Teaching Ukrainian as a State Language in Trans- or Subcarpathia: situation, problems and tasks

1. Nitriansky model skvalitnenia vyučovania slovenského jazyka a literatúry na školách s vyučovacím jazykom národnostných menšín metódou vyučovania cudzích jazykov (s dôrazom na školy s vyučovacím jazykom maďarským) A nemzetiségi tannyelvű/nemzeti kisebbségi tannyelvű iskolákban oktatott szlovák nyelv és irodalom tantárgy minőségi javítása idegennyelv-oktatási módszerekkel (különös tekintettel a magyar tannyelvű iskolákra): A nyitrai modell Teaching Ukrainian as a State Languagein Trans- or Subcarpathia:situation, problems and tasks István Csernicskó Ferenc Rákóczi II TranscarpathianHungarian InstituteAntal Hodinka Research Institute Beregovo/Beregszász, Ukraine

2. 1. Facts and data about the language knowledge of Hungariansin Transcarpathia

3. The ratio of people among the Transcarpathian nationalities who speak their mother tongue only, or at least one more language besides the mother tongue

4. State-language knowledge level of Hungarians living in the Carpathian-Basin (self-report), 1996 On what level do you speak the following languages? 7 = native level, 6 = very good, 5 = good, 4 = not very good, 3 = some words only, 2 = don’t speak, just understand, 1 = not at all

5. Language knowledge level of Hungarians living in minority (means, self-report), 2007 5: native level, 4: very good, … 1: not at all

6. Results of the Ukrainian Language and Literatureschool-leaving examinations (2008 and 2009)

7. 2. The historical heritage

8. The change of state language and compulsory language of instruction in schools throughthe example of 5 generations of a family

9. The problem of transition periods In the last 100 years the state language has changed six times. The change of state language also changed the compulsory language taught in schools. Those who left school before the transitional periods couldn’t participate in institutional language education. Those who finished their studies before 1991, did not study Ukrainian institutionally. In the transitional periods conditions of language teaching were always missing: curriculum, course-book, teacher, dictionary etc.

10. 3. The lack of trained teachers

11. In the summer of 2009 the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko considered it shameful that in many minority schools there were no trained Ukrainian language teachers In the academic year of 1997/1998 two-third (65%) of the teachers teaching the Ukrainian language in the minority schools of Transcarpathia, and in the academic year of 2008/2009 two-fifth (40%) of them were not qualified as Ukrainian language teachers. In 2011, 22 teachers taught Ukrainian language in the city of Beregovo/Beregszász. Among them 10 had Russian teacher qualification, 6 were elementary school teachers and only 6 had diploma in Ukrainian language and literature.

12. According to the Hague Recommendations state language should be taught by bilingual teachers Until 2003 in Ukraine teachers were not trained to teach Ukrainian as a second language for non-native Ukrainians, but they taught it as a mother tongue. In those schools where the language of instruction is the language of the minority, the state language is taught by teachers who were trained to teach Ukrainians, or by teachers with other specialties who went through a short retraining. A considerable part of these teachers do not know the language and culture of those to whom the language is being taught.

13. 4. The lack of appropriate course-books, teacher’s guidebooks, methodological aids, and school dictionaries

14. After introducing Ukrainian language as a compulsory subject in schools, no curricula or course-books were available for long years When materials were issued, teachers criticised them. First of all, because they were compiled by teachers and researchers who do not know the state, the language and the culture of minorities. Course-books are too grammar-focused, they concentrate on the theoretical teaching of the grammar, and they are not communication-centred. It is not the Ukrainian language that is taught in the schools, but information about the Ukrainian language (mostly of its grammar).

15. The curriculum of the Ukrainian language doesn’t build on the knowledge already gained at mother tongue and foreign language lessons It requires students to learn grammatical terms that they already know from mother tongue classes. For instance, students already know the parts of speech (from Hungarian class they know what is the verb, noun, adjective, numeral, pronouns etc. are), but they also have to learn these topics at the Ukrainian class in Ukrainian instead of improving spoken language skills.

16. The inside cover of the Ukrainian language course-book for the 4th form of Hungarian language schools: the parts of speech of the Ukrainian language

17. From the course-book of the 4th form:the topic is the prepositions

18. The Ukrainian language has been compulsory since 1991, but there are still no methodological aids as supplements to the course-books: no teacher’s guidebooks, dictionaries, video or audio-visual aids. The Ukrainian budget does not support the edition of methodological supplements: it only covers the costs of the publication of curricula and course-books.

