The system of education in Poland Paulina Wanat Dominika Zięba

Content Basic principles of Polish education system. Decentralization of public authority. Pre-primary education. Primary education. Lower secondary education. Upper secondary education. Higher education.

Education in Poland – basic principles The right to education and the freedom of teaching in Poland are safeguarded by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Everyone shall have the right to education.

The basic legislative act which regulates the functioning of the education system for youths and adults is the Education System Act of September 7th, 1991 with further amendments. The most important legislative acts for the higher education sector are: the Act of September 12th, 1990 on Higher Education with subsequent amendments; the Act of June 26th, 1997 on Higher Vocational Schools with further amendments.

Schools can be of two types: public (state); non-public schools (social, church or private). The Polish education system is based on three- tiered principle: primary, secondary and higher education. Reform of the education system – introduced in 1999.

Changes introduces since 1999: introduction of the new school type – lower secondary school (gymnasium); extension of comprehensive compulsory education by one year.

Structure of the Polish education system 2013/14

Compulsory education Compulsory education is divided into: one-year pre-school preparation; full-time education in school settings that lasts until completion of lower secondary school (typically 16 years of age), but not beyond the age of 18; part-time education until the age of 18 in school or non-school settings.

Upon completion of lower secondary education, young people may fulfill the part-time compulsory education requirement by: attending a public or non-public upper secondary school or  following vocational training offered by employers in accordance with separate regulations.

Responsible bodies The education system in Poland is centrally managed by the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. As from January 1, 1999 – public schools and educational institutions have been taken over and run by territorial authorities.

Decentralization of the public authorities Since 1999, the area of Poland is divided into: 16 provinces – voivodeships, 380 districts, 2479 communes*. * As of January 1, 2014 (Central Statistical Office, www.stat.gov.pl)

Administrative division DISTRICT COMMUNE PROVINCE - VOIVODESHIP

Pre-primary education

Pre-primary education First level of the school system. It concerns children from 3 years of age. Optional in kindergardens and kindergarden sections of primary schools Includes one-year of preparation for primary education which will be compulsory for five-year- old children from September 1, 2014 (by now it’s compulsory for six-year-old children).

Pre-primary education is designed to: aid child development; promote personal independence; instill a sense of confidence in one’s self and abilities; shaping children’s knowledge about world; develop communication and social skills.

Admission Free access basics. The main criterion is the age of a child (3 years of age but in particular cases 2.5 years of age). If a kindergarden is particularly attractive to local parents and the number of applications is higher than the number of places, the five-years-olds and children of single parents has a priority for admission. The detailed admission rules are defined in statutes.

Organization The minimum working time is 5 hours a day (5 days a week). During the day children participate in activities organized by the teacher and they play in the classroom or in the garden. Open throughout the school years, apart from breaks established by the body running the school. The  number of children in one section cannot exceed 25.

Organization The main criterion used for grouping children is age. The following time table for pre-school education and care in kindergardens: 1/5 of the total time should be devoted to play, 1/5 – to outdoor activities, 1/5 – to educational activities, the remaining 2/5 teachers ought to devote to care and organizational matters.

Assessment Continuous observation of the child and keeping up- to date records which aim at the recognition and fulfillment of children’s development. Obligation of teachers of 5-year olds (and up to 2014 of 6-year olds) enrolled in pre-school education to carry out an assessment of a child’s readiness for undertaking school education (pre- school diagnosis).

Primary education

Primary education Second level of the school system. 6-year primary school. Public primary schools are free of charge. Most primary schools in Poland are coeducational. Pupils from families with a low monthly income are entitled to various types of support.

General education in primary school is divided into two stages: first stage of education including grades 1 to 3 of primary school – early school education; second stage of education including grades 4 to 6 of primary school.

First stage – minimum number of teaching hours by subject in the period of 3 years

Second stage – minimum number of teaching hours by subject in the period of 3 years

Admission Lowering of school starting age in 2014 - from September 1, 2014 children will be admitter to primary schools at the age of six (by now it’s at the age of seven). Public primary schools are subject to territory commune division (the school must accept all children residing on territory it is competent for).

Organization The organization of the school year is defined by the Ministry of National Education in a separate regulation. The school year (for primary and secondary schools) begins on the first working day of September and ends on the last Friday in June. The school year is divided into two semesters The dates of winter break vary among the provinces in Poland (between mid-January and the end of February). Primary and secondary schools in Poland also have Christmas and Easter breaks.

Organization In most public schools lessons start at 8 a.m. and finish at 2 or 3 p.m. Each lesson usually lasts 45 minutes. Breaks are considered sufficient if they last at least 5–10 minutes, but no longer than 25 minutes. Pupils attend school five days a week, from Monday to Friday. Classes are organized by age.

