Introductory information for ITAAT project –
Polish partner
THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN POLAND
ICT IN THE SYSTEM
OUR INSTITUTION IN THE SYSTEM
22 October 2010, Ronda
The education system in Poland
GENERAL INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL LEVELS
ASSESSMENT
SPECIAL NEEDS
TEACHERS
General information
 Two separate bodies are responsible for the system of
education in Poland: the Ministry of National
Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher
Education.
 Compulsory full-time education lasts 10 years from
the age of six. Compulsory part-time education lasts
from 16 until 18 years of age.
 98% of pupils attend public sector schools which
offer free education within the framework of core
curricula.
 Since 2008 a new reform of the system has been
introduced.
Pre-primary education
 For children 3 - 5 years of age education in
kindergartens is voluntary.
 6 year olds are obliged to complete a year of
preparation for primary education either in
kindergartens or in schools.
 After 2011/12 it is planned to lower the school
starting age from 6 to 5.
Primary education
 Primary school is 6-year and covers children aged 7
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13 years of age (6 years from 2012).
There are two stages:
Stage 1 – early school education, 7-10 years of age
Stage 2 – teaching based on separate subjects, 10-13
years of age.
At the end of primary school children take an
external general obligatory test with no selection
function, informing about the level of achievements of
the pupils.
Secondary education
• Gimnazjum – 3-year lower secondary school for pupils
13-16 years of age.This is the 3 stage of education,
administered – like previous stages – by commune
authorities.
At the end an external general obligatory examination
in the field of humanities, science and languages.
• Upper secondary schools – general and specialised
liceum (16-19 years of age) or technical (16-20 years of
age), administered by district authorities.
• Basic vocational school – 16-18/19 years of age;
compulsory part-time education - out of school forms
Post-secondary education
• Supplementary general upper secondary school
18/19-20/21 years of age.
• Supplementary technical upper secondary school –
18/19-20/21 years of age.
• Post-secondary school non-tertiary school – 19 -21
years of age.
Higher and adult education
 Higher education institutions are autonomous.
They offer mainly first-, second- and third-cycle
programmes.
 Adult education is provided by continuing education
centres, practical training centres and further and inservice training centres.
Structure of
the system
of education
in Poland
Special needs education
 Most children with special needs are taught in
separate schools or in special classes in mainstream
schools.
 They costitute 1,69% of all pupils in compulsory
education.
 Integration is subject to the recomendation given by
competent body and/or the parents.
Teachers
 Teachers must have a higher education qualification.
 Teachers should undergo continuous professional
development.
 The Teachers’ Charter introduced in 2000 four
categories in teaching career:
1. trainee teacher
2. contract teacher
3. appointed teacher
4. chartered teacher
ICT
in Polish educational system
THE GOVERNMENT’S POLICY
EUROPEAN AND COUNTRY FUNDS AND PROGRAMMES
SCHOOLS
STUDENTS
TEACHERS
CHALLENGES
The government’s policy
Computerisation of Polish schools is implemented
within the framework of governmental strategy for
the information society development.
As there is no such an institution like the British
BECTA taking care of executing tasks connected
with applying ICT in education, the Ministry of National
Education itself is responsible for this job.
Since 2008 an advisory body has been appointed
to assist the minister in the field of computer and media
education.
The government’s policy
Since 1998 computers have been introduced
systemically within such programmes and projects –
often co-financed by European Union funds - like:
 Computer classrooms for schools,
 Internet centres of multimedia information in the
school libraries,
 Computers for continuing education centres and
practical skills training centres,
 Computer for every student (limited to a pilot project),
 Scholaris – the ministry of education Internet portal
for educational resources,
 Digital school (to be implemented in 2012).
Other programmes for schools
Interkl@sa – 1998-2011 national programme
initiated by one of the Polish Senate members,
supported by the government and the PolishAmerican Foundation of Liberty.
The programme provided schools with
computers, Internet access, training for
teachers and also an educational portal for
students, teachers and parents.
The role of European funds
Aside from the funds which have been in the
disposal of the Ministry of National Education,
Polish schools have been absorbing European
funds via regional operational programmes.
Many schools, especially rural ones, have applied
for founds allocated for equalising the educational
chances to buy hardware and software, and
conduct extra curricular activities focused on ICT
skills development.
EU educational programmes
 Polish schools are the most active nations
in eTwinning - the international collaboration
programmme applying the intensive use of digital
technology.
 Some Polish schools have also joined European
Schoolnet.
National core curriculum
implemented since 2009/2010 school year.
 ICT skills are recognised as a key competence at
all stages of education.
 Schools’ task is to prepare pupils for life in the
information society.
 The role of a teacher of particular subjects is to
enhance acquisition of skills of searching,
organizing and applying information from
different resources using ICT.
Learning ICT in school
ICT is a separate subject with compulsory lessons for:
 1 and 2 education levels: information technology
 3 and 4 education levels: computer science
Still there is expectation that information technology
will be taught by a specialist, and not subject teachers.
Hardware
 All the schools are equipped with computers and the
number of computers in particular schools is
increasing gradually (the student - computer ratio is
over 10; the highest being for lower secondary schools:
in 2009 it was from 2,5 to 6 students for 1 computer).
 The ICT equipment is - on principle - placed in
computer labs or the library multimedia centres, but
at present there are some subject classrooms with a
computer, sometimes connected to the Internet.
 Interactive whiteboards are purchased for more and
more schools and now their number is increasing
significantly.
 Although all the schools have the Internet access, the
technologies applied not always satisfactory .
Software
 Equipping schools with software as well as hardware
is a competency of the administrative supervising
authority.