19. 5. The lack of appropriate approachand method based on it

20. Ukrainian education leaders are not aware of the fact that the Ukrainian language as a subject (despite it has the same name) means something totally different in the Ukrainian language schools and in the schools where the language of instruction is the language of the minority. Students to the Ukrainian schools come with the knowledge of the language at a native level. The aim of education is to teach reading and writing, to improve the mother tongue and to teach the norms of the standard language dialect. The main goal in the minority schools is to make students who do not speak Ukrainian to learn the state language and to make them communicate in this language.

21. If we consider the difference of the aims it becomes clear that we cannot apply the same methods in the teaching of the Ukrainian language in Ukrainian and in non-Ukrainian schools. • John Baugh, an American linguist, says that the teaching of the state language (second language) with the same methods as the mother tongue is taught is a pedagogical mistake.

22. Compulsory lesson numbers (weekly) for teaching Ukrainian language and literature in Hungarian andin Ukrainian schools (academic year 2011–2012) In the Ukrainian schools the Ukrainian language is taught in a significantly higher number of lessons per week, though, the requirements at the final exams are the same for both types of schools.

23. 6. The lack of clearly articulated goals

24. Concrete and clear goals and levels that students are supposed to reach concerning the Ukrainian language subject are not articulated In connection with foreign languages it is defined in the official requirements that students have to reach A1 by the end of the 4th form, A2+ by the end of the 9th form and by the graduation – level B1+ according to the common European criteria. The normative documents of education do not contain any information about the requirement levels towards non-Ukrainians who just start to learn the Ukrainian language at school. In practice, it means that the Ministry of Education expects native knowledge from graduating minority students (which is a linguistic, psychological and pedagogical nonsense).

25. 7. The homogenisation: universal curriculum, course-books and methods

26. The Ukrainian education policy homogenizes language learners The ministry approves universal curricula and course-books only, while we know that the language learning environment is different for students living in the city and in the village. While in the teaching of foreign languages it is normal to work with small groups of language learners and to support them with the required material suitable for their levels, in the teaching of the state language it was only on the 26 May 2008 when the Ministry of Education with the decree of No 461 allowed minority schools to make smaller groups at the Ukrainian lessons. The decree does not say anything about the principles according to which the groups should be created. Furthermore, it does not mention anything about the curriculum and course-books that would needed for students starting school with different language knowledge level.

27. 8. Missing basics: deficiencies of kindergarten education

28. There is no state curriculum that is designed for teaching Ukrainian in Hungarian kindergartens Kindergarten teachers are not prepared to teach the Ukrainian language to Hungarian kindergarten children. In most Transcarpathian Hungarian kindergartens the groups are mixed: children can be found from 2.5 years to 6 years, and the number of children within a group varies from 12 to 30. Although in all kindergartens there are 2 times a week when they have activities in Ukrainian, it is difficult to organize intensive language trainings because of the large number of children, and because of the mixed ages and language backgrounds it is impossible to make an appropriate plan.

29. 9. The impact of demographical features

30. Transcarpathian nationalities live in compact settlements 46% of Hungarians live in a settlement where their ratio is more than 80%, and 62% live in a settlement where Hungarians create the absolute majority. Their chosen language preference are also Hungarian dominant in these settlements. Sociolinguistic studies show that the language of family socialization, the private sphere, readings, information retrieval (TV, radio, written media, Internet) is also (and very often exclusively) Hungarian. Despite of these facts, those who plan the teaching of the Ukrainian language thinks that children starting school already have some competencies in Ukrainian language and they suppose that children have opportunities to practice the Ukrainian language outside the school.

31. Map of Transcarpathia according to mother tongue in the 2001 census

32. The present area of the region and its ethnic relations (Cenzus data, 2001)

33. 10. The ignorance of regulations

34. Ukraine undertook statutory warranty to ensure the conditions of state language education In the language law of Ukraine. In the governmental document with the title ‘The state program of the development and functionalityof Ukrainian language in the years of 2004-2010’. The national doctrine of the development of education. In the state standard of secondary education. Ukraine’s law about compulsory military service (Articles 8.12 and 14).

35. 11. Summary

36. In order to have successful and effective Ukrainian language teaching in Hungarian schools: 1. Political decision is needed:a) the Ministry of Education should acknowledge that the aims and tasks of Ukrainian language teaching are different in Ukrainian and in non-Ukrainian schools;b) it should also acknowledge that if the aims and tasks are different, they could only be reached by different methods, curricula, course-books and teachers trained for these special goals;c) financial background should be supported to make alternative curricula, course-books, and to start a reform in teacher training.

37. 2. Reasonable goals should be articulated concerning the language knowledge level of non-Ukrainians. 3. A professional group should be assembled that would work out the appropriate curricula, course-books, teacher’s guidebooks, dictionaries, technical aids, work-books etc. 4. The problems of state language teaching should be discussed in the form of professional discourse. 5. Experts from the minorities should also be involved in the discussion and professional work.

38. Finally: Thank you for your attention!