UK to Launch a New Ukrainian GCSE: First Teaching From September 2028 to Help Young Ukrainians Keep Their Language and Heritage
The UK Department for Education announced on November 4 that pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to study for a new Ukrainian GCSE, helping Ukrainians preserve a vital connection to their language, culture and identity while opening pathways to future education and employment for all pupils.
The qualification will be open to all, and marks a particularly significant milestone for Ukrainian children and young people living in the UK, who for the first time will be able to maintain proficiency in their home language and celebrate an important part of who they are through the education system. The UK government said the move is part of its enduring support for the Ukrainian community and is intended to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the two countries.
The Ukrainian GCSE is expected to be available for first teaching in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from September 2028, with first assessments taking place in 2029. In line with other modern foreign language GCSEs, it will assess listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, while also recognising the cultural and historical contexts that shape the Ukrainian language. Exam board AQA will now begin the next phase of development, bringing together language and subject experts to design the qualification.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said: "As they build their lives here in the UK, it is right that Ukrainians and their children should have every opportunity to maintain that connection to their heritage and to be proud of who they are." She said the new qualification will give pupils the chance to develop their language skills and celebrate Ukraine's rich culture and history, while opening pathways to future study and employment and strengthening the partnership with Ukraine.
Lord Stewart Wood, Minister for Europe, said the introduction of a Ukrainian GCSE is a powerful symbol of the deep and enduring bonds between the two countries, giving young Ukrainians in the UK the opportunity to celebrate their language and heritage while gaining a qualification that recognises their skills. Andrii Butenko, Ukraine's Minister of Education and Science, said the qualification had long been called for by the Ukrainian community in the UK, that British schools opened their doors to thousands of Ukrainian children following the start of Russia's full-scale war of aggression, and that Ukraine welcomes the UK government's step towards giving Ukrainian children a genuine choice in their education while respecting their identity.
AQA Chief Executive Colin Hughes said AQA is pleased to be working with the Department for Education to develop the new GCSE in Ukrainian, which will give young people, including those displaced by the war, an opportunity to gain formal recognition for their knowledge of Ukrainian.
The announcement builds on the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership and the UK-Ukraine Schools Partnership, which has expanded to include more than 300 schools across both nations. It comes after the government announced that the UK will give a further £10 billion of economic and military support to Ukraine, in the largest ever package of financial backing for the country.
(Source: Department for Education)
Source: Department for Education
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：英国教育部位于伦敦Great Smith Street的总部入口。Sebastiandoe5摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Entrance to the UK Department for Education headquarters on Great Smith Street, London. Photo by Sebastiandoe5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
