The Ukrainian Bilingual Program (UBP) is part of some Alberta school board's education.
Contents
History
In 1973 in Edmonton, Alberta, the Ukrainian Bilingual Program was created. It was introduced in the Edmonton Public School Board system beginning with a kindergarten class. The 2013–2014 academic school year was the final year for the program to operate in the Edmonton Public School Board district. Edgar Schmidt, superintendent of EPSB cut the program in May 2013 due to declining enrolment in public UBP elementary schools.
The UBP was also introduced into the Edmonton Catholic School District, with its first class starting in 1984. The program in the Edmonton Catholic School Board system celebrated its 40th anniversary in April 2015.
The Lakeland School District offered Ukrainian language education for over 20 years, based in Bonnyville, Alberta.
Community
Students from the UBP have met with students from Aboriginal student groups to share their histories of residential schools and the Holodomor (Ukrainian famine of 1932–33).
Locations of the Program
Although the UBP began in the Edmonton Public School district, it expanded to the Catholic Board about a decade later. The Program also expanded to the area surrounding Edmonton, to the Elk Island Public School District.
The program is currently available in the Edmonton Catholic school system and the Elk Island school system which includes schools in Sherwood Park, and Vegreville. The Elk Island Catholic system also provides the Ukrainian Bilingual Program in Sherwood Park.