Z problematyki szkolnictwa powszechnego mniejszości ukraińskiej zamieszkującej Lubelszczyznę w II Rzeczypospolitej
Problems with Elementary Education Experienced by the Ukrainian Minority Living in the Lublin Region during the Second Republic of Poland

Summary/Abstract: At the outbreak of the Second Republic of Poland, its multicultural and multinational tradition became more of a hindrance than an unquestionable asset, as it used to be during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. With the dominating position of Polish culture, national minor-ities believed that educational activities would help them preserve their cultural identity. The situa-tion of the Ukrainians living in the Lublin region differed considerably from that of their compat-riots form the eastern part of Poland. The former were living in the ethnically mixed society that naturally limited their chances for maintain their ways of living. Essentially, they wanted to estab-lish their own national schools. Ukrainian schools were set up by converting the former Russian schools into Ukrainian ones. However, they were operating only for less than a year. Then they were taken over by the state. Without Ukrainian as the language of instruction, the young Ukraini-ans had only Polish schools to attend. Those schools were used, among others, to promote polonizing strategies. In consequence, the Ukrainians were mistrustful toward those schools and reluctant to send their children there. Ukrainian minority was trying to cultivate their traditions and language by engaging in the ac-tivities of their own cultural and educational societies and organizations active in the region. By integrating round national values the minority was also trying to avert the process of assimilation.

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