Polish Junak Schools in the USSR in 1941–1942

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to present the creation of Junak schools after the Sikorski–Mayski Agreement was signed in London on 30 July 1941, when the Polish Army was formed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The problem has been examined from a historical perspective, in the current socio-political context, and, above all, in terms of specific pedagogical and educational thought. The article details the creation and activity of the first Junak schools in the USSR from 12 September 1941 to 1 September 1942. In this way, based on the archival data found in the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London and in Polish resources, the author presents the development of the school system operated by the Polish Army in the USSR. Also, on the basis of the memories of the Junak youth, the author attempts to present the conditions in which such schools functioned. The schools that opened within the analysed period of time facilitated the creation of many public schools in further years – Junak schools for mechanics, various kinds of secondary schools, and nursery schools. Additionally, they significantly influenced the development of Polish civil schools and the broadly understood cultural and educational activity of emigrants during the Second World War.