The Future Perfect project is officially aimed at making English the language of international communication in Ukraine, opening up new opportunities for every Ukrainian – from professional to personal development – helping them compete in the global market, and receiving a high salary.
“The government plans to launch a comprehensive and accessible program for learning the English language, open to everyone regardless of their financial status or place of residence. It will offer an individualized approach and open access to educational resources. This was announced during the presentation of the national program for the popularization of the English language in Ukraine. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted the project of the law to the Parliament officially recognizing English as the language of international communication in Ukraine. Ukrainians who are proficient in English already have advantages in the job market, including higher salaries, more career opportunities, the ability to progress more quickly, and the capacity to acquire new skills if needed. Ukrainians are creating competitive products and services capable of conquering the world. The English language will be the driving force behind their advancement, the key to success, and the guarantee of self-realization for thousands of people,” said Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.
The transformation of the status of English as the language of international communication in Ukraine is an important step towards EU membership, which will increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian business, science, education, innovation and government. That is why the President of Ukraine initiated the launch of the Future Perfect national program, which will create demand for the English language among Ukrainians. The language program will be coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
«The President announced a specific goal for the GDP of Ukraine – a trillion dollar economy. And our goal is to increase the country’s income by more than 5 times. For us, innovative companies with high added value that will cost billions should be created. They are created by people who learn quickly, gain new knowledge and skills. One of the steps to achieve this goal is knowledge of the English language. 56% of Ukrainians want to improve their foreign language skills. The Future Perfect program will be one of the drivers of change along this path. So that Ukrainians can speak a common language with the world, to exchange experience and share innovative ideas», says Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology – Minister of Digital Transformation.
The Future Perfect language program will help expand the use of the English language in public spheres of social life, stimulate language learning for each of the groups: educators, civil servants, entrepreneurs, citizens and local self-government bodies. This will help create a favorable language climate for everyone who lives and works in Ukraine.
“The functioning of English as the language of international communication in Ukraine must be regulated at the state level. Therefore, the MCIP, in cooperation with other departments, has developed a corresponding project of the law, which will expand the scope of application of the English language and create conditions for its mastery. The law establishes two key aspects; it imposes restrictions while also providing new opportunities. When developing this law, our primary goal was to establish motivational factors that would encourage civil servants to learn the English language. The legislation does not demand an immediate mastery of the language as we understand that this process takes time. Therefore, specific deadlines are set for all requirements in the law. Additionally, the project of the law explicitly states that it does not limit the use of the Ukrainian language. Overall, the adoption of this law will strengthen our cultural diplomacy and help promote Ukraine on the international stage, creating opportunities for the creative development of our artists,” stated Rostyslav Karandieiev, the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
The Future Perfect program offers products and services to assist in learning English in convenient and accessible formats. Two of these are Empower and Promova. Promova, a language learning platform with a personalized approach, offers Ukrainians Premium access to all language courses for 3 years. And the online platform for learning English Empower from the University of Cambridge is available for Ukrainian teachers and students.
«Our global goal is to strengthen Ukraine, Ukrainians and everything Ukrainian, in particular by entering the global market. And the English language is one of the necessary tools for this. Currently, 49% of surveyed Ukrainians do not have any English language skills. And this suggests that about half of the surveyed citizens may lose additional opportunities that could be used both for personal development and for the development of the state. This gap can be filled in particular by the changes in education. Therefore, at the state level, we will promote the study of the English language at all levels of education and at any age, starting with preschoolers», said Oksen Lisovyi, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Businesses, organizations and initiatives that help Ukrainians learn English can join the Future Perfect program. From now on, you can become part of the program with your project by sending proposals to the e-mail: [email protected]
You can find more detailed information about the language program at the following link: https://osvita.diia.gov.ua/future-perfect
The Future Perfect language program is implemented by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, with the support of the USAID / UK Aid project «Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services / TAPAS» and the Eastern Europe Foundation. The project partner is the international technology company Mastercard.
