An actual situation with native language medium education in Crimea is much worse that declared by the ‘Ministry of Education of Republic of Crimea’ controlled by the RF.
This conclusion was made by the Crimean Human Rights Group experts based on the peninsula education monitoring findings.
The ‘Ministry of Education of Republic of Crimea’ states officially that 200,700 children are studying in Crimea in 2018 – 2019 academic year, including 6,100 (3/1%) studying in the Crimean Tatar language and 249 (0.2%) in the Ukrainian one. According to the information of this ‘ministry’, there are 15 Crimean Tatar language medium schools and 1 Ukrainian language medium school in Crimea. It is also declared additionally about 27 schools where 126 Crimean Tatar classes are said to be, and 5 schools where 8 Ukrainian classes are said to be.
Comparing to the official statistic data of 2017 – 2018 academic year, the number of Crimean Tatar language medium pupils increased from 5,600 to 6,100. However, the number of schools with Crimean Tatar language classes reduced from 31 to 27. The number of pupils studying in Ukrainian decreased from 318 to 249, and the number of schools with Ukrainian medium classes reduced from 7 to 5, with the number of classes did from 13 to 8. The number of schools with Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar language medium in Crimea, according to the official ‘Ministry of Education’ information, has not changed.
The Crimean Human Rights Group monitored itself the situation with native language medium education in Crimea in 2018 – 2019 academic year.
24 schools were visited during the monitoring where the administration, teachers and schoolchildren were surveyed. Including
- 3 schools declared the Crimean Tatar medium schools by the ‘Ministry’
- 1 school declared the Ukrainian language medium one
- 18 schools declared as schools with Crimean Tatar medium classes
- 2 schools declared as schools with Ukrainian medium classes
The monitoring showed that all 3 visited schools declared the Crimean Tatar medium schools (No 3 in Sudak, Zuyskaya No 2, and Eshref Shemi zade No 42 in Simferopol) the education is, in fact, delivered partly in Crimean Tatar and partly in Russian. In Zuyskaya Secondary School No 2 the Crimean Tatar language is taught as an individual subject only up to 9 year. The information sign at the school entrance is only in Russian.
In School No 20 in Feodosiya declared to be a Ukrainian medium school, based on the parents’ information, all subjects are delivered in Russian, with Ukrainian kept as an individual subject only in some classes.
As to 18 visited schools with Crimean Tatar medium classes, as stated officially by the RF, 10 have information signs at the entrance only in Russian.
As to 2 schools with Ukrainian medium classed said to be, such classes are only in ‘Simferopol Academic High School’. In K.A.Trenev No 11 High School, Simferopol, the Ukrainian Language is only as optional subject, while all subjects are delivered in Russian, and the information sign at the school entrance is also only in Russian.
Based on the monitoring results, there is no more any school where all subjects are delivered in Ukraine, in Crimea. The number of Ukrainian medium classes is also less than the declared one by the occupying authorities. The schools said to be Crimean Tatar medium schools are not actually to be such since education in these schools is delivered both in Russian and Crimean Tatar.
