Children and Forced Migration: Education as a Tool for the Integration of Refugees from Ukraine in Poland

Abstract

The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022 led to one of the largest waves of forced migration in Europe since World War II. Millions of Ukrainian citizens, including a significant number of school-aged children and adolescents, were forced to leave their homes in search of safety, protection, and support in neighboring countries, including Poland. The influx of refugee children posed an unprecedented challenge to the Polish education system—the urgent and effective integration of hundreds of thousands of students with experiences of forced migration. This article aims to analyse the role of education as a key tool for the social integration of children with refugee experience into Polish society, as well as the barriers associated with it. In particular, it focuses on the impact of forced migration on children's functioning in the school environment. The article identifies the main elements and barriers to the integration process, such as the mental state of students, the preparation of teaching staff, language difficulties and the social attitudes of the host country. 

Keywords: education, integration, forced migration, students with refugee experience, Ukraine.