Catalogue description Committee for the Education of Poles in Great Britain (Gater Committee), and Ministry of Education, Polish Sections of Awards and External Relation Branches: Polish Resettlement Files

The Minister of Education and the Secretary of State for Scotland delegated their powers under Sections 6 and 11 of the Polish Resettement Act 1947 by setting up on 1 April 1947 the Committee for the Education of Poles in Great Britain. The committee, an autonomous body, consisted of both British and Polish members and was chaired by Sir George Gater. The secretary was Mr Frank Harrod.

The main objective of the committee was for the many thousands of Poles who elected to remain in Great Britain to be fitted for resettlement here or overseas. This involved an adequate knowledge of English and of the British way of life and to encourage this the number of purely Polish institutions maintained by the committee were to be eventually dissolved and the children and students educated in equivalent British institutions.

The committee was wound up on 30 September 1954 the major part of its task accomplished. The Minister of Education appointed an advisory committee to deal with remaining Polish affairs and a Polish section was established in the Ministry, its staff being attached to both the Awards and the External Relations Branches. An Education and Library Committee was also set up at the Polish Research Centre to deal with the Polish Libraries and adult education in National Asistance Board Hostels. The Advisory Committee and the Education and Library Committee held their last meetings in 1966 and 1967 respectively.

Initially the education of Polish refugees in many parts of the world had been administered by the Polish Government-in-Exile in London which created its own Board (Ministry from 1943) of Education. In July 1945 the British Government withdrew its recognition of the Polish Government-in-Exile and the administration of Polish affairs was taken over by the Interim Treasury Committee for Polish Questions until March 1967.

In addition, many educational courses were run by the Polish Resettlement Corps, this being an amalgamation under the aegis of the War Office, of the Polish Military Authorities in London, the Polish Second Corps and other Polish fighting units.