The Consulate of Romania in Odesa announced the reopening of the first grade with teaching in Romanian in Orlivka, following diplomatic efforts

Grade I with instruction in Romanian at the school in Orlivka, Odesa region, will be reopened, and the seven re-enrolled children will resume classes on Monday, September 21. The decision was made following the efforts of the Consulate General of Romania in Odesa to ensure the continuity of education in the mother tongue.

Consul Claudiu Tătaru went to Orlivka to identify a solution together with the local authorities, the school management, the parents, and representatives of the Romanian community. The Teachers’ Council approved the reopening of the class, and the decision was subsequently validated by the local authority in Reni.

The case became public after the Romanian-language class had been closed just a few days after the start of the school year, and the students were to be transferred to a class taught in Ukrainian. The Consulate stated that the current solution preserves education in Romanian, but that it is temporary.

Romania and Ukraine have until September 1, 2027, to identify a durable institutional solution, in the context of Ukraine’s secondary education reform. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it is holding discussions in Bucharest and Kyiv to clarify the situation and protect the right of the historic Romanian community to study in its mother tongue.