Ukrainian parliament to discuss new status of English language
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed that the parliament officially grant English the status of one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, according to a draft law published on Wednesday.
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In an explanatory note, English is ssid to be "the language of international conferences and sports competitions, the language of communication of the international scientific community and the leader among the languages on the Internet,"
"Currently, more than 1.5 billion people study English in the world," it is noted.
Mr Zelenskyy also argues the need to grant English a new status in Ukraine has been driven by the country's desire for European integration, as it is still "separated from the EU by a language barrier".
"The transformation of the status of the English language in Ukraine is a necessity and a strategic step towards our country's full membership in the EU, as knowledge of English is a key competence in the context of globalisation," the note reads.
The draft bill lists a number of positions that would require knowledge of English, including civil servants, local and government officials, military officers, police officers, prosecutors, tax and customs officials, etc.
It also provides for promoting learning English, including at the public cost.
The Ukrainian authorities have long spoken of the need to make English more popular as part of a rapprochement with the West.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said the government was working on solutions to make learning English more accessible to Ukrainians.
