2023
Pre-consultation of the Digital Transformation Policy for Education in Poland
9 November 2023
On 9 November 2023, a pre-consultation of the Policy for Digital Transformation of Education in Poland (PCTE) was launched. All comments and suggestions submitted will be forwarded to a team, which will analyse the proposals and introduce modifications to the draft policy. The pre-consultation is one of the stages of the planned introduction of the policy.
The Digital Transformation Centre team at the Ministry of Education and Science has created a proposal for a strategic digital transformation policy in the field of education. The document includes well-considered state interventions, suggests the use of ICT in Polish schools and educational institutions - from nursery school and schools to universities - and proposes measures to counteract the negative effects of technology use, such as cyber threats, disinformation or digital addiction. The vision of digitalisation is spread over several time perspectives, short term (until 2025), medium term (until 2030) and long term (after 2030).
Comments and feedback on the project are being collected until 8 December 2023.
The preparation of the draft policy stems from the need to have one coherent and comprehensive document to coordinate the goals and activities related to the digital transformation of education. The activities described in the policy text are to contribute to the achievement of the objectives and will enable cooperation, planning and evaluation of activities at central, regional and local levels. The PCTE defines strategic goals that all actors involved in education activities should work towards.
National Reading Development Programme 2.0 for 2021-2025 - summary of implementation in 2022
12 June 2023
The aim of the National Reading Development Programme 2.0 (NPRCz 2.0) is to improve the condition of readership in Poland and to strengthen the role of public, school and pedagogical libraries as local centres of social life, providing a centre of access to culture and knowledge. The planned budget of the programme for 2021-2025 is nearly PLN 1.1 billion, of which PLN 635 million is from the state budget.
The NPRCz 2.0 Programme distinguishes four Priorities:
- Priority 1: Improving the offer of public libraries - operator: the National Library,
- Priority 2: Investment in the infrastructure of public libraries - operator: the Book Institute,
- Priority 3: Purchase of new publications for pre-school, school and pedagogical libraries - operator: Ministry of Education and Science,
- Priority 4: Grant programme for libraries and promotion of readership - operator: National Centre for Culture.
The NPRCz Programme in pre-school education
In the 2.0 edition of the NPRCz Programme, pre-school settings can benefit from support. In 2022, almost 3 000 (2 943) of them with a total of 296,075 children received funds.
The leaders in the use of funds by kindergartens are the following regions:
- małopolskie (407 pre-school settings),
- mazowieckie (361),
- śląskie (305),
- podkarpackie (301).
In total, 538,982 books were purchased for pre-school education institutions, including:
- 533,805 paper books,
- 4,588 audiobooks,
- 589 electronic books.
Library corners or small libraries were set up in nursery schools across the country. Books were displayed, for example in the lobby of the nursery school or in the cloakroom, in order to get not only children, but also parents interested in reading.
In addition, as part of their pro-reading activities, pre-schools organised family reading meetings, meetings with authors of children's books, theatre performances and shows of fairy tales or literary workshops. Participation in the "All of Poland Reads to Kids" and "Reading has Power" events has become a tradition in many nursery schools.
The NPRCz Programme in school and pedagogical libraries
In 2022, 2,801 schools participated in the programme, including 2,076 primary schools and 725 secondary schools. Schools in the following regions were the most likely to benefit from support:
- lubelskie (443 schools),
- mazowieckie (398 schools),
- małopolskie (281 schools).
In 2022, 2,506 school libraries and 57 pedagogical libraries (a total of 2,563 libraries) were supported under Priority 3 of NPRCz 2.0. These libraries purchased 935,961 new books.
2022
PLN 20 million to support intergenerational integration - competition results
26 October 2022
181 projects on intergenerational education and integration will be funded by the Intergenerational Education Centres - Support for Intergenerational Integration programme. The Ministry of Education and Science has allocated almost PLN 20 million for this purpose.
The aim of the new Ministry of Education and Science programme 'Intergenerational Education Centres - supporting intergenerational integration' is to expand the range of extra-curricular activities aimed at building social ties and developing intergenerational cooperation. The programme is based on the concept of lifelong learning and intergenerational education.
The programme was aimed at non-governmental organisations, including scouting organisations, as well as entities carrying out statutory activities in the field of education, whose projects support intergenerational integration. Integration should be based on the exchange of knowledge, experience and skills and promote lifelong learning and shape competences related to personal, social, civic and professional development.
