Lawyer Igor Feshchenko stated that parents of children who speak Russian during breaks at school may face fines ranging from 850 to 1700 hryvnias. He shared this information in a comment to Times of Ukraine.
He pointed out that passing the new bill, which has the support of the Ministry of Education, will be challenging. This will impose an additional burden on parents, both psychologically and financially.
The lawyer asserted that if the bill is eventually adopted and signed by the president, there will be no penalties for children under the age of 14. Parents will be held accountable for teenagers aged 14 to 16.
"Fines ranging from 850 to 1700 hryvnias are stipulated for this," the lawyer said.
According to him, children aged 16 and older will be responsible for their own violations.
Feshchenko mentioned that school staff, including teachers, will be responsible for recording violations and reporting them to the principal. At that point, the school administration may draft complaints and forward them to the language ombudsman.
"Currently, the issue of documenting these violations is not very well regulated," the lawyer stated.
It was previously reported that the Ministry of Education and Science supported the ban on communicating in Russian during breaks in schools. As noted by the bill's author, MP Natalia Pipa, children will not be punished or scolded for using Russian during breaks; however, the document will require founders, leaders, and staff of educational institutions to create and maintain a Ukrainian-speaking environment.