Nearly 300,000 Ukrainian Children Attend Polish Schools and Kindergartens

The number of Ukrainian children attending schools and kindergartens in Poland currently stands at 286,534, according to information released by the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland, as reported by Rzeczpospolita.

As per the publication, the count of Ukrainians in Polish schools and kindergartens is significantly higher than previously indicated by the Central Statistical Office of Poland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. Out of this total, 183,461 students from Ukraine arrived in Poland after the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion and hold refugee status. An additional 103,073 students are children of Ukrainian citizens who were residing in Poland before the invasion but do not have refugee status.

The ministry's statistics reveal differences between the two groups. For instance, the majority of Ukrainian students who arrived in Poland before the full-scale invasion are enrolled in gymnasiums (secondary schools) — nearly 39,000, while another 32,000 are in primary schools.

Among refugees, over 11,000 students are studying in gymnasiums, and almost 113,000 are in primary schools. Additionally, 42,500 Ukrainian children, including 28,000 refugees, are enrolled in kindergartens.

"I am pleased that the government has finally decided to count how many Ukrainian students are actually in Polish schools because, regardless of whether they arrived before or after the Russian invasion, they are students with special educational needs," says Dr. Andrzej Witkowski, President of the Civil Education Center, a non-governmental organization conducting research on Ukrainian students in Polish schools.

Dr. Witkowski urges the new government to take care of Ukrainian children who are not covered by the Polish education system. According to him, Ukrainian children not attending Polish schools theoretically study through a distance learning system in Ukraine, but this is not verified.

According to Myroslav Skirka, President of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland, Polish schools should offer Ukrainian children more than just language lessons. "Online lessons, introduced initially due to the pandemic and then the war, have a poor effect, and this is increasingly discussed in Ukraine. Children grow isolated, without socialization. Ukrainian children need integration but also the preservation of identity, so they feel good here, not inferior. Ukrainian language and culture lessons are needed," notes Myroslav Skirka.

As a reminder, the European Union completed all necessary procedures to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees for one year, starting from March 4, 2024, to March 4, 2025. The proposal to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians who fled Russia's aggression against Ukraine was put forward by the European Commission on September 19, and political agreements among the interior ministers of EU countries were reached on September 28.