The study by the ultimate Control Chamber on the implementation of the right to learn children from Ukraine in Polish schools shows something much more crucial than statistics, procedures and billions of PLN spent on their education. It shows that Poland has not turned its back on people in request of aid in the face of the top exile crisis in Europe since planet War II.Within a fewer months after the outbreak of the full-scale war, we created conditions for learning for hundreds of thousands of children, without refusing to accept any Ukrainian student to controlled schools. NIK assessed these actions positively.
When Russian rockets began to destruct Ukrainian cities, schools and homes, thousands of mothers with children found shelter in Poland. For many of these children the Polish school became the first place of normality after the war trauma. A place where they could go back to school, meet their peers and regain their sense of security.
There are more and more voices in the public debate questioning the point of supporting Ukrainian students. However, it is worth looking at this problem more broadly. Children are not liable for wars, political decisions or conflicts between states. They have the right to education, improvement and decent living. This is not only a evidence of global conventions, but above all a fundamental rule of humanity.
Poles know precisely what the failure of their homeland, forced emigration and the conflict to preserve their identity is. The past of our nation is full of experiences of war, business and exile. All the more reason to realize the drama of Ukrainian families who have found themselves in a akin situation.
Investment in the safety and future of Europe
Assistance to children from Ukraine is not just an act of solidarity. It is besides an investment in Europe's safety and future. A well-educated young generation will 1 day rebuild Ukraine after the war, make the economy, discipline and global cooperation. Depriving these children of access to education would hazard creating a lost generation marked by war trauma.
The NIK study confirms that the Polish education strategy has handled this challenge better than many could have expected. Of course, actions supporting Polish language learning, intellectual assistance and preparation of teachers for work in a multicultural environment are inactive needed. But the foundation was built.
In an increasingly divided world, it is worth remembering that the state's strength is not measured solely by the number of tanks, airplanes or budget size. It besides measures the ability to show solidarity to those in need. Poland passed this exam. And that is something to be arrogant of.
Let's not be indifferent
When we look at Ukrainian children sitting in Polish schools today, we see not only refugees. We besides see a warning. Even a fewer years ago, most of these families lived average lives in Kiev, Kharkiv, or Odessa. Many people were convinced that a full-scale war in the 21st century was impossible. The communicative turned out to be more violent.
Therefore, support for Ukrainian children besides has a very human dimension. We aid people who are in a situation we never want to experience ourselves. This does not mean an uncritical approach to all migration problems or aid costs. These things can and must be discussed. However, the basic position must not be lost: most of these children fled the war and did not come here by choice. The war took distant their average childhood, so Poland and Europe cannot deny them the right to education, safety and hope for the future.
Russia has been carrying out destabilizing activities against NATO's east flank countries for years: cyber attacks, misinformation, migration pressure, military provocations or intelligence operations. These are facts that cannot be forgotten. May Polish children never share the destiny of their Ukrainian peers.
Jolanta Chudak
Photo from the website of ladnebebe.pl
