site.btaOlena Berestetska of Izmail State University: Development and Preservation of National Minorities' Languages Is Priority

One of the directions in the activity of the Izmail State University of Humanities is the preparation of teachers in languages of the national minorities in secondary schools in Odesa Region. Olena Berestetska, a lecturer in Bulgarian language at the University, shares on the institution's website how the university community keeps in contact with the teachers in the region regarding the preservation of national minorities' languages as well as the building of new cooperation.

"The development and preservation of the languages of national minorities, along with the creation of conditions for the functioning of the state language, is one of the priority tasks of contemporary ethno-cultural policy in Ukraine. Bulgarian dialects, brought to the territory of Ukrainian Bessarabia almost 200 years ago, are a means of communication for the Bulgarian diaspora to this day," writes Berestetska. 

The language of Bessarabian Bulgarians is significantly influenced by other language formations in the region, but has retained the identity of its vocabulary and grammatical system, the university lecturer points out.

According to her, this language's further preservation and ensuring the national and cultural identity of the Bessarabian Bulgarian diaspora contributes to the inclusion of the modern Bulgarian language in the teaching of schools with students of Bulgarian origin. Despite the complexity of the ethno-cultural and national-linguistic processes, depending on the context of different historical events, the teaching of modern Bulgarian language in schools with Bulgarian ethnic contingent started from the moment of the establishment of the Ukrainian state and continues to this day, Berestetska notes.

"Our university has a great tradition of supporting teachers who teach language and literature to national minorities, as well as providing teaching staff for the region, including Bulgarian language teachers. Thanks to the launch in 1989 of the Bulgarian Language and Literature programme, a significant number of Bulgarian teachers were trained, who are still working today in general education schools," says Berestetska.

Sharing the activities of the Izmail State University of Humanities, she underscores that every year in April and November, the University's Centre for Continuing Education, under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Glushchuk, organizes training courses for teachers of Bulgarian language and literature with the participation of University scientific and pedagogical staff. 

In October 2024, lectures on the development of the lexical system of the modern Bulgarian language were delivered at Izmail State University within the course "Professional Development of Teachers in Languages and Literatures of National Minorities". 

The organisation of language Olympiads for pupils also contributes to raising the interest of the younger generation in mastering the modern Bulgarian language, Berestetska writes.