2. Provisions Constitution of the Republic
of Poland guarantee:
• every person has the right to education
• education is compulsory until the age of 18
• education in public schools is free of charge
• parents are free to choose schools other than public
for their children
• citizens and institutions have the right to establish
primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and post-
secondary schools and higher education institutions
as well as childcare centers
The system of education in Poland
3. THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN POLAND
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Compulsory education
* Special education included
Kindergarten
Second cycle
studies(Master)
Second cycle
studies(Master)
The first cycle
studies (Bachelor)
General upper
secondary school* Specialised upper
secondary school*
PRE - PRIMARY SCHOOL
Basic vocational
school*
Qualifying vocational courses*
The first cycle studies
(Bachelor)
Technical upper
secondary
school*
LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL*
PRIMARY SCHOOL*
4. Pre-Primary Education
(for children 3-6 years)
Kindergartens work around 10 hours a day
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are open 5 days a week
Two teachers take care of one section (group of
children)
The maximum number of children in one section is
25
The system of education in Poland
5. Pre-Primary Education
Total time should be devoted to
2/5
1/5
1/5
1/5
care and organisational matters play
outdoor activities
educational activities
The system of education in Poland
6. one fifth of the total time should be
devoted to play
The system of education in Poland
7. one fifth – to outdoor activities
The system of education in Poland
8. one fifth – to educational activities
The system of education in Poland
9. Two fifth-to care and organisational
matters
The system of education in Poland
11. PRIMARY EDUCATION
Primary Age is 7-13 years
(since 2012 from 6 years)
Primary education is based on one year compulsory pre-
school preparation.
General education in primary school is divided into two
stages:
1) first stage of education including grade 1 to 3 of primary
school – early school education
2) second stage of education including grades 4 to 6 of
primary school
The system of education in Poland
12. Education in grades 1–3 of primary school
I stage
Is implemented in a form of integrated
teaching provided by a generalist teacher.
The teacher can decide on the length of a
lesson (45 minutes are not compulsory)and
decide when the break should begin.
Music education, Art education, Physical
education, Computer classes and modern foreign
language classes can be taught by a specialist
teacher .
The system of education in Poland
13. Primary School Grades 1–3,
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 3 years
The system of education in Poland
14. Education in grades 4–6 of primary school
II educational stage
Teaching at this stage is arranged by subjects.
1 teaching hour equals 45 minutes.
Obligatory subject: Polish language, History
and civics, Modern foreign language,
Mathematics, Natural science, Music, Art,
Technology, Computer classes, Physical
education.
The system of education in Poland
15. Primary School Grades 4-6
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 3 years
The system of education in Poland
16. END OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
In class VI students
write a test of
knowledge and skills.
The test is the same for
all students. The test
does not affect
graduation and
admission to the lower
secondary school.
The system of education in Poland
17. SECONDARY EDUCATION
In Poland secondary education includes two levels:
• lower secondary school (III educational stage)
• upper secondary schools(IV educational stage):
3-year general secondary school
4-year technical secondary school
(wchich ends with Matura Exam)
3-year basic vocational school
The system of education in Poland
19. Lower Secondary School grades 1-3
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 3 years
The system of education in Poland
20. END OF LOWER SECONDARY
SCHOOL
At the end of the
secondary school all
pupils write compulsory
exam tests.
Tests results do not
affect the completion
of lower secondary
school but they have
strong bearing on
admission to upper
secondary schools.
The system of education in Poland
22. Upper Secondary School Grades 1-3
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 3 years
23. Tehnical Upper Secondary School Grades 1-4
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 4 years
24. Basic Vocational School Grades 1-3
Minimum number of teaching hours by subject
in the period of 3 years
25. End of Upper Secondary school
At the end of upper
secondary education
(except at basic vocational
schools) pupils may sit
a matriculation exam
(MATURA), which is
compulsory only for receipt
of the matriculation
certificate and to gain
access to higher education.
The system of education in Poland
27. SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special education takes place at primary school,
lower and upper secondary school. Its objective
is to help students with special needs in finding
a job in the future.
The system of education in Poland
28. GRADES
In the Polish educational system there are six grades:
Excellent 6
Very good 5
Good 4
Satisfactory 3 :/
Allowing 2
Unsatisfactory 1
The system of education in Poland
