The so-called occupation “power” obliges teachers in the occupied territories of Ukraine to sign a document on their readiness to teach children according to the Russian school curriculum.
Source: Teachers who are under occupation in southeast of Ukraine
According to the teachers, the occupiers threaten them with dismissal and even eviction from their own homes if they do not cooperate.
The situation unfolding around the issue of the beginning of the new school year puts teachers in the occupation at a dead end because the occupiers force them to resort to actions that the Ukrainian authorities consider to be collaboration, for which criminal liability is provided.
They said that around mid-June newly appointed local authorities told them they had until 21 July either to sign a document certifying their readiness to follow the Russian school curriculum or resign, with many of them being threatened with eviction from their homes.
At the same time, the educational ombudsman of Ukraine, Serhii Gorbachov, believes that prosecutors should take into account the circumstances of such cooperation.
“We must distinguish very clearly whether a person was forced to work under pressure or even at the risk of life, or whether he/she voluntarily cooperated, or whether there was an initiative to cooperate,” the ombudsman said.
See also: Ukraine appealed to the UN ICJ and demands from Russia full compensation for the damages caused
