General information

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is divided into two stages: care for children aged up to 3 years, including centre-based care provided in crèches and kids’ clubs or home-based care provided by day-care providers and nannies, and preschool education for children aged 3-6/7 years in nursery schools and alternative settings. Nursery schools and other preschool education settings are part of the school education system. The school education system comprises not only preschool and school education, but also adult education in schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools, and in specific types of educational institutions. Adult education outside the education system is provided by various entities as part of economic or labour-market training activities. Different quality assurance approaches are in place for the care for children aged up to 3 years, and for the school education system, the higher education system and the adult education sector.

Early childhood and school education

External quality assurance

The national legislation on the care for children aged up to 3  years lays down only general arrangements for the organisation and operation of childcare settings (see also childcare settings in Chapter 4), conditions for the provision of services (premises, and health, hygiene and fire safety requirements), the qualifications of care providers and the rules for the supervision of childcare settings at the level of the commune (the lowest-level local government unit). As part of their statutory tasks, crèches, kids’ clubs and day-care providers provide childcare and organise care, educational and learning activities. However, the national legislation does not provide any core curriculum or educational programme or learning and teaching methods for childcare settings (see Chapter 4.3) or methods for quality assurance of childcare. There are no national regulations or recommendations on performance appraisal of staff providing childcare. Specific standards (covering both care and educational functions) for childcare settings are set by the local government at the commune level. Overall supervision of the childcare system is the responsibility of the Minister of Family and Social Policy, and the commune-level authorities perform directly the supervision or inspection (kontrola) function. The supervision at the commune level includes compliance with the national legislation and locally adopted standards.

The approaches in place in the school education system are identical for preschool education and school education. External quality assurance is part of the pedagogical supervision system, which includes two types of measures: inspections and support. Inspections or audits (kontrola) conducted in nursery schools and primary and post-primary schools (hereafter jointly referred to as schools) aim to (1) assess compliance with the legislation concerning educational, childcare and other statutory activities; and to evaluate (2) educational processes and (3) outcomes or effectiveness of educational, childcare and other statutory activities. The scope or topics of inspections vary between school years. Specific topics to be addressed and the percentage of schools undergoing an inspection are established for each school year in the national school education policy agenda by the Minister of Education and Science and in detailed pedagogical supervision plans developed by the Head of the Regional Education Authorities for each province. Support includes activities (publication of pedagogical supervision outcomes; organisation of conferences and meetings; dissemination of information about school education topics) which aim to inspire and intensify processes designed to improve and enhance the performance of schools and geared towards the development of pupils.

External pedagogical supervision in the school education system is the responsibility of the Minister of Education and Science and other ministers overseeing specific types of schools, and of the Heads of the Regional Education Authorities (REAs) (kurator oświaty); REAs are a government administration unit at the province level. Inspections in schools are conducted by an inspector or a panel of inspectors appointed by the Head of the REA from among inspectors working in the REA.  

External quality assurance in the school education system does not cover periodic teacher appraisal. However, representatives of external bodies (the body administering a given school and the pedagogical supervision body / Head of the REA), as well as external experts, selected from the register kept by the Minister of Education and Science, are involved in the professional promotion process for teachers applying for the grade of appointed teacher or chartered teacher (the two grades that can be awarded to teachers within the professional promotion system). A board involving external bodies and experts conducts an exam in the case of promotion to the appointed teacher grade, and an analysis of professional achievements and an interview in the case of promotion to the chartered teacher grade. For details about promotion, see Chapter 9.2.

Quality improvement is also one of the aims of the external examination system which comprises: the eighth-grader exam at the end of the primary school, the final secondary education exam (maturity exam), and vocational exams for, among others, pupils and graduates of vocational secondary schools and post-secondary schools. External examination results are taken into account in external inspections. For details about the external examination system, see Chapters 5.3 and 6.3.

Internal quality assurance

The national legislation does not lay down any arrangements for internal quality assurance of care for children aged up to 3 years. However, the parents’ council in a crèche or kids’ club has some statutory powers in this respect (for example, to propose initiatives and submit motions and opinions relating, in particular, to educational activities). Any quality assurance responsibilities of a crèche or kids’ club are based on the standards adopted by the commune authorities and internal regulations, adopted by the entity, which describe their tasks in detail. 

