Former ombudsman criticizes Zelensky for postponing Children’s Day
31 May 2025 06:59
Former education ombudsman Serhiy Gorbachev has publicly criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent decree to postpone the celebration of Children’s Day from June 1 to November 20, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The decision, announced just two days before the traditional date, caused a wave of outrage among educators, activists, and parents.
“I’m wondering: who was so ‘smart’ that they gave Zelensky the idea to sign a decree to postpone Children’s Day to November 20 today, two days before June 1?” Gorbachev wrote on social media.
In his opinion, this decision completely devalues the efforts of thousands of people who have been preparing in advance for events: charity fairs, exhibitions, excursions, and festive events. The date change, announced literally at the last minute, created chaos and called into question the logic of such a step.
“I can imagine now the explosion of emotions among thousands of people who were preparing various events for this date… But damn it, you can’t do that: cancel two days before the event,” Gorbachev is indignant.
Despite the presidential decree, the educational expert assumes that some of the organizers will not cancel the planned events. According to him, “those who are smarter and bolder will call it something else, for example, ‘The Beginning of Summer’ or ‘Children’s Summer’.”
Gorbachev draws special attention to wastefulness: many posters, invitations, and flyers have already been printed, and now they either contradict the presidential decree or are simply to be disposed of.
“How many more of these posters, programs, leaflets, flyers have been printed? And what should we do with them now? To celebrate is to violate the Presidential Decree. It’s a pity to throw them away: the money has been spent,” he is indignant.
Gorbachev also asks a rhetorical question: why couldn’t such a decision have been made after June 1, so as not to devalue the events that had already been prepared? In this case, he says, both the traditional and the new dates could have been celebrated this year.
“Are there no more pressing matters?” the former ombudsman concluded.
When is Children’s Day?
International Children’s Day (June 1) is mostly celebrated by countries with a post-Soviet past or those that support the tradition that began in 1949 in Moscow.
This date was common in the states of the former Soviet Union, such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, as well as in some other former or current communist states (e.g., Albania, Cuba, China).
In general, Children’s Day is celebrated on June 1 in 25 countries that regained independence from the USSR or seceded from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as in Czechoslovakia and Ethiopia after their splits.
World Children’s Day (November 20) is a global holiday supported by the United Nations and UNICEF and is celebrated in many countries around the world, including those that have acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Some countries have their own celebration dates associated with local traditions or historical events.
