Education in Poland in the Light of OECD Review

Abstract

In 1994-1995 an education review was made by OECD at the request of the Government of the Polish Republic. As in other countries, the review procedure consists of successive stages and is done in accordance with OECD principles. The starting point is the writing up by local specialists of a first-hand report characterizing the status, operating and administration conditions of the education system at all levels. The first-hand report was written up in the Centre for Science Policy and Higher Education at University of Warsaw with the participation of specialists invited from other institutions. On the basis of the first-hand report and information gathered in the course of visits by and talks with representatives of the administrative staff of the education system, the OECD experts compiled their report entitled Report on Educational Policy in Poland. Report and Questions of School Inspectors, containing an analysis of the main problems of Polish education, comments and suggestions on directions of changes. Both reports became the basis of the so-called examination, i.e., discussion between OECD experts and representatives of the Ministry of National Education and harmonizing the accepted directions of reforms in education and the higher education system. The article contains a discussion of the main suggestions of the OECD experts and the tenor of the discussion at the “examination”. OECD experts asked about the following basic questions: quality and effectiveness of education, the profession of teacher and the training of teachers, higher education, funding and administration, human resources development.