Ukraine's school reform threatens Romanian-language lyceums in Cernăuţi region
The 2027 Ukrainian education overhaul will convert only 15 of 44 Romanian-language secondary schools into 12-grade academic lyceums, leaving the rest as middle schools and raising fears of accelerated Ukrainianisation.
Beginning in 2027, Ukraine will replace its 11-year Soviet system with a 12-year European model, but only 15 of the 44 Romanian-language or bilingual secondary schools in the Cernăuţi region will meet criteria to become academic lyceums. The remaining 29 will be downgraded to gymnasiums, prompting concerns among the Romanian minority that the change will speed Ukrainianisation and force pupils to travel farther, as illustrated by Maria and Alisa from Suceveni who must now attend a school 10 km away.
Ukrainian officials stress that the overall number of Romanian-language institutions will remain at 63 and that new school buses have been bought to ensure access within 30 km. Romania has asked Kyiv to postpone the reform for Romanian schools and to protect minority education rights. A pilot bilingual lyceum in Crasna shows a different model, yet community leaders fear such shifts could eventually erode Romanian-language instruction.
Why it matters
The reform impacts the Romanian minority's right to education in their mother tongue.
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