Conference 2000Poland
Representing Polish Parents in
School Decision-Making
Polish
school system has been undergoing the radical changes
since the 1989 year political revolution. On 11 February
1999, almost ten years later, the President of Poland,
Aleksander Kwaœniewski signed the bill introducing
into the Polish education major reform. However, these
last ten years have witnessed all sorts of changes of
which the recently launched reform is one of the
elements, as well as their result. These changes appeared
on various levels. At all these levels, the role of
parents has changed as well. The following sections will
deal with three main aspects of changes in the Polish
school system:
1.1 The
organisation of the Polish Education System
Until
1989 in Poland only the state-owned schools had
existed, with a very small exception of the
privately-owned schools belonging to the Church. We
cannot forget that the role of the Catholic Church in
Poland was significant, compared to all the other
communist countries in the world. The Church-owned
schools, however, had the rights of the state schools
in issuing the certificates and the obligation of
observing the general curriculum established by the
central authorities. The only difference was the
source of finance for the school provision and
permission for observing Catholic traditions,
including religious education lessons. All the other
schools were not allowed to teach religion.
Nevertheless, all the schools were fee-free according
to the doctrine that the education was to be equally
available to everybody.
After
the change in the political situation in 1989, Poland
has witnessed the emerging of private schools on all
levels of education - from the primary, through
secondary, to the higher schools. There are two types
of the so called non-public schools: private and
social ones.
The
private school is owned by a private person or group
of people who make decisions in the arbitrary way
without much consultation with parents.
The so
called ‘social schools’ are much more
influenced by the parents. However, in both cases
parents have to pay comparatively high fee.
The
majority of pupils, however, attend the state free of
charge schools. Due to the political changes in the
organisation of the administration of Poland, the
state schools are not owned by the state anymore.
They have been handed over to the local authorities
– local governments. Local authorities are the
source of provision for both maintaining of the
school buildings and teachers’ salaries. Until
now only the primary schools have been provided by
the local governments and, as an experiment, in some
selected areas of Poland a few secondary schools as
well.
At the
age of seven, children start their obligatory
education in the primary school, which lasts for
eight years until they are more or less fifteen. This
kind of basic school is called elementary or primary.
They can attend nursery and then kindergarten, but
these are not obligatory and were established as the
help for both working parents.
At the
age of fifteen all the children have to take their
first and probably the most difficult and important
exam, which decides whether they enter the ‘good
school’ or they are passed over to the ones with
vacancies but not having as high a level or
reputation. This is only in cases where they pass
their exams. If they fail, there is only the choice
of vocational schools in which they train for
qualifications to get a job as quickly as possible.
The
secondary school lasts for four years and ends with
the final examination called ‘Matura’
– ‘the exam of maturation’. The
certificate of ‘Matura’ enables the
nineteen-year-old girl or boy to try their chances at
the entrance exams to all kinds of institutions of
higher education or universities.
All
these entrance exams, except ‘Matura’, are
taken at the higher level schools which means for
children and their parents the additional stress of
completely new surroundings and people.
There
are two types of vocational schools – those in
which the trainees acquire the qualifications to get
a job, and the technical secondary schools ending
with ‘Matura’. The problem is the
constantly diminishing number of vocational schools
which offer learning and training for the profession
only. These schools used to be related to big
factories which are now closing down or to taught
professions no longer necessary for the modernising
economy. The certificate of such a school is not
sufficient to enter the university. If someone wants
to continue education they have to enter the
secondary school of the general education type or the
vocational one but teaching the subjects necessary
for the ‘Matura’.
The
general education schools are called
‘lyceum’. Within the ‘lyceum’,
the pupils can attend classes with various profiles,
for example: science, biological, humanities or
linguistic. There are also artistic schools for young
musicians or adept at fine arts. In the general
education schools pupils have to study all the
subjects extensively, regardless of the profile. As a
result their acquisition of such subjects as Polish,
maths, history, geography, biology, physics,
chemistry, two foreign languages, knowledge of the
current affairs, music, art has to be quite profound
in order to get promotion to the next year and then
to be able to take the final exams, the
‘Matura’ itself. The ‘Matura’
could be roughly compared to A-level exams in British
schools.
There is
another characteristic feature of the Polish school
– pupils might repeat the class if they fail to
achieve satisfying results in some or all the
subjects, even at the most primary level. There are
cases of children who repeat a number of consecutive
years, simply because they are lazy. If their
intellectual abilities were not sufficient, they
would either be treated more leniently or sent to a
special school.
