UK explores Ukrainian language to GCSE curriculum

LONDON – The UK government is considering reintroducing Ukrainian as a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subject, in a move that seeks to support Ukrainian refugee students and expand the nation’s language offerings. 

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced the proposal following talks with her Ukrainian counterpart, Oksen Lisovyi.

“This Government will continue our decisive support for Ukrainian children who had their education interrupted by Russia’s war,” Phillipson said.

If approved, Ukrainian would be added to the list of optional GCSE subjects. Currently, UK students must take GCSEs in mathematics, English, and at least one science subject, while other subjects — including foreign languages, geography, philosophy, and business—are chosen based on students’ interests and school availability.

The proposal comes after the Ukrainian government raised “deep concern” over reports that some Ukrainian teenagers in the UK have been forced to take GCSE Russian due to a lack of alternative language options, The Guardian reported.

While Ukrainian community organisations in the UK have previously called for Ukrainian language GCSEs, this is the first time the issue has reached such a high level of government, according to the national education platform Vseosvita.

Phillipson has formally urged exam boards to consider reinstating the Ukrainian GCSE, which was discontinued in 1995 due to low demand.

To facilitate this, the Department for Education has set up a dedicated working group. AQA, one of the UK’s largest exam boards, confirmed it is exploring the possibility of introducing a Ukrainian GCSE.

“We’ve every sympathy with Ukrainian students who, through no fault of their own, find themselves many miles from home and want to gain formal accreditation of their language,” an AQA spokesperson said. “As an education charity, we stand ready to do what we can to support Ukrainian students.”