Earlier this week, Poland’s Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek announced the readiness of Polish schools to welcome an additional 200,000 to 300,000 new pupils from war-torn Ukraine. 

The latter are to join Polish schools in the upcoming weeks, at the start of the 2022-2023 academic school year. Minister Czarnek also admitted that problems may be observed in larger cities, where too many pupils may apply to the same facilities.

Poland has been the primary destination for Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s attack in late February. It is estimated that around half of the refugees who arrived in Poland are children. From February to May, over 200,000 of them joined Polish schools.

“There is room for Ukrainian children, we are systemically preparing for this, we have a very flexible system created together with the leading authorities, with local governments” – Czarnek reassured during an interview given to Polskie Radio. 

In turn, several trade unions and schools principals argue that filling vacancies are becoming increasingly difficult, as some teachers are retiring or leaving in search of higher salaries.

According to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, there are close to 690,000 teachers in Poland as of 2022, and their number is shrinking by the thousands with every passing year. 

Image: 123RF/PICSEL

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen