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Polish history textbook for Ukrainian students

04.05.2022 23:00
Schools across Poland will soon be provided with a special history textbook for Ukrainian students, Polish Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek has announced.
Polands Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek speaks to reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.
Poland's Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek speaks to reporters in Warsaw on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.Twitter/Polish Ministry of Education and Science

The book, entitled A Guide to the History of Poland, was written by historians from the state-run Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), Czarnek told reporters as he unveiled the initiative on Wednesday.

The textbook has been published in Ukrainian with an initial print run of 8,000 copies, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

From 966 to the present

Czarnek told a news conference that the publication "covers the period from Poland’s conversion to Christianity in 966; through the later centuries, including the carnage of World War II; and right up to contemporary events, including Poland’s accession to NATO and the European Union, and the 2010 Smolensk air disaster, the biggest tragedy in recent Polish history.”

Containing 150 photographs and 20 maps, A Guide to the History of Poland offers “a general depiction of the spirit of the Polish nation … allowing refugees from Ukraine to learn about the history of Poland,” Czarnek said.

He added that the book would be distributed among schools that report demand.

“If the demand exceeds expectations, we’ll print more copies, although the primer can also be downloaded in electronic form,” he added.

200,000 students from Ukraine in Polish schools

Czarnek told reporters that the textbook was "addressed to the 600,000-700,000 Ukrainian children and youth who are currently staying in Poland.”

He added that “some 200,000 of them are already enrolled in Polish educational institutions, including 40,000 in preschools, 140,000 in primary schools and 20,000 in secondary schools.”

Wednesday was day 70 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Poland on Wednesday reported it had welcomed around 3.14 million refugees fleeing Russia's war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAPipn.gov.pl