The University of Silesia in Katowice has developed a project and an educational offer for nearly 360 Ukrainian citizens who crossed the Polish border after 24 February 2022 under the University Language Centre. The GZM Metropolis has allocated PLN 500,000 towards 30 free-of-charge, intensive Polish language courses.
“The Metropolis offers long-term support for migrants from Ukraine. We have been launching assistance mechanisms so they can live independently in our cities and municipalities”, says Kazimierz Karolczak, Chair of GZM Metropolis.
“Our new neighbours show a large potential, therefore, the Metropolis and its municipalities need to create good conditions for its development. Knowledge of the Polish language is extremely important in establishing close connections in their neighbourhoods and handling day-to-day matters in various institutions. It also serves as a basis for finding one’s place in the labour market and taking advantage of the development opportunities offered by local companies. Mastering the language is the key for Ukrainian youth to achieve good educational outcomes in schools and universities”, adds Kazimierz Karolczak.
All Ukrainian refugees of legal age who crossed the Polish border after 24 February 2022 and currently reside within the GZM Metropolis can take part in the courses offered by the University Language Centre.
The registration is ongoing and can be done using the registration form available at www.formularze.us.edu.pl/uckj.
“Since the start of the war, our University has been supporting not only the Ukrainian students but also their families, employees, and every other person who found shelter within our walls”, says Katarzyna Trynda, PhD, Associate Professor of the University of Silesia.
“The School of Polish Language and Culture conducts Polish language courses on a large scale; we are implementing the NAWA programme for study candidates, students, and doctoral students who came to us from the country engulfed by war. It is hard to imagine the University, which does not try to meet the needs of other people while having both the staff equipped with suitable substantive and organisational competencies as well as the infrastructure. This is why we have declared a possibility to assist war refugees with their language needs and taken up this challenge in hopes that the language competencies acquired by the course participants will allow them to better adapt to the country they are now living in due to the war taking place in their homeland”, says Katarzyna Trynda, PhD, Assistant Professor.
Course participants are taught in 12-person groups and at the same time have an opportunity to get to know each other better and integrate more effectively.
The courses involve 60 hours of on-site classes with experienced, credited Polish language teachers and examiners, specialists in Polish glottodidactics, i.e. teaching the Polish language as a foreign language, who are simultaneously academics cooperating with the School of Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia and having teaching qualifications required by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange.
Currently, the first two groups are already taking part in the courses.
The courses are carried out on site at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Silesia at ul. Uniwersytecka 4 in Katowice, but if need be – the University can also organise classes for particular groups on university campuses in Sosnowiec or Chorzów.
The course programme includes content providing participants with skills in the basics of communication. After completing the course, the participants will receive a certificate confirming completion of the course containing the specified number of class hours they participated in.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the University of Silesia in Katowice undertakes a series of aid activities aimed at Ukrainian citizens. More information is available at us.edu.pl/en/category/pomoc-dla-ukrainy/ and us.edu.pl/en/uniwersytet-slaski-dla-ukrainy/.