Assessment Internal assessment is carried out by school teachers against the requirements which are defined by them on the basis of curricula. This type of assessment covers pupils’ learning achievements and aims to support their development. External assessment is carried out by institutions which are external to the school, including the Central Examination Board and Regional Examination Boards.

6th form examination The test is obligatory for all pupils, and taking the test is one of the conditions for completion of primary education. The test is designed to assess the level of skills defined in the national examination standards. The skills are divided into 5 areas: reading, writing, reasoning, using information and applying knowledge in practice. The test results have no bearing on the completion of education in primary school.

Lower secondary education - gymnasium

Lower secondary education Third level of the school system. Type of school introduced in the school year 1999/2000 that offers 3-years of full-time general education for pupils who have completed the 6- year primary school. It is compulsory for all students. Communes are responsible for running these type of schools.

Lower secondary education – minimum number of teaching hours by subject in the period of 3 years

Admission The only admission requirement is successful completion of the 6-year primary school (the primary school leaving certificate and the certificate by the Regional Examination Commission of the external standardized test’s results). The head of the local lower secondary school is obliged to admit a primary school graduate residing in his/her school’s catchment area regardless the results obtained during the test.

Assessment – Gymnasium examination Education in lower secondary school ends with a nationwide written examination consisting of three parts: Humanities (questions on the Polish language, Polish literature, history and social studies); Mathematics and Natural Science (questions on mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography and biology); Modern foreign language (selected from: English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian and Ukrainian).

Assessment – Gymnasium examination This test is compulsory for all pupils. The results are indicated on the lower secondary school leaving certificate. They are comparable on the national scale and have strong bearing on admission to upper secondary schools.

Upper secondary education

Upper secondary education Fourth level of the school system. It isn’t compulsory for all pupils. Districts are responsible for running these type of schools.

Types of upper secondary schools: General upper secondary school (3 years); Technical upper secondary school (4 years); Basic vocational school (3 years).

Curriculum At the level of upper secondary education there are curricula for separate subjects (defined by Ministry of Education). Subjects can be taught at basic and advanced (extended) level.

Curriculum at general upper secondary schools

Curriculum at technical upper secondary school

Curriculum at basic vocational schools

Admission About admission to an upper secondary school decides: the number of points indicated on the gymnasium leaving certificate (results achieved in specific subject and other achievements); the points received at the gymnasium examination. The detailed admission rules are defined by each school.

Assessment Plus school leaving certificate The maturity examination The vocational examination General upper secondary school Technical upper secondary school Basic vocational school Plus school leaving certificate

The maturity examination State exam for general and technical upper secondary schools graduates carried out in all schools in Poland at the same time (usually in May). It is not mandatory. This exam entitling pupils for admission to higher education. It consist of two parts: mandatory – the oral and written test of Polish language, a chosen foreign language and the test in mathematics; additional – the student may select up to six subjects (at a basic or extended level).

The vocational examination This test assesses the pupil’s knowledge and skills in the scope of a particular qualifications defined in the core curriculum for vocational education. This exam is for graduates form technical upper secondary schools and basic vocational schools. The vocational examination is carried out in the area of qualification. Consist of two parts: written; practical.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher education Public Universities Private Universities Vocational Schools Lifelong Learning Programme Universities of the Third Age

Number of Universities in Poland 1999-2010

Spending on higher education in GDP Polish GDP in 2014 = 5,9%

The most popular courses of study

Types of Universities Academic Institution Vocational School Military School University of State Services

Art School

Medical School

Marine Academy

Public Universities University levels: Full – time studies Part – time studies

University cycle: 1st cycle: 3-4 years, required the maturity exam. 2nd cycle: 2 years, required 1st cycle.

University cycle: Long cycle studies: 5-6 years, required the maturity exam, e.g. law, medicine, graphics, painting. 3rd cycle: required Master’s deegre, PhD study. Postgraduate studies: required higher education.

University degrees Bachelor of Arts – BA Bachelor of Science – BSc Master of Arts – MA Engineer – Msc/MEng Doctor of Philosophy – PhD Proffesor – Prof.

Scholarships - types Social For disabled people From rector for the best students From minister for outstanding achievements Grants

Private Universities Functioning since 1991 Important in educational system Students must pay for such studies Scholarship for the best students Full-time studies Part-time studies

Opinions STEREOTYPES! Rich people No ambition Money are the most important Low level of education STEREOTYPES!

Vocational school Required secondary education. You needn’t have the Maturity exam. Scholarships for the best students. Public Vocational school: 2 years. Private Vocational school: 1 year.

Students get: indexes, student cards. Completing VS ends up getting the technique title and we can start working.

Lifelong Learning

The Comenius programme The Erasmus programme The Leonardo da Vinci programme

The Grundtvig programme The Transversal programme The Jean Monnet Programme

University of the Third Age

University of the Third Age Functioning since 1975. Place where they meet with the same people like them. Free learning. Teaching: basic of computer, basic of English, and much more!