The new
reform (from 1991) is going to organise education
into three levels instead of two.
In a way
it is a return to the old system which used to be
current in Poland before the second world war and was
replaced by the communist educational system. It is
comparable to the systems in most western countries.
Obligatory
education will start at the age of seven ( preceded
by the kindergarten) and will last until the age of
nineteen, not as previously to seventeen years of
age.
All
children have to attend the primary school which
lasts only for six years. In the primary schools
pupils will pass to the next class regardless of
their results. This is absolutely new in the Polish
school, and teachers complain that it will lower the
pupils’ performance.
At the
end of this stage, all the children will take their
first exam, the so called ‘competence
test’. The results should not influence the
attendance of the second level school, called
‘gimnazjum’, because it is obligatory for
everyone.
After
three years of the secondary level school (between 13
and 16 years of age), there will be the
‘pre-orientating test’. The results will
decide about the possibility of further education.
Presumably, the better the school the higher the
score will be required.
The
tertiary level will be more diverse. Pupils will
either continue their education in three years,
ending with the state ‘Matura’, or they
will go for two years to a vocational school and
finish their education at this point. If they change
their mind and decide to complete the acquisition of
knowledge, there will be a possibility of attending a
two year ‘complementary lyceum’ ending with
‘Matura’.
At this
stage education can be continued at higher vocational
schools or at a more academic level in universities
preparing for either the studies the licence (about
six semesters), or at the longer lasting magister
course, comparable to master’s diploma (about
eight or ten semesters).
The
financial situation of universities has been so bad
that they have introduced various means of
‘making’ money in order to survive. The
main method is proposing that the candidates who
passed their exams, but not well enough, can study
for a fee at the evening courses. There are also
extramural courses at weekends. It must be noted that
the state universities are much more expensive than
the private schools. Only medical academies do not
take extramural students. However, their so called
evening courses are the most expensive of all.
Private
schools of higher education can prepare for the
diploma of ‘licencjat’ (comparable to
bachelor) or at extra courses for the
‘magister’ (master). At these schools there
are no entrance exams, only the entrance fee.
2.1
Contents and Character of Curriculum
The
reform is introducing, at last, long waited changes
in curriculum. The emphasis is to be shifted from the
encyclopaedia approach to the knowledge acquisition
towards the development of child’s own
creativity and independence of thinking.
The
primary school will concentrate on passing to
children basic skills and bringing up in close
co-operation with parents. That is why the process
will be organised into educational blocks instead of
dividing into subjects in the academic way. The
school is to be within close reach of children so
parents can have decisive influence on
children’s progress and what is more important
the school’s work/ performance.
The
participation of parents in the educational process
will be much greater than it has been so far.
However, it is not at the primary level where parents
are going to be taken into account most
significantly.
There
are expected to be special workshops in which
teachers and parents will share their experiences and
co-operate in dealing with difficulties.
It is
also obvious that the Catholic attitude towards the
education will be more taken into account as the
predominating aspect of Polish culture. This is one
of the most difficult issues to be dealt with. The
idea is to maintain the impartiality of schools,
without emphasis on any particular outlook whether it
is Christian, lay, or atheistic. However, the
parents’ opinion in this matter will be
respected.
Polish
education has already witnessed the re-introduction
of religion to schools from the Catholic Church,
which has not happened without consequences for its
teaching. The fact is that the attendance at those
lessons has decreased.
‘Gimnazjum’
(the secondary school) will continue to teach more
traditionally, by means of academically divided
subjects. Since this stage is obligatory for everyone
one of its main aims is to recognise abilities and
interests of the children, enabling them to make a
right choice concerning the future education and
career.
The most
able ones will continue education leading to
‘Matura’ and academic studies.
3.1 Role
of Parents in School Decision Making
The role
of parents in decision making differs depending on
the school level, and therefore the age of children.
Their involvement can be looked upon from three
perspectives
protective,
financial,
influence
on curriculum.
All
these aspects maybe analysed in accordance with the
changes being currently introduced by the reform.
Some of them have already been mentioned..
So far
the process of selecting / electing parental
representatives is similar in all types of schools.
During the first meeting of parents at the beginning
of the school year the teacher responsible for the
class/ form invites three parents to become the
representation of the class on the school forum. They
form the so-called School Council which co-operates
with the school management in decision making
regarding the school.