National Reading Development Programme 2.0. for 2021-2025 - call for 2023
12 October 2022
"National Programme for the Development of Reading 2.0. for 2021-2025" is a continuation of the government programme (first edition in 2016-2020), which aims to create conditions for the development of reading by providing funds for the implementation of specific projects and initiatives. Under Priority 3 of the Programme, support can be provided to:
- pre-school settings - for the purchase of books for children and activities promoting reading,
- schools and pedagogical libraries - for the purchase of books and equipment for children's libraries and activities to promote reading.
The Ministry of Education and Science will allocate almost PLN 30 million in 2023 for the purchase of new books, library equipment and the implementation of reading promotion activities.
Financial support may be granted:
- for pre-schools for:
- purchase of books that are new publications for children aged 3-6,
- implementation of activities promoting reading.
- for schools for:
- purchase of books that are new publications and not textbooks,
- purchase of new equipment for school libraries:
- purchase of computer equipment for use by the librarians,
- purchase of software for libraries,
- purchase of e-book readers,
- purchase of equipment for the interior of the library, in particular bookcases, shelves, desks, cupboards, armchairs and lighting elements,
- implementation of reading promotion activities.
Financial support will be granted to the school running body, school or pedagogical library on condition that it provides an own contribution of at least 20% of the amount of the implementation costs of the task covered by the financial support.
2021
Strategy for Persons with Disabilities 2021-30
25 February 2021
The main objective of the Strategy for Persons with Disabilities is to include persons with various types of disabilities in social and professional life, thus guaranteeing them the rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The document takes into account demands of the community of persons with various types of disabilities and assumes a comprehensive, horizontal, supra-sectoral approach of public policy to support people with disabilities, taking into account their needs for independent living and social inclusion.
The provisions on specific actions in the Strategy, including those of legislative and programming nature, were preceded by the diagnosis of the actual state of affairs. On this basis, 8 priority areas of the Strategy were identified.
Within the first of the priorities, which is "Independent living", measures have been planned, the primary goal of which is to guarantee the right to independent living to people with disabilities, arising from Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Another priority area is "Accessibility". Accessibility is one of the basic conditions for the participation of people with disabilities in social and working life. It determines the ability of this group of people to perform their social roles and lead an independent life. It also means that persons with disabilities have equal access to the physical environment, buildings, transport, information and communication technologies and systems, and other facilities and services. Therefore, this priority area of the Strategy provides for actions to improve the accessibility of public spaces for persons with disabilities and to improve the mobility situation of persons with disabilities (in line with Articles 9 and 20 of the Convention).
A basic condition for effective social and employment activation in the case of persons with disabilities is also access to the educational system, hence another key area is the priority "Education". Measures in this area will serve implementation of provisions of Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which indicates the obligation to implement the right of persons with disabilities to education without discrimination, on the basis of equal opportunities, with ensuring an inclusive education system.
Another priority area of the Strategy is "Work". Work has three important functions in the life of people with disabilities: rehabilitation, socialisation (social bonds, development of human personality, satisfaction and self-fulfilment) and income. In this context, measures aimed at increasing professional activity and employment opportunities of persons with disabilities, pursuant to article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, are of crucial importance.
Another priority area of the Strategy is "Living conditions and social protection". The main objective of actions under this priority, as stated in Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is to ensure adequate living conditions for persons with disabilities and their families, including the satisfaction of basic subsistence and material needs and necessary social protection. Actions under the "Living Conditions and Social Protection" priority include combating poverty of persons with disabilities and their families, as well as meeting their housing needs.
Also important from the point of view of every person with disabilities is the priority "Health", within the framework of which measures have been planned in order to fulfil Poland's obligations resulting from the Convention (Article 25), in particular with regard to ensuring health care for persons with disabilities, access to health services and programmes taking into account their specific requirements and needs with regard to preventive health care, prevention of secondary complications and deterioration of health condition, medical rehabilitation and optimisation of the quality of functioning.
The Strategy for Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 also designs activities in the "Awareness Building" priority, which follows directly from Article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which obliges the State Party to the Convention to take immediate, effective and appropriate measures to raise awareness in society, including at the family level.
