Radio Kraków reports that the classes for grades 1 to 11 are being held at a primary school in Kraków, which lent it spaces at a nominal cost. 26 salaries of Ukrainian teachers and a principal are covered by a foundation collaborating with UNICEF. A similar initiative has also been launched in Warsaw.

“Under our agreement with the Ukrainian education ministry, they [Ukrainian children] will receive diplomas,” – Victoria Gnap, the president of the Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation, told Gazeta Wyborcza.

It is estimated that around half of the Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Poland since February are children. Kraków’s population is experiencing a staggering increase of its population (+20%) due to the arrival of refugees. 

The Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation reports that the monthly cost of the school is about €90,000 (£77.000) for rent, meals for the children’s salaries, and the leasing of a bus to transport kids to school while their parents are at work. 

Maciej Żmuda, the chairman of Kraków’s fifth district, where the school is located, argues that the city should financially support the various schools making their rooms available for Ukrainian education. He has already announced his readiness to lobby the city council for this to happen.

As some Polish observers noted, it is worth keeping in mind that even though the Polish government is financing places for Ukrainian pupils at Polish public schools, it cannot allocate funds for Ukrainian schools without an international agreement.

Image: Unsplash

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen