainization have begun to emerge. The Russian enemy continues to oppose the Ukrainian identity, occupying social networks, telegram channels, and, in the south and east, the media space, paving the way for young Ukrainians to understand it
He emphasized that the establishment of the Ukrainian language as the state language in all spheres of public life should become a strategic task for Ukraine.
Among the main challenges in language policy, Kremin noted the slowdown in the process of Ukrainization, which is manifested in a decrease in the share of those who consider Ukrainian their native language.
In particular, the proportion of participants in the educational process who consider Ukrainian to be their mother tongue has decreased by 17% among students, by 11% among parents, and by 8% among teachers. The Russification of the Internet and social media is also noticeable.
Kremin also drew attention to a problem among young people: only 37% of students speak Ukrainian with friends, and 39% speak it at home. He emphasized that the number of students using Ukrainian on the Internet has decreased by 10%.
Among the urgent tasks of the language policy, the Commissioner voiced a number of proposals, in particular:
Ensure the implementation of the State Targeted National and Cultural Program until 2030.
Complete the implementation of the Law of Ukraine, including the translation and publication of international treaties into Ukrainian.
Establish clarity on the translation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Introduce the Ukrainian spelling into lawmaking.
Create conditions for studying Ukrainian abroad and certification of language proficiency.
Strengthen the activities of the National Commission on State Language Standards.
Create a separate unit in the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications responsible for language policy.
Guaranteeing the dominance and dynamic development of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of public life throughout Ukraine should become a strategic task of the Ukrainian state, the implementation of which will contribute to national security and defense capabilities
He noted that the realization of this goal would contribute to Ukraine's national security and defense capabilities.
Earlier, UNN wrote that regional centers for the popularization of the Russian language and culture began to appear in Donetsk region.