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Highlights: • After the Russo-Ukrainian War, Poland introduced defence education in its school curriculum. • The introduction of defence education was prompted by the threat arising from the war in Ukraine. • A critical analysis of the discourse linked with the change reveals its hidden political dimension. • The removal of topics from health education due to this change was mitigated by securitising actors’ discourse. • Securitising actors apply ‘ministrysplaining’ changes to the audience. Purpose: The research aimed to critically analyse the changes that have occurred in the core curricula of general education in Poland following the Russo–Ukrainian war from the perspective of the securitisation process. Methodology: The research involved analysing 366 texts spanning various genres. These texts were produced by both securitising actors and recipients of the change. The research employed content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, following the approaches of Ruth Wodak and Martin Reisigl. Findings: The research revealed that the securitising actors advocating for changes in the core curricula have been identified as a threat directly linked to the war in Ukraine. However, the discourse surrounding these changes also exhibited several features that indicate a hidden political dimension. Further, the analysis emphasised the use of ‘ministryplaining’ towards the audience involved in education, who formulate critical remarks.

According to the Global Conflict Tracker (https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker), there are currently 27 conflicts in the world, which vary in type and status. In contrast, the Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Online Portal (RULAC), which defines armed conflicts under international humanitarian law, indicates that it is currently monitoring more than 114 armed conflicts in the world (https://geneva-academy.ch/galleries/today-s-armed-conflicts). Some of these conflicts are in the headlines; others are not. However, they all change the lives and functioning of people living there or those who neighbour them. How does education respond to current, future, and past armed conflicts?

Numerous examples of research in the field of pedagogics which are using critical approach to discourse analysis show the diversity in theoretical background and methodology. An example of a group of critical approaches is Critical Discourse Analysis. The general framework of Critical Discourse Analysis is important both for maintaining the identity of CDA, thereby highlighting the reasonableness of this group of approaches, and for dissemination of knowledge concerning it, especially among less experienced researchers. The paper presents the basic assumptions of Critical Discourse Analysis and their implications for educational research as well as practical guidelines to apply to the CDA approach, which is represented by Ruth Wodak.