Graduates of Małopolska secondary schools in 1920. A contribution to the history of secondary education in Poland in the interwar period

Abstract

Since 1850, education in middle schools and real schools ended with Matura exams. The Matura exam was a pass into adult life, an important event for the local community and lists of graduates were published in school reports, as well as in the national and local press. This custom was successful in times of peace, but it was impossible to implement during hostilities. The most difficult year to recreate is 1920 due to the ongoing Polish-Bolshevik war. The article is a contribution to the organisation of information on secondary school graduates who passed the exam in this difficult year for Poland.