Strategies promoting mobility and internationalisation

Poland does not have yet a strategy for internationalisation or mobility in early childhood and school education and / or higher education, or national benchmarks for mobility. The work on a strategy for the internationalisation of science and higher education is underway, coordinated by the National Agency for Academic Exchange in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The Expert Team for the National Internationalisation Strategy (information in Polish only), which brings together representatives of higher education and research institutions and other institutions and organisations active in the field of science and higher education, began its work in January 2024. Three sub-teams were set up for: (1) student mobility and internationalisation of education; (2) mobility of doctoral students and academic staff and internationalisation of science; and (3) science diplomacy. 

Currently, mobility and internationalisation are included in the priority areas of ‘The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030’ (Zintegrowana Strategia Umiejętności 2030) adopted by the Government in January 2019 (the general part of the Strategy) and December 2020 (the detailed part). In 5 of its 8 areas of intervention, mobility and international cooperation are among the lines of action that aim to support skills development in all target groups of the education sector:

• Area of Intervention I: Basic, transversal and professional skills of children, young people and adults. Lines of action: Strengthening cooperation among higher education institutions at national and international levels, including learner mobility; supporting cooperation among institutions and organisations involved in skills development at local, regional, national and international levels.

• Areas of Intervention II, III and IV: Skills development in formal education and outside formal education – management and teaching / training staff (including students in initial teacher training programmes), staff involved in initial and in-service training of management and teaching / training staff. Lines of action: Promoting local and international mobility of staff; promoting national and international good practices in education; enhancing skills for the development and management of national and transnational projects; supporting the establishment of, and participation in collaboration networks at local, regional, national and international levels.

• Area of Intervention VII: Cooperation between employers and formal and non-formal education providers. Lines of action: extending the range and improving the quality of local and international practical placements and internships for learners and teaching / training staff; promoting placements and internships; promoting local and international mobility.

Measures supporting mobility and internationalisation

Programmes, projects and initiatives supporting mobility and international cooperation

Mobility of learners and education staff and international cooperation at all education levels are supported on the widest scale by the EU Erasmus+ Programme. Various activities are also funded or co-funded nationally, with much wider opportunities available in higher education than in school education.

At the school education level, there are projects co-funded by the EU funds and the national budget, and youth exchange projects funded or co-funded by the national budget as part of bilateral agreements or so-called public tasks of the Ministry of National Education. At the higher education level, student and staff mobility and broader cooperation among higher education institutions are supported under multilateral, bilateral and national programmes (co-)funded by the Polish Government and / or other countries or international organisations. Poland does not (co-)fund programmes or projects supporting mobility or broader cooperation in the field of adult education.

Poland has signed bilateral agreements on cooperation in the field of higher education and science with around 100 countries in all regions of the world. They cover student, academic staff and expert exchanges and activities aimed at sharing information, experience and good practice.

In accordance with the national legislation, foreigners, regardless of their nationality, have access to education in publicly funded nursery schools and schools under the same conditions as Polish nationals until they reach the age of 18 or finish a post-primary school. The school education system also offers learning support in various forms to non-Polish pupils in compulsory education. As regards public schools which take adults and public higher education institutions, conditions of access are the same as for Polish nationals or very similar for, among others, nationals of EU member states, members states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – signatories of the EEA Agreement and Switzerland. Other foreigners may receive financial support. For details, see ‘Pupil and Student Mobility’ in Chapter 13.1 and ‘Student Mobility’ in Chapter 13.2.

Poland has put in place tools facilitating recognition based on European initiatives. These include:

• the 8-level Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF) which describes qualifications awarded in the country as referenced to the European Qualifications Framework;

• the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) in higher education;

• a Diploma Supplement (for higher education) and a Certificate Supplement (for vocational education and training), based on the Europass templates, which describe the level, content and status of the programme completed by the holder.

Recognition of qualifications is based on EU legislation and international conventions. The national legislation sets out conditions for automatic recognition and the recognition procedure for other cases. In the case of higher education qualifications, different mechanisms are in place for academic recognition (for admission to further studies) and professional recognition (for employment). For details, see ‘Pupil and Student Mobility’ in Chapter 13.1 and ‘Student Mobility’ in Chapter 13.2.

International dimension in education

The national legislation on school education provides for the establishment of bilingual and international classes and schools. Furthermore, the national core curricula, which form the basis for school curricula, include various contents introducing a European, global and / or intercultural dimension into compulsory subjects as part of general education. For details, see ‘Global and intercultural dimension in curriculum development’ in Chapter 13.4.

The national legislation on higher education allows foreign higher education institutions (HEIs) to establish institutions or branch campuses in Poland. HEIs can provide joint programmes with foreign HEIs and / or research institutions. The legislation does not refer to curricular contents (except for the regulated professions) and, thus, does not specify any elements of the content related to a European or global dimension to be integrated into curricula. European contents are covered to the greatest extent in curricula for programmes in the field of European Studies and related fields. Various elements of the knowledge about Europe, the UE and / or the world are also incorporated into curricula developed by HEIs in many other fields of study. For details, see ‘Global and intercultural dimension in curriculum development’ in Chapter 13.5.

Institutions responsible for various aspects of internationalisation and mobility:

• Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Science and Higher Education coordinate and implement national policies for preschool education, school education and adult / continuing education, and for higher education and science, respectively (the  websites available in Polish only).

• Foundation for the Development of the Education System: administers EU programmes in the field of education and training, including Erasmus+ and e-Twinning, and other programmes and projects co-funded by the EU and as part of multilateral and bilateral agreements which support mobility and international cooperation.

• National Agency for Academic Exchange: administers programmes and projects funded or co-funded by the EU and / or the Polish Government which support mobility and internationalisation of higher education and science. As the Polish ENIC-NARIC Centre, the Agency is also responsible for the recognition of qualifications.  It manages the multilanguage portal ‘Ready, Steady, Go Poland’ for foreigners interested to study in Poland.