The last of the eight priority areas of the Strategy is "Coordination". Implementation of the new state policy for support of persons with disabilities requires appropriate institutional reform to remedy the diagnosed systemic problems. The aim of the actions designed within the Coordination priority is to create a framework ensuring cohesion of the system and development of cooperation between institutions dealing with problems of persons with disabilities. Those actions include, inter alia, the reform of the system of assessing disability, development and adoption of the Act on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
The implementation of the measures designed under the individual priorities of the Strategy for Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 will allow the establishment of a framework for a comprehensive national policy for persons with disabilities, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It will also translate into a planned increase in the professional activity rate and employment rate of persons with disabilities.
The system of tracing secondary school graduates – the draft law adopted by the Council of Ministers
Reform status: approved, 2 February 2021
The introduction of a system for monitoring educational and professional careers of graduates of secondary schools is the main premise of the draft law adopted on 2 February 2021 by the Council of Ministers. Thanks to the use of data from the system, the national education, in particular with regard to vocational education, will respond better to the needs of the labour market and enable educational and professional mobility of graduates. The information about the careers of graduates will also allow to respond to changing socio-economic circumstances on a regular basis.
The most important solutions in the adopted bill:
- Provisions have been introduced to enable the acquisition and processing of detailed register data needed to monitor the careers of graduates of secondary schools. The solutions refer to analogous provisions adopted in higher education, but are adapted to the specificity of school educational data.
- Monitoring will be based on administrative data contained in the databases of Educational Information System, Social Insurance Institution, Integrated Information Network on Science and Higher Education - POL-on and District Examination Boards.
- Information on careers of graduates - collected annually and presented in a unified form, comparable across the years - will be used to improve the methodology of forecasting the demand for occupations and qualifications. This solution will help adjust the structure of education and programmes to changing socio-economic conditions.
- Reliable and easily accessible knowledge on the careers of graduates will allow to build the image of vocational education based on the collected data.
- The system of tracing graduates will also provide reliable information on employment conditions and salaries of graduates in particular professions, industries and regions. The employers can use this information to update and better adjust their graduate employment policies to the realities of the labour market.
- The launch of a tracing system of graduates is one of the EU conditions for the possibility of obtaining education-related funds under the new EU financial perspective 2021-2027.
Other solutions
- The details to the following provisions have been determined:
- reporting of students staying at boarding schools in the schools belonging to the group, who are not students of the school at which the boarding school is established;
- derivatives of the costs of salaries of employees who are not teachers;
- establishing entities which are competent to make entries in the Register of Schools and Educational Institutions.
The new solutions will enter into force on the day following the day of announcement in the Journal of Laws, with the exception of some provisions that will take effect on other dates.
The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (detailed part) – the document adopted by the Council of Ministers
Reform status: adopted, 31 December 2020
The Council of Ministers adopted "The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 - detailed part (ZSU 2020)" by Resolution No. 195/2020 of 28 December 2020. The document was developed as a result of broad consultations, taking into account: the requirements under the Partnership Agreement, the recommendations of the report "OECD Skills Strategy: Poland" report and the assumptions of the New European Skills Agenda.
The areas of impact within the framework of the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (detailed part):
- Basic, transversal and occupational skills of children, youth and adults.
- Skills development in formal education – management staff
- Skills development in formal education - teaching staff.
- Developing skills beyond formal education.
- Development and use of skills in the workplace
- Career guidance.
- Cooperation of employers with formal and non-formal education
- Planning lifelong learning and validation of skills.
Each of the impact areas contains themes and lines of action, as well as a catalogue of entities to be engaged in the implementation of the Strategy. The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (ZSU 2030) provides a strategic policy framework for the development of skills necessary to strengthen social capital, social inclusion, economic growth and reaching a high standard of living.
The provisions of the ZSU 2030 provide both a basis for defining plans for the management of national and European funds for skills development, as well as a common frame of reference enabling the most beneficial planning of projects and programmes by administrators of individual parts of the state budget, local government units and other public and private entities. Thus, the provisions of the ZSU 2030 detailed part should be treated as a substantive guideline for the optimal allocation of national and European funds for the development of skills at national and regional levels.
Development and implementation of models for effective coordination of activities under ZSU 2030 as well as monitoring and evaluation of this public policy is supported by the non-competitive project entitled "Support and development of mechanisms of cooperation and cooperation for the development of skills at the national and regional level". "Support and development of cooperation and coordination mechanisms at the national and regional level in the field of lifelong learning" (implemented in 2020-2022 under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development). In the project approved for implementation it is envisaged that the models will be created in 2021 and implemented in 2022. The representatives of all groups of stakeholders of ZSU 2030 will be invited to work within the project.