Publication by an educator has sparked a lively discussion on social media.
Volodymyr Ogura / © Facebook of Volodymyr Ogura
Former head of the Lviv education department, and now director of the private school “Eрудит” (Erudite), Volodymyr Ogura, has caused a major scandal with a public statement about refusing to hire female candidates due to their beliefs, appearance, religious attributes, and sexual orientation.
This is stated in the educator’s post on the social network Facebook.
Feminists, lesbians, women in hijabs, and people with tattoos
In his post, Ogura cited a series of stories from interviews with job applicants at the school. He mentioned that he refused candidates who, according to him, demonstrated feminist views, had piercings, dyed hair, tattoos, or belonged to the LGBT community.
The school principal also specifically mentioned a woman in Muslim attire and a hijab, stating that he would not allow her to teach in such attire due to the institution’s internal rules.
At the end of the post, he outlined his own criteria for employment.
“Want to work in my school? No tattoos, colored hair, metal items on the body, religious signs, sexual orientation, or political preferences. These are the rules. Who set them? Me!” stated Volodymyr Ogura.
The publication quickly spread across the network and garnered hundreds of comments and reposts.
Gender expert calls for school license review
One of the most prominent reactions came from Tamara Zlobina, head of the NGO “Expert Resource ‘Gender in Detail’.”
On her Facebook page, she stated that the school principal had “gathered all possible stereotypes, hate speech, and arrogance,” and also questioned the safety of the environment for children.
“The hiring rules and curriculum are determined not by His Majesty, but by laws. This needs to be addressed within the legal framework. At the very least, the license for this school should be reviewed,” wrote Zlobina.
Ogura: I am not discriminating against people, I am against propaganda
In a comment to the publication ZAXID.NET, Volodymyr Ogura rejected accusations of discrimination and explained that he had merely shared his own experiences and views.
According to him, the issue is not with people’s preferences or worldview, but with their public display at school.
“Left-wing ideas, which have strongly gripped the world, are not just promoted, but sometimes imposed. I do not like this because it forces the distortion of reality. Any propaganda is harmful,” stated the director.
He also emphasized that the institution has the same rules for both students and educators: dress code, prohibition of accessories, and the display of religious or political preferences.
Lviv OVA suggests the scandal could be advertising for the school
Oleh Paska, head of the Education and Science Department of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, called the situation ambiguous.
In his opinion, the resonant post could be a form of disguised advertising for the private educational institution and a way to demonstrate the school’s value system to parents.
“The director expressed what values his school is guided by in this way. However, many parents might like this approach,” noted the official.
At the same time, he recalled that all educational institutions operate under licenses, and the State Service for Quality Education has the right to conduct inspections and, in the presence of violations, initiate issues regarding their review.
Will the scandal have legal consequences?
According to Oleh Paska, the public statements of the director could also be responded to by the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights.
Currently, the discussion surrounding Volodymyr Ogura’s statements continues on social media, where users are debating the boundaries of private school autonomy, an employer’s right to set internal rules, and the acceptability of such statements in the public sphere.
We remind you that during “KyivPride,” in support of equal rights for the LGBTK+ community, opponents of the march trampled on the rainbow flag.
Subsequently, a student who desecrated the LGBTK+ community flag publicly apologized for her actions. The girl explained her behavior by a different “vision of the institution of family.”
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