Trade Union Appeal: Terror of teachers in Ukraine

The Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine addresses the international community to draw the attention of the world to the terrorist actions that are happening in Ukraine in the education sphere during this ruthless war.

Since the very beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine educators in the temporarily occupied cities of Eastern Ukraine have been under constant terrorizing pressure of russian forces. The russian occupiers are violating the fundamental rights to life, health and work of the citizens of Ukraine. They began to use coercion and terror against Ukrainian teachers, force them to cooperate at gunpoint.

According to the statement of mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, and reports of our regional organizations, in Melitopol the russian forces kidnapped the head of the education department after the department and teachers refused to perform orders to overhaul the curriculum. Occupiers were trying to impose changes in what and how schools taught, with the aim to restart classes in Russian language already on April 1. Teachers sabotaged these demands of the occupiers. According to witnesses, the russian soldiers entered the houses of heads of education establishments, intimidated them and ordered to take part in a meeting with the newly appointed "fake” head of the education department on March 30. 18 heads of educational establishments located in Melitopol have written resignation letters in order to avoid cooperation with the enemies.

Similar cases occur in the newly occupied cities and villages of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as in the Kherson region. We appeal to our partners, international organizations, all international community with a request to help stop the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, to stop the pressure and repressions of Ukrainian teachers by russian forces.

We call the educators from all over the world to support colleagues in Ukraine by addressing your governments with the request to provide everything needed for our state to protect its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, to increase the pressure on the aggressor with sanctions and refuse to cooperate with it!

In solidarity,

Georgiy Trukhanov

President

Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine