Teachers protest against Polish school reforms
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
19.11.2016 15:08
Some 50,000 teachers, parents and other opponents to planned education reforms, which include abolishing middle schools, protested in Warsaw on Saturday, the Polish Teachers' Union said.
A protest against planned education reforms was held in Warsaw on Saturday. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell.
Figures on turnout from police and City hall were not immediately available.
Local media have reported that protesters are concerned about teacher layoffs. But Poland’s Education Minister Anna Zalewska has previously said no teachers would lose their jobs.
The Polish Teachers’ Union, which organised the protest, claims that a new curriculum has not been set even though the reform is to come into effect when the new school year starts on 1 September, if a bill introducing the changes is passed.
However, the education ministry on Friday sent out information packs to 27,500 Polish schools about the planned changes.
A spokeswoman for the education ministry said: “It is our goal for every school principal in Poland to receive an information pack which includes a brochure about the changes”.
The information pack includes a letter from Zalewska asking Polish school principals to share the information with parents and teachers.
If the reforms go through, Poland will return to a previous system of eight-year elementary school followed by either five-year technical school or four-year high school.
The current system, which comprises a six-year elementary school, three-year middle school and three-year high-school, was introduced 17 years ago. (vb/pk)
Source: PAP, IAR, TVN24, TVP