Overview of Education System
Education in Poland is provided for by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. The education system is managed centrally by two governmental agencies, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. National educational policy is developed and carried out centrally, while the administration of education and the running of schools are decentralized. Education is regulated by several parliamentary acts and Ministry of National Education ordinances. Within the broad limits delineated by official documents, there is much room for other agents, such as educational publishers, test makers, school principals, and teachers, to determine jointly the conditions of students’ educational experience.
The Polish education system has undergone many changes. Before 1998, the system consisted of two levels: primary (Grades 1 to 8) and secondary (Grades 9 to 10, 12, or 13, depending on school type). A 1998 reform shortened primary school to six grades and split secondary school into a lower level (Grades 7 to 9) and an upper level (Grades 10 to 12 or 13). A 2009 parliamentary act initiated a gradual change from school entry at age 7 to age 6. In 2015, virtually all 6-year-olds commenced compulsory schooling. However, the new government that came into power in November 2015 reversed the 1998 reform, raising the school entry age back to 7. As of 2017, the educational system will consist of two levels: primary (Grades 1 to 8) and secondary, which is divided into general (Grades 9 to 12) and professional (Grades 9 to 13) education. Each secondary school will offer a final external examination (Matura) that entitles students with passing scores to apply to an institution of higher education. Vocational schools will prepare primary school graduates for skilled industrial or trade vocations, but the organization of these schools has not been specified. Preprimary education for children starting at age 3 is left to parental discretion, except for an obligatory year before school entry age.