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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Mobility in early childhood and school education

Poland

13.Mobility and internationalisation

13.1Mobility in early childhood and school education

Last update: 23 September 2024
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Pupil and student mobility

Pupil mobility takes place mainly under the EU Erasmus+ Programme and, on a much smaller scale, in:

  • projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget;

  • youth exchange programmes co-funded by the participating countries as part of bilateral agreements;

  • bilateral youth exchange projects funded by the Ministry of National Education as its so-called public tasks.

A period of study / training or a practical placement which pupils undertake under the EU and other programmes is recognised on the basis of an agreement between schools / institutions participating in a mobility project. Vocational schools may also follow guidelines on the implementation of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), developed by Polish experts. Qualifications (certificates and diplomas) awarded at the school education level in other countries are recognised in accordance with EU legislation, international conventions and national legislation. For details, see the final section of this chapter.

EU Erasmus+ Programme

Mobility takes place under the Actions of the Erasmus+ Programme (2014-2020, 2021-2027) for the school education and vocational education sectors and youth. The Programme is administered in Poland by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. 

Pupils in nursery, primary and post-primary schools take part in Erasmus+ Learning Mobility projects which include exchange-type group mobility and individual mobility for a period of study or a traineeship. Young people aged 13 to 30 years can also participate in mobility under Youth Exchanges and Youth Participation Activities which support non-formal learning, and in various other types of projects where short-term mobility is linked to the specific objectives of a given project.

Programmes / projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget

European Funds for Social Development (Fundusze Europejskie dla Rozwoju Społecznego)

The Foundation for the Development of the Education System (which administers the Erasmus+ Programme) carries out two programmes “International learning mobility of school education pupils and staff” and “International mobility of vocational education pupils and staff” (2023-2027), co-funded by the European Funds for Social Development (2021-2027) (the websites available in Polish only) and the national budget. Grants are awarded to Erasmus+ Learning Mobility projects (see above) which received a positive assessment but were not funded due to the limited budget of the Action. Projects are based on the Erasmus+ rules and are targeted at pupils (and staff; see Chapter 13.1.2) who are disadvantaged due to, for example, a disability or health problems, learning difficulties, financial problems, cultural differences, social or geographical barriers. 

Bilateral programmes / initiatives

Bilateral programmes support various forms of youth cooperation and exchanges.

Polish-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Fund

The Polish-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Fund (information available in Polish only) is administered by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. The Fund was created in 2007 by an agreement between the Polish and Lithuanian Governments, and funding comes from the national budgets of the two countries. The Fund aims to promote friendly cooperation between the two nations. It supports exchange projects for Polish and Lithuanian youth aged 13 to 30 years, which last 4 to 7 days, and initiatives such as meetings, seminars, conferences, study visits and publications. The priority areas for 2024 include: Poland’s and Lithuania’s membership of the EU and NATO; promotion of Polish and Lithuanian historic and cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage and UNESCO world heritage sites, and a dialogue for cooperation, tolerance, openness and better understanding between Polish and Lithuanian youth; development of young people’s interest in the history of the two nations; and promotion of sports, sporting attitudes and knowledge about the Polish and Lithuanian Olympic movement. 

Polish-Ukrainian Youth Exchange

Polish-Ukrainian youth exchanges (information available in Polish only) take place within the framework of the Polish-Ukrainian Youth Exchange Council. The programme is administered by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. Grants are available for exchange projects for young people aged 14 to 35 years, involving Ukrainian youth groups coming to, or staying in Poland. Exchanges last 5 to 10 days. The priority areas in 2024 include: common past and cultural heritage; intercultural dialogue; entrepreneurial skills; cooperation and experience sharing between youth workers in technical and sectoral vocational education areas; initiatives aimed at alleviating the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Polish-German Youth Cooperation

Established in 1991, the Polish-German Youth Cooperation (Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk) organisation is funded by the Governments of Poland and Germany. It aims primarily to initiate and facilitate new links and strengthen existing links between Polish and German youth. Grants are awarded, for example, for school and non-school youth exchanges; practical placements; exchanges or meetings on topics related to STE(A)M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics); projects involving participants from Poland, Germany and a third country; trips to national memorial sites; and internships in the neighbour’s country. Since its establishment, the organisation has provided grants for initiatives involving more than 3 million young people.

National programmes / initiatives

Youth exchanges funded by the Ministry of National Education

Each year the Ministry of National Education awards, on a competitive basis, grants for international  youth cooperation and exchange projects involving primary and post-primary school pupils (the websites available in Polish only). For example, in 2023, grants were available for youth exchanges with the countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova) and the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) and Israel. Projects aim to strengthen dialogue and establish links among young people; enable them to learn about the realities in the partner country; promote Poland as a country of rich cultural heritage; encourage youth engagement; and develop soft competences (teamwork skills, critical thinking in evaluation of information, and safety in cyberspace).


