On June 4, the Verkhovna Rada passed the second reading of draft law 9432 relating to the functioning of the English language in Ukraine and was supported by 236 MPs.
According to an online article by RBC-Ukraine, the new law was first registered by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in June 2023, and was designed to “consolidate the status of English as one of the languages of international communication in Ukraine, as Ukraine intends to join the EU, and Ukrainians still have insufficient knowledge of this foreign language”.
The draft law proposes provision for studying the English language from kindergartens to higher education and defines levels of proficiency for those who work in certain fields such as, state or local authorities, transport, education, health care, and so on.
An amendment was also added the day before which recommended movies be broadcast in English in cinemas, with the state funding partial compensation in some instances.
The draft law will require English language proficiency by those applying for the following positions:
• Civil service of category A, civil service of categories B and C, the list of which is established by the Cabinet of Ministers
• Heads of local state administrations and their deputies
• Military officers serving under contract (the list is established by the Cabinet of Ministers)
• Middle and senior police officers, chiefs of other law enforcement agencies and civil defence services (the list is determined by the government), prosecutors, customs and tax officials (the list is determined by the CMU)
• Heads of business entities of the public sector of the economy (the list is determined by the Cabinet of Ministers)
Officials are able to take the English language exam free of charge, organized by the Ministry of Education and Science.
The exam can be taken no more than once every 4 months, but applicants are granted an unlimited number of resits.
These requirements are due to take effect within a minimum of 2 years after the end of martial law but will extend for up to 6 years for some officials.
For Ukrainians, the draft law will bring noticeable changes, including:
• English learning and use across all levels of education
• Military personnel will be required to speak English at a sufficient level to communicate for professional purposes (expect during martial law)
• Passenger transport information signs must be duplicated in English (including, railway and bus stations, airports, sea ports, and so on)
• At cultural and artistic events and venues audiovisual information must be dubbed in English
• Emergency assistance will be provided in English if the individual does not speak Ukrainian
• Customs and border control will be conducted in English for foreign nationals
• Up to 10% of all films will be shown in English in cinemas
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the team of the BRDO Effective Regulation Office participated in the development of the document.
Since the Ukrainian parliament passed the second reading of the bill on June 4th 2024, it will officially become law once it has signed by the President and published on parliament’s website.
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