Poland, an inspiration in education.
By Francisco-Xavier López-Portillo y Lancaster-Jones
A land of heroes and heroines, with an ancient, rich and prolific history. Just as steel can be hardened by heat and tempering, some of the historic challenges that Poland has faced, has made her stronger.
Nowadays, Poland has become one of the more versatile nations that keep motivating the world in many ways, one of those is in education.
It’s no surprise that higher education has a long tradition in this country. University was established in 1364 in Cracow, founded by Casimir III the Great, who reigned from 1333 to 1370. The Cracow Academy is one of the oldest academies in the world. Count Roman Ignacy Potocki (1750–1809),was an educational activist, member of the Commission of National Education and the initiator and President of Society for Elementary Textbooks, an institution formed in Warsaw (1775) by Poland’s Commission of National Education to design schoolsyllabuses and textbooks for newly reformed schools.
Poland has various inspiring personages that have defined the importance of education in their own lives, like Maria Sklodowska, who the world knows as Marie Curie, a woman who in her early life was an unlikely candidate for a double Nobel Prize. Her parents, who were educators, made education a priority for their five children but, given that women were forbidden from pursuing a higher education in their own, albeit occupied country, receiving a higher education would not be easy. But in a courageous way, against all odds, by age 36, she had overcome immense obstacles to put herself through school, married a man who she viewed as the ideal partner, gave birth to two daughters, all while working fulltime, earned a PhD and became the most famous female scientist of her time.
Today Poland faces a new era, with approximately 450 higher education institutions. Some of them are not only national academic centres but also regional ones.
There are many Universities that specialize in different subjects: medical, agricultural, technical, economic, also with music and fine arts Academies.
The quality of the whole educational process in Poland is constantly evaluated, improving the connections between business and science to help graduates in their future career.
As a part of the European Union, Poland plays an active part in the Bologna Process. All diplomas issued in Poland are recognized in other European countries (participating of the European Credit Transfer System - ECTS).
The current British Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, said, “Reforms in the UK have been inspired by Poland, the renewed focus on core academic subjects for all children has been influenced by the approach in Poland, which has jumped up international rankings in the past decade, …the results of countries like Poland improved massively following moves to ensure that all their pupils studied core academic subjects, regardless of whether they went on to an academic or vocational path.”
Poland has overhauled its education system over the past decade and gone from being below average in the OECD group of economies to being among the top 10 nations for reading and science, and top 15 for maths.
Under the reforms in Poland, pupils spend more time studying core subjects and vocational study has been delayed until they are 16.
Around the world, trillions of dollars are spent on education policies, but just one in 10 are actually evaluated, according to new research by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The current education policies and evaluation of education in Poland is very positive, this good example is motivating and encouraging improvements and inspiring nations around the globe.
Pages 119 and 121 of the book Notes on the Lancasterian System of Education
