A row about a list of school reading. The Ministry is cooling emotions, the expert explains

Nothing changes in the canon of reading – assured the Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka, emphasizing that these are only expert proposals. The Ministry of Education announced that the work of the team, which is to develop a proposal of the Polish language core curriculum, will end in August.

In Wednesday's “Gazeta Wyborcza” a text appeared with the statements of Dr. Kinga Białek, who manages the team working at the Institute of Educational Research – the National Research Institute (IBE) on the core curriculum of the Polish language for primary schools. As she passed, Experts propose, among others Less number of compulsory reading, in grades IV-VI of primary school, there would be no reading list with large book positions. The proposal aroused a lot – also political comments.

Government spokesman Adam Szłapka was the first to react. “The canon of reading remains unchanged. The Ministry of Education does not delete any titles from the reading list,” he said on Wednesday on the portal X.

The Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka also took a position on this matter. “What changes in the canon of reading? Nothing. Expert proposals, even the most exciting ones, remain proposals of experts, not the action of the Ministry of National Education,” she wrote on X.

The Ministry of National Education in the PAP said explained that proposals regarding the core curricula of all subjects – including reading on Polish – are proposals of expert teams operating at the Institute of Educational Research. Noted that The Institute has not yet transferred to the MEN developed proposals, and the work of the Polish Language Team will end in August.

“It is not true that experts among their reviewed proposals postulate the liquidation of the obligations of reading or entire reading lists, including the canon of Polish literature in classes IV-VI and VII-VIII. Experts already at the current stage of work indicate the need for mandatory positions and texts-including the Bible fragments, selected Greek myths and the need to set a minimum of four longer book positions To read in each class, at the IV -VI Sp.

He added that teachers, in the initial proposal of IBE experts, would, however, in grades IV-VI receive more autonomy in the selection of reading, as part of a wide list of national and world positions, which was postulated many times by the teaching environment.

The Ministry of National Education emphasized that the proposals of the core curricula will first be subjected to reviews of scientists and practitioners, then sent to the ministry for further work on them. Public consultations are planned at the turn of September and October.

In turn, IBE pointed out that In order for students to read more, they should be encouraged to do so. “Experts propose a fewer number of compulsory readings as a necessary minimum and much larger autonomy of teachers in the selection of items that students will process every year. This is an initial proposal that works are still underway. Every year, students would work at least four longer readings and many shorter items or fragments of books, “the Institute explained.

IBE emphasized that children need to give a chance to read different positions, instill curiosity and habit of reading in them, so reading should talk about matters close to students, their lives, friendships, family or relationships.

“Does this mean bypassing tradition? No, at various stages, experts offer fragments of the Bible, mythology, and in grades VII-VIII closer meetings with Polish literary tradition. We appeal to confidence to Polish artists! They will be able to offer their own titles or use the list of complementary reading. This is a solution that works well now. It is important to encourage students to read. contemporary ” – we read.

In the text “GW” Dr. Białek reported that the idea of experts is that in grades IV-VI of the primary school there were no reading list at all with large book positions, but there are to be thematic circles: home, family, peer relations, friendship, emotions, human relationships and nature, diversity. During the year you will have to read not less than four books that students will choose with teachers. They should apply to these thematic circles. They are to be both contemporary and classic works. In turn, in grades VII-VIII, as she donated, she would already have specific names and titles.

According to this proposal, longer mandatory reading, listed for the following, would be only three: “Balladyna” by Juliusz Słowacki, “Dziady, part II” by Adam Mickiewicz and “Stones for the Life of the Life” by Aleksander Kamiński. Both in class VII and VIII, students would have to read no less than four longer reading. They would be chosen by students with the support of the teacher. – We give the canon, we just say: let him be digestible – says Białek.

Work on changes in the reading list is related to the programmatic reform. The reform is to be introduced to schools gradually: in September 2026, the new core curriculum will come into force in classes I and IV of the Primary School, a year later from September 2027 in the first grades of secondary schools, and in primary school it will cover another two years. In the following years he will cover subsequent years of primary school students and secondary schools. In 2031, a new eighth -grade exam and a new matura exam, when the first students covered by the new core curriculum will end the full education cycle.

In the Regulation of the Minister of Education on the core curriculum, commonly called the core curriculum, it is described what the student should be able to know from a specific subject after a given educational stage (each subject is described separately). Teaching programs and textbooks must comply with the basis, and the teacher is required to implement all the content contained in it. An element of the Polish language core curriculum is the reading list.

Work on the reform of education began in the spring of 2024. At that time, the Ministry of National Education entrusted IBE work on the graduate profile, i.e. the answer to the question of who a graduate of the Polish school should be, what competences, what knowledge, values and what agency should have. The developed profile is the starting point for preparing a new core curriculum. (PAP)

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