Ukrainian schools and educational studios abroad play a crucial role in preserving the cultural and national roots of Ukrainian children, especially those growing up in mixed families and outside their homeland. The knowledge they acquire not only strengthens their sense of identity but also contributes to the development of bilateral relations between countries.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Nariman Dzhelyal said this during the opening of the new academic year at the Ukrainian Saturday School in Ankara, Ukrinform reports.
“School is the beginning, the starting point for any person. It shapes the understanding of who you are and what your place in the world is. It gives coordinates and a sense of how a child – and later an adult – should feel in life. For children abroad, especially those whose parents are of different nationalities, it is very important to know that alongside the identity of their country of residence, they also have Ukrainian roots,” he said.
“Here in Turkey, such children are a ‘bridge’ of friendship between our countries. They represent potential for developing partnership and good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Turkey. As a state, we must help them in this – to support their bilingualism and biculturalism,” Dzhelyal said.
The diplomat also expressed the view that the possibility of dual citizenship would allow these children to feel more confident.
“I am sure we will reach a situation where these children will formally be able to be both citizens of Ukraine and citizens of Turkey, because the world is moving in this direction and they should feel free in both of their countries,” he said.
The new academic year at the Ukrainian Saturday School in Ankara, which operates under the Ukrainian Union in Ankara, began on October 4. Enrollment is open for two age groups: children aged 3-5 and those aged 6 and older.
Photos: Olga Budnyk / Ukrinform
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