 

 

Recognition of study or practical training periods and qualifications

Tools facilitating recognition based on European initiatives

The 8-level Polish Qualifications Framework (PQF) describes qualifications awarded in the country as referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). PQF qualifications are defined in terms of learning outcomes including knowledge, skills and social competences. Together with the Integrated Qualifications Register, the PQF is part of the Integrated Qualifications System, which was put in place in July 2016, in accordance with the Act of 22 December 2015 on the Integrated Qualifications System (ustawa o Zintegrowanym Systemie Kwalifikacji z dnia 22 grudnia 2015 r. (z późn. zm.))

Pursuant to the national legislation, the Regional Examination Boards, which are responsible for external examinations below the higher education level, issue a Certificate Supplement at the request of a holder of a vocational diploma. The Supplement is based on the corresponding Europass template.

No credit accumulation system is in place in vocational education and training, but Polish experts have developed guidelines to facilitate the use of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) in learning mobility projects. These include materials in the Polish language, published by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, such as „Wykorzystanie założeń systemu ECVET w projektach mobilności edukacyjnej w sektorze Kształcenie i szkolenia zawodowe programu Erasmus+” (How to use the ECVET principles in learning mobility projects in the Erasmus+ vocational education and training sector) (2016) and „Efekty uczenia się i ich weryfikacja w projektach mobilności edukacyjnej: ECVET – Katalog przykładów” (Learning outcomes and their assessment in learning mobility projects. ECVET: A Catalogue of Examples) (2018) (Publications in Polish available in the online Reading Room of the Foundation for the Development of the Education System)

Recognition of qualifications

Foreign certificates of completion of a school year or an education stage, or certificates of school attendance do not require recognition if incoming pupils intend to continue education in a public primary school, general secondary school, stage I sectoral vocational school or technical secondary school. The head of a school assigns the pupil to the appropriate school semester or grade, considering his/her age and the opinion of his/her parents or of the adult learner. Public stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools require a validated certificate confirming the completion of secondary or secondary vocational education (see the recognition of qualifications below).  

Recognition of qualifications (certificates and diplomas) confirming the completion of an education cycle at the school education level is regulated in accordance with EU legislation and international conventions, including the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon Convention) which was ratified in December 2003 and entered into force in Poland in 2004.

Certificates and other documents at the school education level are recognised in accordance with:

The following documents are recognised automatically, by virtue of law, without being validated by other institutions:

  • maturity certificates or upper secondary school leaving certificates awarded in the member states of the EU and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and member states of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) – signatories of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, which give access to higher education in the awarding country;

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization in Geneva;

  • European Baccalaureate (EB) diplomas awarded by the European Schools in accordance with the Convention laying down the statutes of the European schools, adopted in Luxembourg in 1994;

  • certificates covered by international agreements signed by Poland.

Poland has signed bilateral agreements, which regulate, among other things, the recognition of secondary school leaving certificates for the purpose of enrolment on first-cycle (Bachelor’s degree) and long-cycle (Master’s degree) programmes, with the following countries:  Austria, Belarus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine, and China and Libya. Since Belarus terminated the agreement in November 2022, its provisions remain in force in relation to persons who were enrolled on a degree programme at a Polish higher education institution before 3 November 2023. Details about the agreements are available on the website of the Ministry of National Education (information available in Polish only) and in the Internet Treaty Database managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In other cases, certificates and other documents are recognised through a recognition process (nostryfikacja) conducted by the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (kurator oświaty) in a given province. Details about the procedure. 

The procedure for the recognition of vocational qualifications for the purpose of employment depends on whether a given profession (occupation) is regulated in Poland. 

For non-regulated professions, a decision to recognise a foreign qualification is taken by the employer. 

Vocational qualifications for regulated professions awarded in EU and EFTA-EEA countries and Switzerland are recognised in accordance with the Act of 22 December 2015 on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Acquired in the Member States of the European Union (as subsequently amended) (ustawa z dnia 22 grudnia 2015 r. o zasadach uznawania kwalifikacji zawodowych nabytych w państwach członkowskich Unii Europejskiej, z późn. zm.). The Act implements Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (as subsequently amended). Qualifications for most of the professions that are regulated in Poland are recognised under the so-called general recognition system in the EU. In the recognition process, the competent body verifies the level of education completed and the qualifications for practising a given profession in the country where they were awarded, and issues a recognition decision. If the material covered by the education or training programme completed or the exam passed by the applicant or the range of professional activities in the awarding country differ significantly, the competent body may require that the applicant undertake an adaptation placement of up to 3 years or take an aptitude test to have his/her qualifications recognised. For other regulated professions, the recognition of qualifications is governed by specific regulations. 

Vocational qualifications obtained in other countries are recognised in accordance with the legislation applicable to a given profession (occupation). 

Details about the professions that are regulated in Poland are available in the EU Regulated Professions database. 

