Beginning next year, France’s Ministry of National Education and Youth will launch a pilot program introducing Ukrainian as a second foreign language in the country’s colleges and lyceums.
The news was announced by Ukraine’s Ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“For the past several years, the embassy has worked on making Ukrainian available as a second foreign language. Our diplomats maintained ongoing contact with the Ministry of National Education and developed a strong case in support of this initiative. And now, we have achieved a result,” Omelchenko stated at the All-French Conference of Ukrainian School Representatives held in Nice.
He stressed that this decision marks an important step toward broader recognition of the Ukrainian language within the French education system.
Throughout the approval process, the embassy actively collaborated with France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as well as members of the National Assembly.
Omelchenko clarified that the pilot program will begin in 2025 and will initially be implemented in four academic districts: the Paris Region, Alpes-Maritimes (which includes Nice), Versailles, and Creteil. These areas currently host the largest number of Ukrainian children living in France under temporary protection.
France’s Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research, Elisabeth Borne, has already sent a formal letter to Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, regarding the initiative.
By the end of 2024, there were 22 Ukrainian educational and cultural centers operating across France, up from just five prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion. Most of these now function as weekend schools focused on teaching Ukrainian language, literature, history, and fostering creative development.
Source: French schools to offer Ukrainian as second foreign language
