EDUCATION SYSTEM IN POLAND

Every citizen of our country has the right to learn at school Every citizen of our country has the right to learn at school. Education in public schools is free of charge. The citizen must complete an obligatory primary school and lower secondary school until they are 16. A parent for failing to declare the child to school has to pay a penalty - a fine.

STAGES OF THE POLISH EDUCATION SYSTEM Kindergarten - children start attending it at the age of 3 and continue until they are 5 or 6 Primary School Lower Secondary School Secondary school University, Academy Post-University Studies

PRIMARY SCHOOL Primary school starts at the age of 7 (though some parents decide to send their children to school at the age of 6). Education here lasts 6 years. The first three classes (stage 1) are not divided into school subjects, it is the, so called, intergated education. From the 4th class it is divided into subjects. In these three years, the student learns, among others, the Polish language, Mathematics, Natural Science, History, Music / Art, English, Computer Science, PE, Religious Studies. At the end of the sixth grade pupils (aged 13) sit a general, obligatory test, which enables them to start education in a lower secondary school.

LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL After passing the test in the sixth grade, the student chooses lower secondary school and attends it for 3 years. There are a few new subjects here, such as: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, History and civics, Geography plus what they had in the primary school, that is: Polish language/literature, Mathematics, another foreign language (English / German / French / Spanish), IT, Music / Art, PE, Religious studies. At the end of the third grade students sit a general, obligatory examination (consissting of three parts) that checks their skills and knowlegde in the field of humanieties, science and a foreign language (English / German / French – a basic or extended level).

SECONDARY SCHOOL general secondary schools (education lasts 3 years and ends up with the examinations: Polish, mathematics and a modern foreign language are obligatory to be taken, but additional subject exams can also be taken). After passing them students get the maturity certificate. secondary schools (education in them takes no more than 2.5 years and ends with a diploma that confirms the student's qualifications) vocational schools (2-3 years of education, and ends with an examination and a diploma confirming vocational qualifications) technical colleges (allows to obtain the maturity certificate, ending up with examinations, after which students receive a certificate confirming their qualifications) additional two-year general secondary schools or three-year complementary technical schools (allow to join the examinations) To apply for a place at university it is necessary to pass the secondary school leaving examinations.

UNIVERSITIES, ACADEMIES There is a great choice of state higher education institutions. These are: classical universities, technical universities, medical universities, agricultural universities, universities of life sciences, universities of economics, pedagogical universities, academies of music, academies of theatre and film, academies of fine arts, theological universities, maritime universities, and military universities.

Completion of higher education is not compulsory as it is in case of completion of primary and lower secondary education. The first stage of higher education, undergraduate studies, ends with the student obtaining a Bachelor’s degree. Further study, postgraduate studies, and successful submission of a final thesis, will lead first to a Master’s degree and then to a Doctor’s degree, which is also known as a doctorate.

THE GRADING SCALE School grading scale in our country includes annual and semester evaluation of the classification of the lessons drawn from the fourth grade of primary school. The scale of these steps is as follows: an A - 6, very good - 5, good - 4, adequate - 3, permissive - 2 and insufficient - 1. Behaviour of the student is also a subject to a rating scale, among which stands out the exemplary behaviour, very good, good, acceptable, poor and reprehensible. In classes 1-3 of elementary schools descriptive evaluation applies. Most universities use a rating scale between 2 and 5.

SCHOOL YEAR – CALENDAR: The beginning of the school year: 1st September Christmas break: usually 21st December – 1st January Winter holidays (a fortnight’s break): depending on the region, they start in the middle of January and finish in the middle of February at the latest Easter break: 10 days in March or April Primary school Test: the beginning of April Lower Secondary School Examination: the beginning of April Secondary School Leaving Examinations (both written and oral): May The end of the school year: last Friday of June Summer holidays: July-August (8 weeks!) DAYS OFF: 14th October (Teacher’s Day),1st November (All Saints’ Day), 11th November (Independence Day), 1st January (New Year’s Day), 6th January (Three Wise Men’s Day, )1st May (Labour Day), 3rd May (Constitution Day)