Ukraine Top Diplomat Says More Time Needed To Fine-Tune Education Law

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2018) Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin suggested extending the transition to all-Ukrainian secondary education after an outcry from ethnic minorities.

The law banning schools from educating children in languages other than Ukrainian beyond the Primary school level came into being on September 1 but educators have until 2020 to fully implement it.

"The education law should be implemented gradually ... Two years is not enough, we must extend the transition period but use it to make the law work," Klimkin told Radio NV.

Ukraine has large Russian, Romanian and Hungarian minorities. The law has created a rift between Ukraine and its western EU neighbors, with Hungarian and Romanian governments accusing Kiev of violating ethnic minority rights.