135,000 HRYVNIAS FOR KNOWING UKRAINIAN

The First International Children’s Contest of Ukrainian Language Experts, started by Toronto-based Petro Jacyk Educational Foundation, Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Education, and the Ukrainian League of Philanthropists, has completed its work. The first three prizes will be presented to the winners at Ukrayina [Ukraine] Palace on May 22, the Day of Ukrainian Literacy. Ukrainian language school pupils placing from fourth to ninth received their awards on Taras Shevchenko’s birthday (March 9) at Kyiv’s House of the Teacher.

The first prizes in various age categories range from four to seven thousand hryvnias, second prize from three to six thousand, and third one from 1500 to 5000 (the sums vary according to the child’s age). What was special about this contest is awarding money prizes to the top nine in all categories. The total sum of the prizes is 135,450 hryvnias.

As the Director of the Science and Methodical Center of Secondary Education of the Ministry of Culture and Education Oleksandr LIASHENKO told The Day, “More than 200,000 students from the second to eleventh grades in almost 12,000 schools took part in the contest. It is interesting that the winners represent all the Ukrainian oblasts without exception. The best results were achieved by schoolchildren from Sumy and Kyiv oblasts, and also from Kyiv city. Children from the Ukrainian diaspora in Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the USA, Greece, Moldova, Poland, and other countries also took part. The number of countries itself speaks well for the world prestige of the Ukrainian language. The contest will continue next academic year starting in October 2001. Some new nominations will be introduced: best composition, best command of the language, etc.”

During the celebration the guests stressed that knowledge of Ukrainian gives the Ukrainian nation a way to become consciousness of itself. The idea was that only by coming together and becoming conscious of our core interests, will we be able to represent and fittingly protect our nation’s interests in a globalized world. “The contest strengthens the children’s will to study the Ukrainian language and know it better. It is good that we have such an encouragement. Every child dreams of glory. I also want to be known not only in Ukraine but abroad, so that thanks to me people of the whole world would learn about Ukraine,” one of the contestants, Natalia Polesia, said.

The father of Yuliya Tyralska from Sumy suggested that such contests be held not only in Ukrainian but also in other subjects, because they develop children’s creativity and promote the formation of independent thinking.