The Institute of Political Studies and Social Capital in Chernivtsi is launching the project “Romanian-Language Education in Ukraine: Between the Normative Framework and the Reality in Schools (EDU-RO-UA)”, a research initiative dedicated to analysing the current situation of Romanian-language education in the Chernivtsi, Odesa and Zakarpattia regions.
The project is funded by the Department for Romanians Abroad and will be implemented between 1 May and 1 December 2026. Its objective is to carry out an independent, comparative and multidisciplinary study on the way in which the right to education in Romanian is reflected in legislation, institutional documents and, above all, in the reality of schools.
The initiative responds to an increasingly important need for the Romanian community in Ukraine: the lack of updated, comparable and verified data on the functioning of Romanian-language education in the three historical regions inhabited by Romanians. In the context of the war, educational reforms, demographic changes, migration and the reorganisation of the school network, mother-tongue education remains one of the most sensitive dimensions of preserving linguistic and cultural identity.
The project will analyse the normative and institutional framework, administrative data on the school network, the curriculum, textbooks, educational resources, as well as the direct experiences of actors involved in the educational process. The research will include semi-structured interviews with school principals, teachers, parents, pupils, representatives of local authorities and the associative sector, as well as field observations in the targeted communities.
Through this approach, IPSSC aims to provide a balanced and empirically grounded picture of the relationship between the legal framework and concrete educational practices. The study does not seek to validate a political position, but to identify, on the basis of data, the strengths, vulnerabilities, bottlenecks and examples of good practice in the Romanian-language education system in Ukraine.
The main outcome of the project will be an analytical report-brochure, printed in 1,000 copies, which will include an analysis of the situation on the ground and a set of recommendations addressed to institutions in Ukraine and Romania, local authorities, the associative sector and relevant educational actors. The conclusions of the research will be disseminated to the community, institutional partners, the media and decision-makers.
“Romanian-language education is one of the main guarantees of the identity continuity of the Romanian community in Ukraine. Through this project, we aim to move beyond general perceptions and political controversies and provide an analysis based on documents, data and realities observed on the ground,” said Marin Gherman, Director of the Institute of Political Studies and Social Capital and coordinator of the project.
The Institute of Political Studies and Social Capital is an analytical centre based in Chernivtsi, specialised in research in the fields of political science, sociology, international relations, geopolitics and communication sciences. In recent years, IPSSC has carried out several studies dedicated to the Romanian community in Ukraine, including sociological research on the needs, challenges and identity transformations of Romanians in Chernivtsi, Odesa and Zakarpattia.
The project “Romanian-Language Education in Ukraine: Between the Normative Framework and the Reality in Schools (EDU-RO-UA)” is implemented with the support of the Department for Romanians Abroad. The content of the materials produced within the project does not necessarily represent the official position of the funder.