By Salma El-Sakka
The UK government has apologised to Ukrainian children who were forced to study for a Russian GCSE because no Ukrainian equivalent existed, and announced funding for a new Ukrainian language qualification.
Apology and new qualification
Education minister Georgia Gould said she was “really sorry” that students had been pushed into taking the Russian exam. Speaking at a west London school launch on Tuesday, Gould confirmed the new GCSE, developed by the AQA exam board, is expected to be ready for teaching from September 2028 as part of the UK‑Ukraine 100 Year Partnership signed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Background and lobbying
Since Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children sought refuge in the UK. In the absence of a Ukrainian GCSE, many were pressured by school staff to sit the Russian GCSE. The Ukrainian community in Britain and Kyiv’s education ministry had lobbied the Department for Education, warning that children were being pressured to pass the Russian exam.
Government and Ukrainian responses
Education secretary Lucy Powell said the qualification would give all pupils the chance to develop language skills and celebrate Ukraine’s culture and history. Andrii Butenko, Ukraine’s minister of education and science, called the move an important milestone and thanked British schools for welcoming Ukrainian children.