The
School Council representing parents, together with
the management of the school, make decisions mainly
of the financial nature. These decisions only relate
to the money collected as the voluntary contribution
of the parents. The Council decides also how high
this contribution should be. This arrangement
pertains to the state schools only, which are free of
charge otherwise.
It must
be noted that the parental contributions have helped
to sustain the impoverished Polish schools in the
financial crisis caused by the political changes in
the country. Actually, Polish education is one of the
main victims of the political changes. In order to
revive Polish education had to start with drastic
reductions on expenses in the budget. It meant big
savings and limitations wherever possible.
According
to the communist doctrine the central authorities
decided how money was spent on various sectors of
economy and institutions which were constitutionally
free to everybody, such as health care, education or
social care. When the economiccrisis forced the
introduction of savings on expenses, the easiest were
the sectors that would not have gone on strike, for
example teachers or students, although there were
some occurrences.
Teachers
at the state schools remain the worst paid group in
Poland and the condition of this profession cannot be
compared to any other country in the western world.
The same refers to schools in their material
substance and therefore the role of parents in
sustaining the schools has been immeasurable.
It is
worth mentioning at this point that poverty affecting
education in Poland has instigated the appearance of
the ‘second circulation education’.
Schools’ performance has dropped to the level of
the teachers’ salaries:-
There is
an insufficient number of secondary schools leading
to ‘Matura’ and higher education providing
everybody with the place in the school, caused the
competition to better schools at the level beyond the
imagination for the citizen of the western world. The
best secondary schools presenting the highest level
of education can have up to 15 candidates per place.
Similarly to the most popular university courses.
Here the role of parents is the biggest.
Parents
simply finance the so called co-repetitions and extra
courses enabling their children to pass exams well
and enrol to the best ‘dreamt about’
schools giving the best possible education in this
changing rapidly and challenging world.
As far
as the other role of parents is concerned, as it has
been stated at the beginning, it is protective. When
the children are still small and the teacher needs
extra help in various kinds of activities, parents
help comes in handy. It involves trips into the
country or outings to the cinema, the museum or the
theatre. The organisation of school festivities or
holidays would be difficult without parents
participation. However their influence on the most
crucial aspects of school activity such as the
process of didactics itself has been rather limited
so far.
Until
now the authorities assigned pupils to the school
districts according to the area they lived in. The
money was sent to schools first from the state, then
from the local governments, but was not connected
with the quality of the school.
From
1999 it is up to the parents and children to decide
where to study and the reform introduces a parental
form of influence on the level of schools by the
means of the ‘educational voucher’. This is
to be a form of financing of education on various
levels and will help the small private or social
schools in their maintenance, if they are of good
quality. A certain amount of money will be allotted
to a pupil and it will follow him/ her, whatever
school they are going to choose. It is up to parents
to decide to which school to send the child. So, in
this way, good schools will attract more students and
more money. We will see how it is going to work in
reality. This is to be the most revolutionary change.
It will certainly influence the quality of the
performance of the schools and the role of parents in
this aspect is going to be undeniable.
4.1
Conclusions
Concluding,
it could be stated that partnership of parents with
the Polish school has been limited to the financial
support mainly. Quite possibly this situation is
inherited from the previous epoch, when school was
the tool of communist indoctrination and parents were
treated in the instrumental way. Consultation
regarding their opinion in any area, especially their
attitude towards the general outlook, such as
religion or ideology was not possible. Parents, just
as the rest of the society, had to represent the
communist party ideology. If they were employed by
the school, it was plainly instrumental and
disciplinary function.
Although
the change in the political situation has brought new
solutions in education, for example the rise of
various types of non-public schools of public or
private type, the influence of parents on the
curriculum remains non-existent.
The
other serious problem is the negative selection of
teachers, caused by very low salaries and difficult
conditions of work. Again, parents have very limited
if any influence on their performance or employment.
The new
reform promises to increase the role of parents in
the education of their children in at least two ways.
Firstly,
parent’s opinion will be taken into account,
particularly at the primary stage of education,
regarding their comments on the school and its work.
Secondly,
they will influence the level of schools, even the
primary ones, by the system of ‘educational
vouchers’ and a free choice of school, at last.
It would
be ideal if the role of parents in the School
Councils were not limited to financial decisions
only.
On the
whole it can be said that parents still seem to be
very passive in their co-operation with schools. This
probably is the outcome of the previous, communist
epoch, and it will probably take the next generation
to expect more partnership in this area.
Dorota
Pawlak
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