On 26 October, the High School held a roundtable discussion on the Day of Ukrainian Literature and Language entitled “Ukrainian Language in Public Governance: Tools for Implementation”.

“This is a significant holiday for our country,” said Yuliia Lykhach, Director of the High School, in her welcoming speech, “because language is the mental code of any nation, the core of any national culture. And the culture of speech is one of the most important indicators of a society’s civilisation. Perfect knowledge of the culture of speech is an important component of the training for public servants. And a high level of language culture of public servants is a factor in the further development of society as a whole.”

The roundtable included a presentation of the Сenter for Professional Development in the State Language Competencies of the High School, which is aimed at improving the level of proficiency in the state language by public servants and local government officials.

According to the head of the Centre, Viktoria Verzun, more than 30,000 people have improved their level of proficiency in the state language since 2017. The High School has developed 18 general short-term programmes. 13 of them were implemented in 2023. These include a practical course in the Ukrainian language, a Ukrainian language workshop, language and style features of professional speech of public servants, business Ukrainian in public governance, language manipulation, and others.

Inna Plotnytska, Oksana Sokolova and Tetiana Bondarenko, teachers of the Centre, spoke about the content and features of the programmes.

Two new manuals, “Writing official letters in the sphere of governance” and “Organisational and administrative documents”, were also presented, authored by the teachers of the Centre for Professional Development of the State Language of the Higher School.

The manual “Writing of official letters in the sphere of management” is focused on the formation of knowledge on official correspondence and their use in practice in public administration. The development considers the specifics of business correspondence, identifies the basic requirements for the creation and design of a business letter, analyses the use of typical speech patterns and clichés. It also presents communication strategies for electronic business correspondence.

The “Organisational and administrative documents” textbook discusses the peculiarities of written business speech, details and rules for document preparation. It also provides examples of business documents for editing.

The manuals are intended for programme participants, public servants, entrepreneurs – anyone interested in the rules of business paperwork and wishing to improve their language skills. Subsequently, the manuals will be posted on the official website of the High School for free access.

Since September 2023, the High School of Public Governance has been designated as an authorised institution where officials from all over Ukraine can take an exam to determine their level of proficiency in the state language. Ihor Khrebtii, Head of the Centre for Evaluating Applicants for Public Service Positions, which is the venue for the exam, spoke about the Centre’s activities and the specifics of the exam.

By the way, this year the School signed a Memorandum of Partnership and Cooperation with the National Commission for State Language Standards, which provides, among other things, for the development and implementation of joint programmes, teaching materials, and modern educational technologies for the training of public servants to improve their proficiency in the state language.

The activities of a public servant require not only professional competence, but also practical skills in oral and written communication, extensive language practice, and the ability to accurately express concepts and categories in various areas of governance at all levels. The High School of Public Gocernance is open to new ideas, technologies and innovations in the implementation of professional training programmes for civil servants. It is working to ensure the highest possible quality and practical orientation of these educational programmes.