Children with special educational Children with special educational needs, foreign children, children from needs, foreign children, children from national and ethnic minorities in the national and ethnic minorities in the

Polish system of educationPolish system of education

Barcelona Study Visit March 2012

Education for everybodyEducation for everybody

„Everyone has the right to education.”the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Art. 26the right to education – one of the basic

human rights, regardless of race, sex, religion, national or social origin, etc.

to integrate – unify, join, combine; open to people of all races or ethnic groups without restrictions

Integration in Polish schoolIntegration in Polish school – facts and figures– facts and figures (I) (I)

First integrative classes in Poland were created in 1990, their number continues to rise (all levels of education from nursery school to senior high)

distinction: mainstream /general/ schools with integrative classes, integrative schools, mainstream schools with special classes and special schools

Population of children with disabilities in 2010 was app. 160 000 /3,4% of a total number of pupils and students which is 4,8 ml/

Total number of nursery schools and schools in Poland – around 58 000 /more than a half in towns and cities with over 5000 inhabitants/; children with disabilities only in one third of them

Out of this number – 13% special nursery schools and schools 55% of all disabled children attend special schools or special classes

Integration in Polish schoolIntegration in Polish school – facts and figures– facts and figures (II) (II)

Compulsory education /primary school & junior high/ - higher percentage of disabled students (2,8% and 4,1% of all pupils & students respectively); non-compulsory education /nursery & senior high/ - lower percentage (1% and 1,7% of all students respectively)

97% of disabled students in state schools (90% of the whole population of students)

private schools - more than a half of disabled students attend special schools

Individual tutoring at home – 0,35% of all students

Special needsSpecial needs

Statement of SEN Spectrum of special needs: visual or hearing disability, emotional,

behavioural, developmental disorder, ADHD, poliomyelitis, epilepsy, autism, Down syndrome & others

Integrative class: 15 – 20 students, inc . 3 – 5 students with disabilities

Two teachers – subject teacher and assisting teacher All pupils/students follow the same general curriculum with

requirements adapted to individual abilities of children with special needs

Tests and exams adapted to special needs, e.g. longer time to sit an exam for dyslexic children, enlarged print, test in Braille’s language,

Special needsSpecial needs

Disabled children are entitled to: Being exempt from learning second foreign language if they

suffer from hearing loss Prolong time of attending each type of school - at least one

year /primary school no longer than 18 years of age, junior high school no longer than 21 years of age, senior high no longer than 24 years of age/

Postpone school obligation until 10 years of age Transport and care to and back from school free of charge

ProblemsProblems

majority of integration and special educational institutions in towns and cities

two thirds of schools – no children with disabilities wrong system of financing education for special needs:

subvention is not allocated to specific students compliance with the schooling obligation – monitored only

until the end of junior high school pressure on parents to send disabled children to special

schools low social awareness, lack of support for parents insufficient number of specialists, not enough training for

teachers

Foreigners in Polish schoolForeigners in Polish school (I) (I)

foreigner – person without Polish citizenship foreigners can attend Polish state schools depending:- on what legal grounds they are staying in Poland- what school they want to attend- whether they are subject to schooling obligation Schooling obligation – obligation to attend school, includes

primary and junior high school, from 6 years of age to 18 years of age

Foreigner subject to schooling obligation who do not know Polish language are entitled to at least 2 lessons of Polish a week throughout a school year

Foreigners in Polish schoolForeigners in Polish school (II) (II) In state schools foreign children are granted the same

rights and obligations as Polish children (free education, exams, scholarship)

Foreigner must present attestation of hitherto education and medical certificate /decision up to headmaster/

If there are no documents – test or examForeign students – mainly from the Chechen republic,

Vietnam, Ukraine Integrative system in Poland – foreigner children are

obliged to participate in classes with Polish students regardless of their knowledge of Polish language

ProblemsProblems

Insufficient solutions concerning policy of integration and inclusion of refugees into the system of education - regulations concerning accepting foreign children into state schools not clear enough, not widely known, not enough training courses for teachers

Multicultural school still a novelty in Poland:- Language barrier, cultural differences- Dilemma – remain faithful to own culture and tradition – risk

of rejection by peer group or adaptation to new culture – rejection by own community

- difficult cooperation with parents

National minoritiesNational minorities

National minorities in Poland: Byelorussians (app. 48 000) Czechs (386 people) Lithuanians (app. 5500) Germans (app. 148 000) Armenians (262 people) Russians (app. 3300) Slovak (app. 1700) Ukrainians (app. 27 000) Jews (1055 people)

Ethnic minoritiesEthnic minorities

Ethnic minority – does not identify themselves with any contemporarily existing nation which inhabits their own country

The following ethnic minorities live in Poland : Karaim (43 people) Lemkos /or: Rusyns, traditionally inhabiting the Carpatian

Mountains/ (app. 5800) Romani (Gypsies) (app. 12 700) Tatars (447 people)Moreover, in the northern-central Poland /Pomeranian district/

there is a regional minority „Kashubians” who speak a regional dialect

Languages of minorities – forms of teaching

Three possibilities: mother tongue as language of instruction, bilingual school and Polish as language of instruction + additional lessons of mother tongue – most widely spread solution

Lithuanians the only to choose their native language as language of instruction – all levels of education

Other minorities – additional lessons (Byelorussian, Lemkos, German, Armenian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romani, Hebrew)

Schools with German lessons - the highest number, schools with Kashubian language – dynamic increase

Possibility to choose native language as a subject at Matura exam

THANK YOU THANK YOU