Ukrainian schoolchildren have started speaking less in their native language

Ukrainian schoolchildren are using the state language less frequently.

This information reported according to a study by the State Service for Education Quality of Ukraine.

The study shows a significant drop in the number of students who consider Ukrainian their native language, from 91% after the start of the full-scale war to 74% in the 2023/24 period—a 17% decrease.

Similarly, this indicator has decreased among teachers (from 93% to 82%) and parents (from 94% to 86%).

The number of students who use only the state language during classes and breaks has fallen by 8%. Less than 40% of students communicate exclusively in Ukrainian outside of school. In the eastern part of the country, this figure is only 17%, while in the west, it is 74%.

“In the eastern and southern macro-regions, the everyday communication of participants in the educational process is predominantly in Russian,” the study’s authors state.

Additionally, there has been an 11% drop in the number of high school students who use Ukrainian-language content on the internet, and a 12% decrease in those who consider the language of content important.

The reasons for the decline in the popularity of the Ukrainian language are explained in the study as follows: “This year, the study covered a larger number of respondents with a focus on urban areas. It is known that urban agglomeration traditionally serves as the epicenter of an increase in the Russian-speaking component.”