Around 4.6 million students were heading back to school after the summer break. Starting the new 2020/2021 school year were children in some 22,000 schools nationwide, state news agency PAP reported.
In a special message for the first day of classes, President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda said the new school year was bringing "completely new experiences" and challenges for students, teachers and parents, requiring "prudence and responsibility" from everyone amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"But we will certainly get used to the new conditions quickly, and this school year will be filled with work and study," the presidential couple said in their message.
First-day-of-school message from the Polish first couple. Image: prezydent.pl
After a prolonged period of distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, Poland aims to reinstate traditional in-person classes in most schools nationwide during the new school year.
The country's education ministry has rolled out a set of special guidelines for schools and students to follow in the face of the pandemic. These include compulsory hand washing after entering the school premises and frequent airing of the classrooms.
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Source: IAR