Poland in the UK

The host of the event was the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh – Mr Łukasz Lutostański, who began the ceremony by expressing his appreciation and gratitude to teachers for their tireless work for the education of Polish children in Scotland, emphasizing its great importance both for Polish families living in the UK, but also for Poland. He also stressed the positive cooperation between the Polish diaspora in Scotland and the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh. The special guest of the event invited from Poland was Mr. Jacek Janowiak, deputy director of the Institute for the Development of the Polish Language, who also thanked Polish teachers in Scotland for their hard work. The event was also attended by Mrs. Christina McKelvie, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in the Scottish Government, who expressed her support for the Polish complimentary schools. The Minister thanked Polish schools for their commitment to helping refugees from Ukraine. As a token of appreciation and gratitude, all participants received tote bags designed by the Consulate especially for this occasion. Each of them was printed with a logo in the colours of the Polish and Scottish flags and had an inscription: "Overworked, exhausted, but proud to teach Polish", and was very popular among the teachers participating in the event. All participants also received pins with the flags of Scotland and Poland gifted by the Scottish Government.

Currently, there are 26 Polish schools in Scotland. The event was attended by approximately 200 teachers from various Polish schools – based in Aberdeen, Dalkeith, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hawick, Inverness, Kirkcaldy, Livingston, Motherwell, Musselburgh, Peebles, Perth and Rosyth.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all Polish teachers in Scotland once again and wish them all the best in their professional career!