Nowacka announces reform. “Polish school must be the best in the world”

Polish schools must be the best in the world – emphasized the Minister of Education, Barbara Nowacka, on Monday in Nowy Dwór Gdański, announcing the Kompas Jutra reform.

The head of the Ministry of National Education met with teachers from the Pomeranian Voivodeship as part of an information campaign promoting the assumptions of the Kompas Jutra reform. Before the meeting, she organized a press conference during which she talked about the project.

– Polish schools need change and adaptation to the challenges of the 21st century – she said.

She added that the Educational Research Institute has conducted comprehensive analyzes of the competences of the future, as well as what expectations we have as citizens regarding education, and what they will be useful for young people.

– One of the most important competences is the agency and strength of a young person and the ability to show that they can do something, and not only having high theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to apply it in practice – said the head of the Ministry of National Education.

She added that this is why the school we are creating is supposed to impart knowledge at a very high level, but also to strengthen the element of practicality and agency.

Nowacka pointed out that communication skills, i.e. communicating and working in a team, are another important skill.

She emphasized that the change being introduced is not revolutionary. These are “good teaching practices used and disseminated.”

– A school in which the local government cooperates, there is a good principal and teachers who change their approach are already part of Polish education. I want these best practices to be present throughout Poland to equalize opportunities, and where they do not yet exist, to give schools strength, breathing space and space, and teachers' autonomy and agency, she said.

She added that “Polish schools must be the best in the world.”

– It must be demanding and supportive, educating at the highest level, but at the same time giving young people a sense of satisfaction and meaning in education – she said.

She explained that as part of the reform, students, among others, they will have a “project week” instead of traditional lessons. During this time, they will work on a joint, cross-curricular project.

Another change will be the “learning experience.”

– In practice, this means that we not only learn about something, but also look and check how it works – she said, emphasizing that, for example, as part of health education, students can go to a city council meeting and later describe or recreate it.

The change in the core curriculum for preschool education and general education is planned to be implemented from the 2026/2027 school year in kindergartens and grades 1 and 4 of primary school, and from the 2027/2028 school year – in the 1st grade of secondary schools.

The reform also includes, among others: changes in the scope of pedagogical supervision, including the waiver of the obligation for the education superintendent to issue opinions on the organization sheets of public schools and institutions, an increase in the fee paid with the application for approval of a textbook for school use and an increase in the amount of the textbook subsidy.

The Ministry of National Education announced that the Direction: Compass of Tomorrow route will reach all voivodeships. Information on the reform is available at reforma26.gov.pl. (PAP)

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