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Fake: Ukrainian children will no longer study Mathematics or Physics

There is false information circulating on social media claiming that the Ministry of Education in Ukraine has made a decision to eliminate certain subjects such as Mathematics and Physics from the curriculum as they are deemed unnecessary. This assertion is a deliberate lie and manipulation
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The Minister of Education, Oksen Lisovyi, actually did suggest that there should be discussions in Ukraine about the number of subjects being taught in schools. However, it’s important to note that he didn’t propose the elimination of mathematics or physics from the curriculum. 

 “Currently, in grades 7-9, children study approximately 20 subjects, which can be challenging to master even without additional stressors like online learning or a lack of necessary tools such as gadgets and adapted curricula. Given our current circumstances, it is pushing the limits of what is feasible. Ultimately, children tend to focus on the subjects they consider a priority. As a long-time director of the Small Academy of Sciences and a parent, I have observed this phenomenon,” Oksen writes.

According to him, the issue at hand is not so much the number of subjects being taught but rather how the curriculum is optimized, the amount of workload children receive both in class and at home, and the mode of learning being employed.

The resulting discussion was quite intense, with approximately 2,100 comments, over 4,000 likes, and hundreds of shares. 

The primary sources of the fake news are two junk websites: kyiv.ukrainianwall and Osvita-info, with the latter linking to the former. From there, it was picked up by various Facebook groups and their followers. The text on both websites is identical, suggesting that the misinformation was premeditated.

In the article’s main text, the authors contradict themselves by acknowledging that there is currently no decision made on the elimination of Physics and Mathematics from the curriculum. This suggests that they intentionally created a clickbait headline, likely with the intention of attracting curious readers to click on the link. Alternatively, their goal may have been to generate discord or to stir up public dissatisfaction with the government’s actions.

During an appearance on the 1+1 Snidanok program, the Minister of Education, Oksen Lisovyi, was asked if military training should be reintroduced into schools. He responded by saying that “now it may be possible to reintroduce these issues in light of Ukraine’s new goals and role”. However, he believes that “the number of subjects taught in schools should be rationalized and decreased instead of increased”. He underlined the need to strike a balance between the two.

The Minister was also asked about the possibility of canceling the mandatory External Independent Testing (EIT) in Mathematics “since it’s a specific subject and not everyone requires it for admission”. In response, he stressed that both Mathematics and the Ukrainian Language are compulsory subjects small logo

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Halyna Dolynna
Halyna Dolynna
editor of the English texts
АКТУАЛЬНІ НОВИНИ
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