Internal quality assurance in the school education system is part of the pedagogical supervision system, which – like external pedagogical supervision – includes inspections or audits (kontrola) and support. The legislation on internal supervision applies to the public sector only. The school head is responsible for Internal supervision, in collaboration with other management staff. Inspection topics are established by the head in a pedagogical supervision plan for each school year. Inspections address topics which are considered relevant to the activities of a given school, but a supervision plan should take into account findings from supervision in the previous year and the national school education policy agenda. Outcomes of internal inspections are taken into consideration in external inspections. Non-public schools can put in place other approaches as part of internal pedagogical supervision.

Internal quality assurance also comprises teacher performance appraisal, which is conducted by the school head, and the legislation applies to both the public and non-public sectors. Performance appraisal is mandatory for a novice teacher, that is a teacher who holds the formal qualifications required for the teaching profession, but does not hold a professional promotion grade and undertakes an induction for a period specified in the legislation (for details, see “Approaches and Methods of Quality Assurance” in Chapter 11.1). An appraisal is conducted in the second and final year of the induction period. A novice teacher should receive at least a “Good” grade in the performance appraisal in the final induction year as one of the preconditions for the promotion to the grade of appointed teacher (the first professional promotion grade). A performance appraisal is conducted at the request of a teacher holding the appointed teacher grade who intends to apply for the promotion to the grade of chartered teacher (the second and highest grade). An appointed teacher should receive a “Very Good” grade in the performance appraisal in the year preceding the application for the initiation of the qualifying process as a precondition for the promotion to the grade of chartered teacher.

A teacher performance appraisal which is not linked to promotion is not mandatory. It can be conducted at any time, but not earlier than one year after the previous appraisal, on the initiative of the school head or at the request of the teacher concerned, the body administering a given school, the school council or the parents’ council, or the body responsible for external pedagogical supervision (the Head of the Regional Education Authority in most cases).

Higher education

External quality assurance

The legislation provides for six evaluation processes. Most are mandatory where applicable to a given type of higher education institution (HEI) or programme. The mandatory processes can also be defined as accreditation processes (though the term is not used in the legislation) as they end with a formal decision which has legal consequences, determining whether or not a non-public HEI can be established or continue to operate, or a programme in a public or non-public HEI can be established or continue to be delivered.

The four processes that are currently in place include initial institutional evaluation, institutional re-evaluation, initial programme evaluation and periodic programme evaluation, although the terms “initial programme evaluation” and “institutional evaluation” are not used in the legislation. Initial programme evaluation is referred to in the legislation as the issuing of opinions on the compliance with the requirements for the provision of a degree programme, and of permits for the provision of a degree programme. Institutional evaluation is referred to as the issuing of opinions and the taking of decisions on the entry of an HEI to the Register of Non-Public Higher Education Institutions and the extension of the validity period of registration.

Initial institutional evaluation / accreditation and institutional re-evaluation / re-accreditation are required for the registration of new non-public HEIs and renewal of the registration, which is equivalent to a licence or permit for operation.

Initial programme evaluation / accreditation involves granting permits for the establishment of first-, second and long-cycle programmes in any field of study to new non-public HEIs and existing public and non-public HEIs which do not meet the statutory requirements to establish autonomously a programme in a given field of study. Additionally, such an evaluation / accreditation is required for HEIs to establish programmes in the fields of Nursing and Midwifery. Ongoing first-, second- and long-cycle programmes in all fields of study are subject to mandatory periodic programme evaluation / accreditation; programmes in the fields of Nursing and Midwifery undergo an additional periodic evaluation / accreditation review.

