To Mr. Shkarlet S. M., Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
Dear Mr. Shkarlet!
On March 17, 2021, the article "The provision of educational process for national minorities is under the special control of the Ministry of Education and Science" was published on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. According to the information provided in it, in order to provide students and teachers of the 8th grade with textbooks developed accordance with the State Standard of Basic and Complete General Secondary Education (2011), for the school year of 2021/2022, the possibility of re-issuing certain textbooks published in 2016 for the 8th grade of all general secondary education institutions (regardless of the language of instruction) is being considered.
However, according to the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine № 241 of February 22, 2021 "On the organization of re-edition of textbooks for 8th grade of secondary schools", the list of textbooks for re-edition does not include textbooks for classes with Hungarian language of instruction except for Hungarian and Literature. An Integrated course (Hungarian and foreign literature). It should also be noted that when selecting the electronic version of the original textbooks for 8th grade of secondary schools while placing the order for textbooks for students and teachers of general secondary schools, there is no option for the language of instruction, in our case – Hungarian.
The Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association (hereinafter - THPA) requests clarification regarding the following issues:
1. What textbooks can be ordered for educational institutions with classes with the Hungarian language of instruction, if the list approved by the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine from 22.02.2021 №241 does not include textbooks with Hungarian translation?
2. What textbooks will be available to order for 2021/2022?
3. How is it possible to order textbooks for educational institutions with classes with Hungarian language of instruction, if the order deadline for school principals was March 17, 2021?
4. When will educational institutions with Hungarian classes receive these textbooks, if according to the above-mentioned article only "the possibility of re-issuing certain textbooks published in 2016 for the 8th grade of all general secondary education institutions (regardless of the language of instruction) is being considered".
The THPA welcomes the announcement that the Ukrainian-Hungarian interdepartmental workgroup on education has resumed its work. The THPA, which was founded in 1991, is an organization that represents the interests of teachers, students of educational institutions with classes with Hungarian language of instruction and their parents, assists in methodological, organizational, professional issues of these institutions. In view of this, the THPA is confused that it has not received an invitation to participate in the work of the Ukrainian-Hungarian workgroup, as it had in previous years. This ends the positive practice that existed since the establishment of this committee after the signing of the neighborhood agreement between Ukraine and Hungary, i.e. since 1993. Representatives of professional organizations of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, as well as the Ukrainian minority in Hungary were involved in the work of all such committees, which helped to resolve controversial issues in the workgroup in question as well. Therefore, we request you to consider the resumption of the good practice and invite representatives of the THPA to the Ukrainian-Hungarian interdepartmental workgroup on education.
To solve the problem of providing textbooks to schools with Hungarian language of instruction in the Transcarpathian region, once again, as in previous years, we request you to create a publishing house of textbooks for educational institutions with classes in the Transcarpathian region. The THPA has repeatedly raised this issue, especially after the closure of the local branch of the Lviv publishing house "SVIT" in Uzhgorod. Such a publishing house would resolve numerous controversial issues related to the availability of textbooks, as well as positively affect the quality of Hungarian textbooks, because the professionals involved in the translation and creation of Hungarian textbooks live in this region.
Best regards,
Ildikó Orosz, president of the THPA
19.03.2021