Other useful information

Education of foreigners

Pursuant to the Law on School Education of 14 December 2016 (as subsequently amended) (ustawa – Prawo oświatowe z 14 grudnia 2016 r. (z późn. zm.)), foreign nationals, regardless of their nationality and status, have access to education in public and publicly subsidised nursery schools and public primary and post-primary schools, until the age of 18 or the completion of education in a post-primary school, under the same conditions as Polish nationals. 

Under the same conditions as for Polish nationals, nationals of some countries and specific groups of foreigners also have access to public secondary and post-secondary schools, which take learners aged 18 years and above. These groups include, for example, nationals of EU Members States, EFTA-EEA countries and the Swiss Confederation, and individuals holding specific types of residence permits or status, for example, refugees.

Other foreign nationals may be admitted to the above-mentioned types of schools either as holders of a scholarship awarded by the competent body (for example, the minister responsible for school education, a local government body administering a given type of school, a school head) or on a fee-paying basis. In the latter case, the body administering a given school sets the level of fees and can grant full or partial fee waiver.

Learning support for foreign nationals in school education

The school education system offers several types of learning support to children and young people in full-time and part-time compulsory education. These include:

  • Preparatory units established in schools for pupils who have no or insufficient knowledge of the Polish language to follow a mainstream curriculum. Teaching in such units is based on the curriculum for a given type of school and school grade, but learning and teaching methods are adapted to the individual needs of pupils and the teacher may be supported by an assistant speaking the language of the pupil’s country of origin.

  • Additional or remedial classes covering subjects included in the school curriculum for pupils who need to bridge gaps in education resulting from differences between school curricula in Poland and the country of origin.

  • Additional Polish-language classes for pupils who have no or insufficient knowledge of Polish to follow a mainstream curriculum.

  • Classes in the language and culture of the country of origin: classes or a course organised by the diplomatic mission or consulate of the country of origin or a cultural or educational association for a given nationality, and conducted in premises and with the use of teaching and learning resources which the host school provides on a fee-free basis.

  • Adaptations in external exams to cater to the individual needs and abilities of the pupil; for example, the use of adapted examination sheets or bilingual dictionaries; extended duration of an exam.

Teacher mobility

Mobility of school education stafftakes place primarily within the EU Erasmus+ Programme and, on a much smaller scale, in projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget. There are no mobility programmes or projects funded only from national sources.

The national legislation does not lay down any specific arrangements for learning mobility of teachers. However, pursuant to general provisions of the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter (as subsequently amended) (ustawa Karta Nauczyciela z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. (z późn. zm.)), full-time teachers are entitled to paid training leave to follow a degree or non-degree postgraduate programme or a training programme offered by higher education institutions and in-service teacher training institutions, respectively. Teachers may also be granted paid or unpaid leave for research, artistic or learning or training purposes.

There are no specific national regulations or recommendations on the recognition of performance or outcomes of training carried out during a mobility period. However, teacher performance appraisal takes into consideration a training period undertaken abroad insofar as appraisal covers, among other things, professional development activities (Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 25 August 2022 on the teacher performance appraisal / Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 25 sierpnia 2022 r. w sprawie oceny pracy nauczycieli).

State-budget funding managed by the bodies that administer schools can be allocated for in-service teacher training, including, for example, a training period abroad (Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 23 August 2019 on financial support for teacher professional development, specific objectives of in-service vocational training and the procedure and conditions for teachers undertaking in-service vocational training / Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z 23 sierpnia 2019 r. w sprawie dofinansowania doskonalenia zawodowego nauczycieli, szczegółowych celów szkolenia branżowego oraz trybu i warunków kierowania nauczycieli na szkolenia branżowe).

EU Erasmus+ Programme

The Erasmus+ Programme, (2014-2020, 2021-2027) is administered in Poland by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. Teachers, leaders and other staff from all types of schools and other school education institutions (for example, school inspectors, counsellors) participate in learning mobility mainly in Learning mobility projects which offer three types of mobility opportunities: job shadowing, teaching or training assignments and training courses at institutions abroad. Short-term mobility opportunities, linked to specific objectives of a project, are also available to school education and vocational education and training staff in various other types of Erasmus+ projects. 

Projects co-funded by the EU and the national budget

European Funds for Social Development (Fundusze Europejskie dla Rozwoju Społecznego)

The Foundation for the Development of the Education System (which administers the Erasmus+ Programme) carries out two programmes “International learning mobility of school education pupils and staff” and “International mobility of vocational education pupils and staff” (2023-2027), co-funded by the European Funds for Social Development (2021-2027) and the national budget (the websites available in Polish only). The projects are based on the Erasmus+ rules. Grants are awarded to Erasmus+ Learning Mobility projects (see above) which received a positive assessment but were not funded due to the limited budget of the Action. Projects are targeted at staff (and pupils; see Chapter 13.1.1) who are disadvantaged due to, for example, a disability or health problems, learning difficulties, financial problems, cultural differences, social or geographical barriers. Staff can participate in training courses or other structured training activities, or undertake job shadowing placements or teaching assignments abroad.