The influx of refugees from Ukraine and changes in Polish educational policy: A case study of the National External Examinations System

Abstract Due to Russia's full‐scale invasion of Ukraine, 144,000 Ukrainian children enrolled in Polish schools for the 2022/2023 school year. Ukrainian schoolchildren, akin to Polish students, have the right to take the eighth grade exam and the matriculation exam, enabling further free education. Faced with the significant influx of school‐age refugee children into the examination system, we examined Polish national exam sheets to assess changes in the existence and content of elements related to Ukraine and Russia. Our analysis includes a review of formal procedures related to the examination system, along with a comparative analysis of examination sheets from selected subjects used in 2021 and 2023. We also conducted interviews with coordinators at the Central Examination Board. Our findings indicate that some affirmative actions were taken. Additionally, most analysed sheets demonstrated changes in the portrayal of Russia and Ukraine towards an absence of images with positive or neutral connotations with Russia. Context and implications Rationale for this study: The sudden and substantial influx of refugees from Ukraine presents an interesting case study regarding its impact of refugees on the national examination system. Ukrainian refugees, widely perceived in Poland as wronged by the aggressing state, offer an interesting avenue to explore the interplay between agency and structure in shaping the changes of image of Russia and Ukraine in Polish examination materials. The substantial influx of refugees presents a compelling case for examining the adaptation of state educational policies in response to refugee populations. Such studies are relatively rare, especially when we examine the influence of refugees on the state examination system. Why the new findings matter: Studies on refugee children within state education systems, particularly in the context of examination frameworks, are relatively rare. However, they are crucial for understanding the opportunities and barriers that affect refugee children's access to subsequent stages of education. Our research reveals intriguing affirmative policies aimed at facilitating refugees' integration into the examination system of another country. Additionally, it demonstrates how, due to agency dynamics, changes in the examination sheets occur, leading to enhancements in representing the refugees' country of origin while diminishing information about the aggressor country which can play a role in decreasing potential for PTSD syndrome among refugees. Implications for policy‐makers and general public: The findings of this study hold potential relevance for policymakers in other countries, as they illuminate potential adjustments to exam sheets in national external examinations. The paper enables an assessment of the impact of changes to the examination system on the well‐being of refugees and their subsequent adaptation to the host country. Moreover, the study elucidates the potential shifts in the portrayal of both the aggressor state and the affected state in scenarios where a substantial number of refugees participate in the examination system.