The United Kingdom has issued an apology to Ukrainian child refugees who were directed to pursue Russian language qualifications in English schools due to the absence of an alternative Ukrainian option. Schools Minister Georgia Gould acknowledged that students faced pressure to study Russian GCSE and expressed regret that they were placed in such circumstances.
In response to years of advocacy from the Ukrainian government and community organizations representing over 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the country, the Department for Education has funded development of a new GCSE in Ukrainian. The AQA exam board is overseeing the qualification’s development with a £340,000 grant, with the program expected to be available in England in 2028. The initiative follows a 2024 communication from Ukraine’s education ministry expressing concern that Ukrainian students were being pressured to take Russian GCSE examinations.
Gould framed the decision as part of broader British support for Ukraine, stating that the government remains committed to backing the Ukrainian people through both military and cultural measures. Ukraine’s education minister Andrii Butenko expressed gratitude for the initiative, noting that it would provide Ukrainian children displaced by Russia’s military aggression equal opportunity to study their native language at the GCSE level.
Several Ukrainian students welcomed the announcement. Former refugee Vitalii Andronik, who was urged to study Russian at age 15, praised the apology and new qualification as recognition of trauma experienced by displaced youth. Sixteen-year-old Sofiia Chonka, who fled to London in June 2024, described the development as significant progress, though she expressed disappointment at the time elapsed before implementation.
Ina Hryhorovych, head of St Mary’s Trust, which operates a network of 13 Ukrainian-language schools in the UK, indicated plans to pursue A-level qualifications in Ukrainian next. Gould noted that exam boards had expressed hesitation about developing qualifications for smaller student populations, but the government provided financial resources to make the program viable. She also encouraged British students to pursue the qualification as an expression of solidarity with Ukraine.
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