Ukrainian refugee forced to leave British college after refusing to study Russian, - Guardian
A scandal has erupted in the United Kingdom over a Ukrainian refugee who was forced to leave college after refusing to study Russian.
This was reported by The Guardian, according to Censor.NET.
According to the publication, 19-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna Endeberia lives in Stoke-on-Trent in western England. In 2023, she entered a local college, where she studied economics, politics and statistics.
Problems at college
According to the girl, when she had difficulties with certain subjects, teachers repeatedly suggested that she study Russian instead. Kateryna, whose father serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, called such suggestions "hurtful and insensitive", akin to "discrimination and racism" and a traumatic experience in general.
As a result, she left the educational institution and is now studying at home, using her friends' notes. Kateryna plans to take her exams as a private candidate in 2026.
In an interview with the publication, the girl said that she was born in Donetsk, and therefore learning Russian contradicts her personal principles:"It’s not a language I want to speak or study because my father became a soldier last year. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom – it feels like my third home [after Ukraine and the Czech Republic, where she initially moved]. But not everyone realises how challenging it can be for Ukrainian students to adapt to a new education system, culture and language after everything our country has gone through."
Kateryna also stated that she had difficulties with certain subjects and felt bullied because of her accent. According to her, the college did not provide additional support, but instead insisted that she take a Russian language course. "Rather than offering empathy or help, they continued to insist that I change subjects. No one tried to understand how painful this experience was for me," she said.
Complaint against an educational institution
The Ukrainian girl is currently in the process of filing an official complaint against the educational institution. The college itself declined to comment on the situation, citing confidentiality reasons.
As The Guardian notes, the Ukrainian government had previously been in talks with London about allowing refugee teenagers to take their final exams in Ukrainian. This came amid reports of Ukrainian students in Britain being encouraged or forced to learn Russian because of their existing basic knowledge of the language.
