Although this is the final last resort, there may be that local government officials will also protest – the vice president of the Association of Polish Cities, Arkadiusz Chęciński, told PAP, referring to the protest ambulance announced by the ZNP. He noted that talks and changes in the financing of education are needed.
On Tuesday, the Polish Teachers' Union announced a protest ambulance, demanding, among others 10 % increases. Local government officials talked about the financial situation in education on Wednesday before the meeting of the Government and Local Government Committee.
“A joint meeting of all parties is needed,” commented the vice president of the Association of Polish Cities, President Sosnowiec Arkadiusz Chęciński. “We do not want protests. And today even local government officials said that (…) Finally, it would happen that they would have no other choice but to protest,” he said.
“This is a really final last resort, I think we haven't come to this wall yet,” he added.
He noted that protests give nothing good, especially young people. “They are then in all this confusion the most victim, and each protest only causes the situation to be inflamed and even more difficult to get along” – he emphasized.
It is necessary to change in financing and activities of the Ministry of National Education and MF
As he said, local government officials paid attention on Wednesday, among others for a financial situation in education. “Not only We demand money, but we also ask to make such changes in education that will bring savings” – he emphasized.
In his opinion, local governments are on the right track to reach an agreement with the government, but for this you need “a really rational and rapid operation of the Ministry of National Education and probably also the Ministry of Finance.”
According to Chęciński, “the situation in education has been really far”. According to him, the reason is, among others Depopulation in our country. “Teachers want to earn better, we want to have a higher level of education and better quality of education through the quality of schools. All this causes these tensions,” he said.
According to the local government officer, “the most important thing is to take some action, because this is the problem that today we are talking a lot and we do nothing.”
“Taking actions stabilizes the situation and I think that such meetings, maybe in the future, when we know all the laws that are to be prepared in a wider group together, together, maybe they will bring a solution. Today disputes of this type and protests in education are not needed for anything,” he said.
ZNP demands and the answer of the Ministry of Education
The ZNP also demands that the Sejm to adopt a civic draft amendment to the Teachers 'Card, according to which the amount of teachers' remuneration was associated with the amount of average remuneration in the economy – so that the amendment enters into force from January 1, 2026. In the event of failure to meet the demands, it announces a manifestation on September 1 in Warsaw. Trade unionists say, among others on the “tardiness of the government” in relation to their environment.
Asked by PAP for the commentary of the Deputy Minister of Education Katarzyna Lubnauer drew attention, among others for increases for teachers, an increase in expenditure on education, “as well as legal solutions that trade unions have postulated for years, and which have already translated into bills.”
“I encourage you to see specific changes introduced by the government,” she added.
The deputy head of the Ministry of National Education pointed out that “the ministry has never been so open to cooperation with relationships as today.”
New education financing system and estimated needs
On January 1, 2025, the reform of the financing of local governments came into force, assuming that the main source of local governments will be tax revenues, and subsidies from the state budget will be a complementary nature. The current educational subsidy has been replaced by the so -called educational needs.
At the end of March, Grzegorz Kubalski from the Polish Poviats Association told PAP that – according to the calculations of local government organizations – in this year's budget the educational needs were lowered by about PLN 40 to 45 billion in the whole country.
“This amount is not the same as the amount of funds that would also have to be transferred from the state budget; this is an amount that should be included in the calculations to determine at what amount a new general subsidy should be,” he noted.
The total amount of educational needs for all local governments in 2025 was specified in the Act on JST income and amounts to PLN 102.7 billion. It is higher in relation to the sum of the educational subsidy in 2024 and subsidies for co -financing pre -school education (PLN 92 billion PLN 174 million in total) by PLN 10 billion 478 million, i.e. by 11.4 percent.
In the draft ordinance published at the end of June, the Ministry of National Education in the amount of educational needs of 2026 said that this amount would amount to PLN 111 billion PLN 512 million, will be higher by PLN 8.9 billion, i.e. by 8.6 percent. Compared to 2025, the so -called Standard A – the amount that the local government gets per student will amount to about PLN 9,752.
The amount of educational needs, like the educational subsidy, is divided between local governments according to the algorithm determined every year by the Minister of Education. The starting point in the algorithm is the so -called Standard A, covered with a system of weight (multipliers), thanks to which the amount per student changes depending on the type and specificity of the school, institution or needs. The difference is, among others On the fact that all preschoolers will be included in the new system to calculate educational needs, regardless of age. (PAP)
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