Język białoruski w Polsce - historia i stan obecny

According to the 2002 National Census of Population and Housing, 48 737 people declared Belarusian nationality. Most of the Byelorussian language users, which equals to 39 898 people, inhabit Podlasie. The national structure of Podlasie has undergone major changes. As a result of the assimilation processes over the years, the number of Belarusians in Podlasie has drastically declined. The official policy of the Polish government guarantees Polish citizens belonging to national and ethnic minorities the freedom to maintain and develop their own language. It also provides national and ethnic minorities the right to establish their own educational institutions. There are elementary schools, gymnasiums and high schools in Podlasie where Byelorussian language is taught as an additional subject. According to the data provided by the Bialystok Board of Education, in the school year 2008/2009 3225 students learned the Byelorussian language. Moreover, the Byelorussian language is being used in academic education. There are Belarusian Language Departments in three Polish universities: the University of Warsaw, the University in Bialystok and the University of M. Curie-Sklodowska in Lublin. Byelorussian language is also the language of mass media; there are newspapers being published in Podlasie in the Byelorussian language, as well as radio broadcasts are being aired from Bialystok and Warsaw. Unfortunately, the majority of the Byelorussian language users do not consider this language