Presidents of three countries asked to pay attention to Romanian schools in Odesa region

The Odesa Regional National and Cultural Romanian Association "Bessarabia" has appealed to the Presidents of Romania Nicusor Dan, Moldova's Maia Sandu, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pay attention to the serious situation with Romanian-language schooling.

As the head of the association, Anatol Popescu, stated in an open letter, the issue is the initiatives of local authorities to reorganize and abolish high school classes in Romanian-language schools.

"An illustrative example is the school of Utkonosivka Secondary School (Izmail district), where 417 students are currently enrolled in classes with Ukrainian and Romanian language instruction. The school has been operating for more than 160 years as a Romanian-language educational institution and is a vital cultural and identity center for the local Romanian-speaking community. Plans by the Safianivka village council to reorganize the school in Utkonosivka, as well as other similar institutions in the region, from full secondary schools to simple gymnasiums will deprive Romanian children of access to full secondary education in their native Romanian language. The situation is particularly serious, as the authorities have not yet announced any intentions or decisions regarding access to Romanian-language education in secondary schools from September 1, 2027, the deadline for completing the school reform in Ukraine," the association said in its open letter.

In the event of the elimination of Romanian-language high schools, the association predicts the forced departure of families from the regions, educational migration of children, and the demographic devastation of communities. The association also stated that its position is aimed at protecting the rights of national communities, not criticizing the Ukrainian state.

Кирило Бойко