Several bodies are responsible for the evaluation / accreditation processes, depending on the field of study. Decisions on entry of non-public HEIs into the Register and renewal of registration and permits for public and non-public HEIs to establish programmes fall within the remit of the Minister of Education and Science. Except for the cases laid down by law, the Minister issues such decisions and permits after consultation with the Polish Accreditation Committee (PAC) (Polska Komisja Akredytacyjna). PAC’s opinions on applications submitted by HEIs are based on an assessment conducted by its members and external experts. For programmes in the fields of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, the Minister of Education and Science should also consult the Minister of Health. Accreditation awarded by the Minister of Health is additionally required for permits to establish programmes in Nursing and Midwifery; it is based on an evaluation conducted by the National Accreditation Council for Schools of Nursing and Midwifery (NACSN&M) (Krajowa Rada Akredytacyjna Szkół Pielęgniarek i Położnych),Periodic programme evaluations in all fields of study and all HEIs are conducted by PAC, which also takes related accreditation decisions. Evaluation panels are composed of PAC’s members and external experts. For programmes in the fields of Nursing and Midwifery, initial and periodic programme evaluations are additionally carried out by the NACSN&M, and re-accreditation is granted by the Minister of Health. 

Pursuant to the legislation, two new processes, complex evaluation and evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools, will be put in place in the coming years.  

Complex evaluation will be introduced pursuant to the provisions of the law which entered into force on 1 October 2020. It will focus on the effectiveness of internal quality assurance in all areas where a given HEI provides education. PAC will be responsible for the process, and evaluations will be conducted by panels composed of its members and external experts.

Evaluation of doctoral schools / evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools will focus on the quality of doctoral training (which has recently replaced third-cycle programmes) at newly established doctoral schools. Doctoral schools have operated since 1 October 2019, and pursuant to the legislation, the first evaluation can be undertaken at least 5 years after the date when a given school started to provide education or earlier at the request of the Minister of Education and Science. Evaluations will be carried out by the Research Evaluation Committee (Komisja Ewaluacji Nauki) (a recently established body also responsible for quality evaluation of research) and its external experts.

The sections on the responsible bodies and approaches contain information about the two new processes which is currently available.

There are also several peer accreditation commissions, set up independently by the academic community as from the 1990s, which conduct programme evaluations on a voluntary basis, at the request of interested HEIs. They do not operate on the basis of national legislation, their accreditation decisions do not have any legal consequences, and some of them have suspended or curtailed their activity in the last decades, in view of mandatory evaluations carried out by PAC. Thus, they are only mentioned in the first section of Chapter 11.2 (together with links to their websites).

Internal quality assurance

The national legislation does not predetermine the scope or elements of internal quality assurance. It lays down only general arrangements for the quality of programmes, including student course evaluation, and periodic appraisal of academic staff. HEIs adopt detailed arrangements for quality assurance in their internal regulations. Internal quality assurance is taken into account by PAC and the NACSN&M in their external evaluations.

Adult education

External and internal quality assurance arrangements for schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools (which take adults but are not classified as schools for adults), and institutions providing continuing education in non-school settings within the school education system are the same as for school education for children and young people (see above). The legislation does not lay down any mandatory or recommended quality assurance arrangements for entities providing continuing education in non-school settings outside the school education system, as part of economic or labour-market training activities. Each institution can put in place their own approaches.

Both institutions within the school education system and entities outside the system which provide continuing education in non-school settings may apply on a voluntary basis for accreditation to the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (REA) (kurator oświaty). Accreditation covers specific types of continuing education programmes and confirms compliance with certain requirements and high quality of education. Evaluation is conducted by a panel appointed by the Head of the REA. A panel is composed of representatives of the Head of the REA, a regional or district labour office, an employers’ organisation and, at the request of the panel, an expert in a given area of knowledge. The Head of the REA takes an accreditation decision.

Legislation

NB.: In January 2021, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education were merged into the Ministry of Education and Science. Regulations issued earlier are now amended by regulations of the Minister of Education and Science.

