Polish Schools Now Offer Ukrainian as a Final Exam Subject: A Historic Milestone.

Conference in Krakow

According to Espreso.tv: A conference held in Krakow in May 2026 focused on the linguistic assimilation of Ukrainian children across Europe, with particular attention to Poland. The event took place under the honorary patronage of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland. A key topic was the inclusion of Ukrainian language instruction in Polish schools, where students can now choose it for the state-administered final exam. For the first time, Polish school graduates took this exam in Ukrainian as a foreign language.

More than 100 scholars, teachers, researchers, education managers, and students from Poland, Ukraine, Austria, France, Italy, and Canada participated in the conference. Currently, Ukrainian is taught in ten Polish schools. The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation supported the development of a curriculum for teaching Ukrainian as a second foreign language in Poland. The event was also backed by the Donbas State Pedagogical University and the Department of Ukrainian Language at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University.

Speakers' Remarks

Pavlo Levchuk noted that

'Poland is the only country in Europe where teaching the Ukrainian language within the national education system is expanding.'

'With this comes a greater responsibility—to create standards, methodologies, curricula, and high-quality materials.'

During the conference, a free electronic textbook titled 'Ukrainian Every Day' was presented, aimed at further advancing language education for Ukrainian children in Poland. These initiatives reflect active efforts to support Ukrainian language and culture amid international integration.

The Krakow conference underscores the importance of fostering Ukrainian language and culture abroad, especially given the increasing presence of Ukrainian communities in Poland. Integrating Ukrainian into Poland's educational system represents a significant step toward preserving the cultural identity of Ukrainians living outside their homeland. This process also mirrors broader trends of Ukrainian diaspora integration into European society.