Ukrainian language dominates in schools, but Russian remains predominant language of youth's informal communication – survey

The Ukrainian language already dominates the educational process in Kyiv schools, but it has not yet fully become the language of informal communication among schoolchildren. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted among students of grades 8-12 by the standing committee of the Kyiv City Council on Education and Science, Youth and Sports.

"Ukrainian has won in the classroom, but it has not yet won the corridors of educational institutions. It is the language of the textbook, but it is not always the language of recess, jokes, friendship, and informal conversation," Sofia Rudanetska, secretary of the Kyiv City Youth Council under the Kyiv City Council, emphasized while presenting the results.

According to the survey, 95% of teachers speak predominantly or exclusively Ukrainian during lessons, which indicates the Ukrainian-language nature of the formal educational process in the capital. At the same time, the situation changes significantly after the bell rings: 32.3% of schoolchildren communicate predominantly or only in Russian during recesses, and 33.3% do so in a friendly environment outside of school.

The study participants called this the "recess effect or the bell effect," where the Ukrainian language is supported by classroom rules but loses ground in informal communication, during recesses, or in everyday life.

Particular attention was paid to the problem of language inconsistency among adults at school. According to the speakers, some educators use Ukrainian during lessons but switch to Russian or a bilingual format in after-hours communication, which creates a sense of double standards for teenagers.

"Students are not repelled by the Ukrainian language. Students are repelled by falsehood. When Ukrainian is spoken only ‘for the lesson’ or ‘for an official situation,’ but in live communication adults return to Russian, it undermines trust in language policy," noted Vadym Vasylchuk, chairman of the standing committee of the Kyiv City Council on education and science, youth and sports.

Among the main barriers to switching to Ukrainian, schoolchildren named the habit of communicating in another language (62.6%), a Russian-speaking family environment (46.7%), and the lack of a Ukrainian-speaking environment (37%).

The digital space was highlighted as a separate risk zone. Only 16.3% of schoolchildren consciously avoid Russian-language content on TikTok and Instagram Reels, while 30.1% are ready to subscribe to Russian-speaking creators if the content seems interesting.

At the same time, the results of the study demonstrate a positive dynamic: 36.8% of students reported that they have recently started using the Ukrainian language more, and only 3.2% said they use Russian more often.

During the event, it was also emphasized that young people do not reject Ukrainian. In particular, 57.4% of students would like to further improve their Ukrainian language skills, and more than half of those surveyed would use free online courses. At the same time, 55.2% of schoolchildren are unaware of existing language courses and platforms in Kyiv.