Early Childhood and School Education

• Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 2011 r. o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3 (z późn zmian.): lays down, for example, the arrangements for the organisation and operation of childcare settings, conditions for the provision of services, the qualifications of staff providing childcare, and arrangements for the supervision of childcare settings.
• Act of 14 December 2016, Law on School Education (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe (z późn. zm.)): The Act regulates key aspects of school education, including adult education; for quality assurance, it outlines general rules for pedagogical supervision over nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions, with detailed arrangements laid down in a relevant Regulation by the minister responsible for school education.
• School Education Act of 7 September 1991 (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty (z późn. zm.)). The main legislative act for school education until largely repealed by the Law on School Education. The provisions indirectly related to quality assurance which are still in force cover internal pupil assessment and external examinations.

• Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela (z późn. zm.)). The Act regulates key matters for teachers in the school education system and sets a general framework for teacher appraisal; detailed arrangements are laid down in a relevant Regulation by the Minister.
• Act of 20 April 2004 on the Promotion of Employment and Labour Market Institutions (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 20 kwietnia 2004 r. o promocji zatrudnienia i instytucjach rynku pracy (z późn. zm.)). The Act identifies so-called labour market institutions, which conduct training activities as part of continuing education, and which can apply for accreditation.
• Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 25 March 2011 on the requirements concerning premises and health and safety conditions for creches and kids’ clubs (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 25 marca 2011 r. w sprawie wymagań lokalowych i sanitarnych dotyczących żłobków i klubów dziecięcych (z późn. zm.))
• Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 25 March 2011 on the scope of training programmes for a childminder in a creche or kids’ club and for a day-care provider (a consolidated text) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 25 marca 2011 r. w sprawie zakresu programów szkoleń dla opiekuna w żłobku lub klubie dziecięcym oraz dziennego opiekuna (tekst jednolity)).
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 25 August 2017 on pedagogical supervision (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 25 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie nadzoru pedagogicznego (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation lays down detailed arrangements for pedagogical supervision, incl. inspections, and the responsibilities of the bodies responsible for external and internal pedagogical supervision.
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 11 August 2017 on the requirements for schools and other educational institutions (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 11 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie wymagań wobec szkół i placówek (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation lays down requirements related to activities which nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions should undertake to create optimal conditions for their activity, improve their performance and foster their organisational development, and provide conditions for the development of pupils.
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 19 August 2019 on the performance appraisal procedure for teachers, including teachers holding management positions, information to be provided in a performance appraisal sheet, the composition and procedure for the establishment of a performance appraisal board, and the detailed appeals procedures (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 19 sierpnia 2019 r. w sprawie trybu dokonywania oceny pracy nauczycieli, w tym nauczycieli zajmujących stanowiska kierownicze, szczegółowego zakresu informacji zawartych w karcie oceny pracy, składu i sposobu powoływania zespołu oceniającego oraz szczegółowego trybu postępowania odwoławczego). The Regulation lays down detailed rules for teacher performance assessment outlined in the Teachers’ Charter.
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 26 July 2018 on the professional promotion grades for teachers (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 26 lipca 2018 r. w sprawie uzyskiwania stopni awansu zawodowego przez nauczycieli (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation lays down detailed arrangements for the promotion of teachers, including the assessment of a teacher’s professional achievements.
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 1 August 2017 on the detailed arrangements for the eighth-grader examination (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 1 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie szczegółowych warunków i sposobu przeprowadzania egzaminu ósmoklasisty (z późń. zm.)); Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 21 December 2016 on the detailed arrangements for the lower-secondary school and final upper-secondary school examinations (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 21 grudnia 2016 r. w sprawie szczegółowych warunków i sposobu przeprowadzania egzaminu gimnazjalnego i egzaminu maturalnego (z późń. zm.)); Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 28 August 2019 on the detailed arrangements for vocational examinations and examinations confirming vocational qualifications (as subsequently amended) Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 28 sierpnia 2019 r. w sprawie szczegółowych warunków i sposobu przeprowadzania egzaminu zawodowego i egzaminu potwierdzającego kwalifikacje w zawodzie (z późn. zm.)). The Regulations lay down detailed arrangements for these external exams.
• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 20 March 2020 on the specific measures in the period of temporary restrictions on the functioning of institutions in the school education system introduced to prevent, control and combat the COVID-19 pandemic (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 20 marca 2020 r. w sprawie szczególnych rozwiązań w okresie czasowego ograniczenia funkcjonowania jednostek systemu oświaty w związku z zapobieganiem, przeciwdziałaniem i zwalczaniem COVID-19 (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation laid down temporary measures related to the pandemic for the school years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 and was  amended where necessary.

