Education and Science Minister Przemysław Czarnek on Friday publicly thanked all teachers, principals, parents and students for their “gigantic work” in the past academic year, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
In a video message posted on Twitter, the education minister also wished everyone “a good and safe rest” ahead of the 2023/2024 school year.
‘We are creating schools of the future’
Czarnek also issued a special letter to reflect on the past 12 months in Polish schools, state news agency PAP reported.
He wrote that "2022/23 has been a special year” for Polish schools, due to “major systemic changes” as well as “the 550th anniversary of the birth of the great Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.”
The education minister hailed Copernicus’ “extraordinary knowledge, curiosity, passion, courage, creativity and work ethic,” adding that these attributes had enabled the astronomer to “achieve the impossible” and arrive at the groundbreaking heliocentric model of the universe, with the Sun at its centre.
Czarnek said that Copernicus’ “ideals and historic achievements served as inspiration” for the Polish government “to create the right conditions to strengthen the enormous potential of Polish students.”
The education minister declared: “And so we are already creating schools of the future.
Skills of the future, mental and physical health
He said: "In addition to record spending on the expansion of school infrastructure, we are continuing the biggest-ever investment project in the Polish education system. Under the scheme titled Laboratories of the Future, we have equipped every Polish school with modern equipment to facilitate attention-grabbing lessons.”
Czarnek added that school curricula was geared to help students acquire “the skills of the future,” such as cooperation, critical thinking, creativity and communication.
He said the government was “promoting the learning of computer programming and robotics” as well as “ensuring equal access to modern technology.”
Czarnek also declared that the government would soon establish “a nationwide network of 120 centres of vocational excellence, bringing together schools, industry officials and academics "to effectively respond to the needs of the labour market."
The education minister also confirmed the introduction of a new school subject, called business and management, "designed to tap into the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Polish youth.”
Czarnek said that students "must also have solid grounding in the knowledge of history and traditions of our country,” including through the recently introduced course of contemporary history.
The education minister also pledged continued efforts to protect the mental health of students, including through wider access to mental health professionals, and to develop their physical fitness, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Dariusz Piontkowski told reporters that in the 2022/23 school year, the government co-funded 22,000 school trips involving around a million children and youth, to the tune of PLN 182 million (EUR 41 million), to enable students "to sightsee Poland, from the big cities to regional attractions."
180,000 Ukrainian students in Polish schools: officials
Meanwhile, some 180,000 child refugees from Ukraine attended Polish schools over the past year, Piontkowski said.
Some of the young war refugees based in Poland were learning remotely at their Ukrainian schools, according to officials.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl
