AUGB pushes for school exam in Ukrainian language in UK

The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) is leading efforts to make Ukrainian an official school exam subject in the United Kingdom. 

AUGB Chair Petro Rewko and Deputy Chair Hanya Dezyk on Oct. 30 met with representatives of one of the country’s largest examination boards, AQA, to discuss creating a Ukrainian language exam for secondary school students. 

Member of parliament Andrew Lewin opened the meeting, and Inna Hryhrovych, Chair of the Association of Ukrainian Teachers in Great Britain, spoke about challenges of teaching Ukrainian to children growing up in the UK. 

Reza Schwitzer from AQA explained how new language exams are usually developed and how long the process takes. MP Joe Powell also voiced his support for the idea.

Discussions centered on when and how such an exam could be introduced, and whether alternative certificates might also help Ukrainian-speaking students gain recognition for their studies. 

AUGB says that introducing Ukrainian as an exam subject would formally acknowledge the hard work of thousands of children learning the language, both in community schools and at home.

In May, UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was considering adding Ukrainian to the list of school subjects offered for national exams.

If approved, Ukrainian would become an electoral subject for students, alongside other choices such as French, geography, or business studies.

Other subjects are chosen by the student based on interest and school offerings. Common options include foreign languages, geography, philosophy, business, and more.