Higher Education

• Act of 20 July 2018, The Law on Higher Education and Science (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 20 lipca 2018 r. – Prawo o szkolnictwie wyższym i nauce (z późn. zm.)). The Act regulates key aspects of the higher education system. With regard to quality assurance, it sets a general framework for the activities of the Polish Accreditation Committee (PAC) and arrangements for programme evaluation, complex evaluations and evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools.
• Act on the Nursing and Midwifery Professions of 15 July 2011 (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa o zawodach pielęgniarki i położnej z dnia 15 lipca 2011 r. (z późn. zm.)). The Act regulates key matters related to the training of nurses and midwives. With regard to quality assurance, it lays down general operational rules for the National Accreditation Council for Schools of Nursing and Midwifery.

• Act of 2 March 2020 on the specific measures introduced to prevent, control and combat COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and to respond to related emergencies (as subsequently amended) (Ustawa z dnia 2 marca 2020 r. o szczególnych rozwiązaniach związanych z zapobieganiem, przeciwdziałaniem i zwalczaniem COVID-19, innych chorób zakaźnych oraz wywołanych nimi sytuacji kryzysowych (z późn. zm.). The Act lays down specific accreditation arrangements for Nursing and Midwifery programmes during the pandemic.  

• Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 12 September 2018 on the criteria for programme evaluation (Rozporządzenie Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego z dnia 12 września 2018 r. w sprawie kryteriów oceny programowej). The Regulation defines general criteria for evaluations conducted by PAC.
• Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 27 September 2018 on degree programmes (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego z dnia 27 września 2018 r. w sprawie studiów (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation specifies, among other things, general requirements for a curriculum for first-, second and long-cycle programmes and a higher education diploma, and information to be provided in an application for a permit to establish a programme.  
• Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 14 December 2018 on the fees for members of institutions, bodies and panels, and experts and disciplinary prosecutors operating within the higher education system (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego z dnia 14 grudnia 2018 r. w sprawie wysokości wynagrodzenia przysługującego członkom instytucji, organów i zespołów oraz ekspertom i rzecznikom dyscyplinarnym działającym w systemie szkolnictwa wyższego (z późn. zm.). The Regulation sets the level of salaries for, among others, PAC members and experts.  
• Regulation of the Minister of Health of 29 November 2012 on the National Accreditation Council for Schools of Nursing and Midwifery (as subsequently amended) (Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 29 listopada 2012 r. w sprawie Krajowej Rady Akredytacyjnej Szkół Pielęgniarek i Położnych (z późn. zm.)). The Regulation sets detailed accreditation and operational procedures for the Council.
• Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 27 September 2021 on the evaluation of the quality of education at doctoral schools (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 27 września 2021 w sprawie ewaluacji jakości kształcenia w szkole doktorskiej). The Regulation lays down detailed criteria and procedures for this type of evaluation.
• Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 26 February 2021 on the temporary restrictions for the functioning of some institutions in the higher education and science system introduced to prevent, control and combat the COVID-19 pandemic (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 26 lutego 2021 r. w sprawie czasowego ograniczenia funkcjonowania niektórych podmiotów systemu szkolnictwa wyższego i nauki w związku z zapobieganiem, przeciwdziałaniem i zwalczaniem COVID-19.). The Regulation laid down temporary measures related to the pandemic for the higher education and science system in the academic year 2021/2022.

Adult education

• Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 29 August 2019 on the accreditation of institutions providing continuing education in non-school settings (Rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 29 sierpnia 2019 r. w sprawie akredytacji kształcenia ustawicznego w formach pozaszkolnych). The Regulation lays down detailed arrangements for the accreditation of adult education programmes provided by institutions within and outside the school education system.

Schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools, post-secondary schools and other adult or continuing education institutions within the school education system are governed by the legislation for the school education (early childhood and school education) system; see above.