 At first the basic operational and educational
software has been delivered to schools centrally,
altogether with hardware as an objective of
governmental programmes and projects.
It is mainly Microsoft to prevail but some schools
still use Open Source software.
 Few schools use e-learning platforms such as
Moodle.
 Loads of the educational programmes used at schools
are delivered by textbook editors as a part of
educational sets.
Pupils’ digital competencies
Polish students have been winning a great deal of awards in
European and world ICT competitions.
At the same time PISA 2009 „Students On Line” results
are disappointing:
 Polish teenagers are at the16 position at the international
ICT skills ranking of 19 countries.
 Only 3% of Polish pupils are proficient users of the
Internet, while remaining 25% encounter some difficulties.
 60,6% pupils use computers at school (with OECD
average being 74,2%), while at home 92,1% (which is also
OECD average).
Teachers and ICT – initial training
 Standards of preparing teachers in the field of ICT
have been in force since 2003 as an integral part of
initial teacher training.
 New standards are to be introduced soon and a
teacher is expected to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
inspire pupils for learning and creativity,
promote and develop pupils’ attitude to citizenship and shape
their responsibility in the world of digital media,
apply and develop teaching and assessing methods with ICT
usage,
teach and learn in the ICT environment,
engage in his /her professional self-development.
Teachers and ICT- in-service training
 Since 2000 the skill of using information and
communication technologies and employing a
computer at work is one of the requirements of
teachers’ professional advancement.
 Teachers undertake either free training, such as
offered by the government (co-financed from
European funds) or by non-govermental
organisations, for example Intel „Teaching
for the Future” initiative, or paid by schools, or by
teachers themselves.
 ICT training is provided by specialized or general
teacher training centres.
Challenges for the Ministry of
National Education
 Implementing eSchool system – equipping schools
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with essential infrastructure, hardware and software,
for interactive and mobile learning.
Creating an electronic learning environment.
Preparing legislation for e-learning at school.
Providing adequate educational resources for online
teaching.
Training teachers in the field of the distant and elearning methodology.
Challenges for schools
 A computer connected to the Internet and an
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overhead projector as well as interactive whiteboard
in every classroom.
Fast broadband Internet.
Wi-fi.
Computer labs open for all subject teachers and
mobile classrooms.
Technical support for teachers.
Programmes for school development in the field of
ICT.
Challenges for teachers
 Integrating technology with subject teaching.
 Using computers and the Internet during classes.
 Profesional development - continuous training in
technical as well as didactic aspects of using ICT for
subject teaching.
Our institution
MAZOVIAN
IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING CENTRE
Our place in the system
Head of self-government
of Mazovia Province
Minister
of National Education
Mazovian
Superintendent of Education
MSCDN
universities, ngos,
museums, etc.
MSCDN Siedlce
schools
local self-governmental
authorities
Location
Siedlce
Structure
MSCDN
Ciechanow
Minsk
Mazowiecki
Ostroleka
Plock
Siedlce
Radom
Siedlce
Warsaw
MSCDN in numbers
DEPARTMENTS - 7
TEACHERS - 101 000
SCHOOLS - 7 277
teachers trained by MSCDN 45 000/year
MSCDN STAFF:
• consultants - 95
• methodological advisors -70
• external experts – 800/year
• administration - 85
Quality
Accreditation - 2007, May 31
by The Mazovian Superintendent
of Education
Recognized quality in the area of:
training offer,
information and publications,
personnel,
infrastructure.
Akredytacja
Main tasks
 Diagnosing teacher
training needs.
 Inspiring, organizing and
performing the in-service
training for teachers and
educational management.
 Preparing teachers and
educational management
for implementing
educational reforms and
other legal acts.
Main tasks
 Organizing various forms
of cooperation and
experience exchanges
beetween teachers, their
schools and other
educational institutions.
 Creating and developing
centres of pedagogical
information.
 Enhancing teacher
professional and personal
growth.
Educational projects in MSCDN
Closed
• School of
Dreams
• 9 May Europe
Day in schools
• Early language
eduaction
• Key to
Learning
• Mazovian
Talents
Lasting
• Wind of
Memories
• School of
Education
Managers
• TTAE
New
• ITAAT
• Mazovian
Talent and
Career Centres
• System
of support
and assistance
for SEN
students
MSCDN journal
MSCDN website
MSCDN e-learning platform
MSCDN Siedlce Department in numbers
AREA: 5 districts:
Siedlce, Losice, Wegrow,
Sokolow Podlaski, Garwolin
SCHOOLS:
98 kindergartens
241 primary schools
119 lower secondary schools
78 +59 upper secondary schools
17 other educational institutions
TEACHERS: 9 000
MSCDN Siedlce staff
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manager
consultants
ICT technician
office workers
cleaning persons
driver
1
9
1
6
2
1
in total 20
Infrastructure
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7 classrooms
1 computer lab
(16 computer units)
13 office rooms
equipment: overhead
projectors, laptops,
video, tv, scanners,
printers, xerox
machines, access to
the Internet
Forms of training
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
qualification courses
post-graduate studies
development courses
teacher council training
conferences
seminars
workshops
consultations
Training 2010 in numbers
1963 training hours
workshops
courses
licence courses
school council
training
seminars
conferences and qualification
courses are not included here
Thematic areas
• School management, quality in education, teacher
promotion
• Pedagogical and psychological assistance
• Special needs education
• Pre-school and early school education
• Polish language, history, civic education, culture
• Maths education,
• Science education
• Informatics and IT
• Vocational education,
entrepreneurship
• Health education,
• Arts, music
• Foreign languages
• School library
iwona.moczydlowska@mscdn.edu.pl