The implementation of the Digital Transformation of Education Policy is one of the milestones of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Its core is set to be the Ten Commandments of the Digital Transformation of Education – a collection of 10 key challenges which the education system will have to tackle to equip students with skills that are already becoming essential, not only in the job market. This includes the redesign of education to teach children to distinguish truth from manipulation, verify sources and use them, as well as smart usage of artificial intelligence tools. All the assumptions resulting from the document are to be met by 2035.
On September 12, the Council of Ministers adopted the Digital Transformation of Education Policy, which outlines state policy and actions necessary for changes in the education system. The goal is to better use digital tools, reform the teaching model, and increase teacher and student competencies.
“The Digital Transformation of Education Policy document is a very good step in the transformation of education in Poland. We see that it tackles a number of issues that are essential for this education to truly respond to the challenges of the present world. The key element for me is the methodology of education, project-based education, group work, problem-solving. All the skills that are required and will be required in the AI world are taken into account,” said Mateusz Rybiński, President of the EdTech Foundation, co-founder of Koding Next, in an interview.
The document is one of the milestones envisaged in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It will be implemented in stages, according to a defined action plan. The short-term perspective reaches into 2027, the medium-term into 2030, and the long-term into 2035. Teaching methods, digital didactics, and digital teaching resources are the focus of one of the 10 chapters of the document.
Support for the infrastructure of schools is also necessary. The creators of PCED considered the greatest challenge for school authorities and the schools themselves to be modernizing computer labs and ensuring that lessons using digital technologies could be held in every classroom. To this end, a sufficient number of computers and devices with constant Internet access are required.
“It’s essential that even at the primary school level, teachers and students have access to appropriate tools. We’re also dealing with elements of artificial intelligence. It’s clear that the impact of AI on the working environment will only increase, so to prepare students for the future, the topic has to be addressed from early years. In this respect, it seems like a positive document, and indeed, the many elements that need changing are included. However, the devil will be in the details on how it will be implemented, how the school will be prepared, what programs will follow, and how the teachers will be prepared for the change, as it definitely requires a multitude of new skills from them,” Mateusz Rybiński said.
According to the document’s creators, a necessary condition for digital transformation is promoting basic digital skills within society. This should be done from the early stages of school education. However, special offers should be made to particularly gifted students. Experts claim the whole education process should be reshaped.
As Mateusz Rybiński, who co-creates the largest coding school in Southeast Asia, emphasizes, both Polish and foreign schools face similar challenges in implementing digital transformation.
“The state of education worldwide is similar in terms of the substantive layer and similar changes are happening everywhere, but of course, each region has its own problems and conditions. Changes in Asia, especially in the implementation of artificial intelligence and technology, are quite fast. In Europe, there is a more careful approach to think about the consequences and how to implement it in a sustainable way. In Asia, action comes first, then the whole policy is adjusted. It’s hard to say which version is better. Probably in the long run, Europe will start catching up, but Asia is a dynamic place where changes are implemented very quickly and you can see a big leap,” compares the president of the EdTech Foundation.
