Easier access to the profession and upgrading professional qualifications, ideas for improving working conditions in education, and increasing the quality of education? There’s a plan for that. Eleven educational entities from Poznań, Wrocław and Łódź have established the first employers’ union for the preschool and school sector in Poland.
Non-government bodies running schools and kindergartens – foundations, associations, companies, and businesses operating in the education sector – supplement the education network across Poland. Until now, however, they did not have a forum for discussion or their own strong representation in the public debate. This is about to change.
“The characteristic of the educational sector, the non-governmental one, is its great dispersion. Although we constitute an increasingly large part of the education market, with more schools and kindergartens being added to our community every year, our voice was not heard in the discussion about Polish education,” explains Mateusz Krajewski, president of the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty foundation, and one of the founders of the Union of Educational Employers. “Together we can achieve much more. Speak louder about good ideas, more effectively propose solutions, and provide space for discussion.”
The Union sets out to protect the rights and represent the interests of non-government bodies running schools and kindergartens. The main task is to develop proposals for solutions for the entire education sector in Poland, focused in two areas: counteracting the educational sector crisis and improving the quality of education.
Their main demands include:
– Reducing teachers’ education time by returning to solutions similar to those of former teacher colleges, focusing on graduates gaining practical skills for work in preschool education.
– Solutions facilitating and improving working conditions in the profession by enabling remote employment for teachers, creating a national overtime bank, improving the financing of education, and establishing the institution of the Teacher’s Rights Ombudsman.
– Raising the quality of education and increasing the diversity of offers through decentralization, facilitating non-governmental educational bodies to supplement the network of educational institutions, and granting more decision-making powers in the implementation of the curriculum to the interested parties: facilities, managers and teachers, Parent Councils, and currently almost completely overlooked – student self-governments.
“The debate on improving the situation in Polish education should take place with a strong and audible voice representing non-public education. The establishment of the Union of Educational Employers is a signal that representatives of non-governmental schools and kindergartens will be a reliable and stable partner for the new Minister of Education”, says Magdalena Dobrzańska-Frasyniuk of Construction & Education Services, IPS International Schools in Wrocław. “I am deeply convinced that our demands for improving quality and diversifying offerings are consistent with the vision of developing Polish education and will be received with full understanding in dialogue with the social party.”
Expert assessments, arguments and proposals for changes in the law
The solutions proposed by the Union of Educational Employers are professionally prepared in terms of law and legislation. The Law Firm of Educational Law Kowalak Jędrzejewska and Partners is responsible for the preparation of legal expertise and legislative proposals.
The Union is also joining the group of Polish Republic Employers, a member of the Social Dialogue Council, which will further increase the strength and importance of the voice of education industry employers.
“We want our voice to be heard, the message to be effective, and the argument to be brought to the Social Council Dialogue. We want to present and discuss our ideas where decisions are made about the fate of education in our country,” explains Mateusz Krajewski. “Joining the Employers of the Republic of Poland gives us such opportunities. It opens doors and adds prestige to good ideas, even if they originate in a small institution far from Warsaw.”
The first demand of the Union of Educational Employers has already been passed on to Rafał Dutkiewicz, Chairman of the Employers of the Republic of Poland.
“Supporting easier access to the teaching profession and systematic upgrading of professional qualifications are key steps in improving working conditions in education and raising the quality of education. Providing opportunities and incentives to enter this significant profession is beneficial not only for candidates, but above all for the entire education system and labor market”, comments Rafał Dutkiewicz, President of the Board of the Employers of the Republic of Poland. “Strengthening career development paths for teachers and facilitating their access to tools, training, and support helps create a dynamic, constantly developing pedagogical staff. This, in turn, results in better teaching quality and more effective support for students. it is worth investing in these areas, as improving teachers’ working conditions and continuously improving their skills directly affects the development of our students and the quality of education. It is not just an investment in education, but also in a better future for our children and society as a whole.”
First Step and Open Door
The Union of Educational Employers was established in December 2023 in Poznań, currently bringing together 11 institutions from Wielkopolska, Lower Silesia and Łódź:
– Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty Foundation (7 voivodships)
– Pythagoras Academy from Baranów (Wielkopolska),
– Construction & Education Services, IPS International Schools from Wrocław
– Education For The Future Foundation from Poznań
– Innovative Education from Wrocław
– Kaczka Dziwaczka from Poznań
– High School Navigo from Wrocław
– Navigo Education from Poznań
– PP EDU from Wrocław
– Skrzat Non-Public Kindergarten from Koziegłowy (Wielkopolska)
– Scholasticus Educational Company from Łódź
“I joined the Union out of a desire to better understand the community, the challenges facing other education employers, and to exchange experiences and good practices. No less important to me is joining the broad dialogue about necessary changes in the education system”, says Dr. Łukasz Srokowski, founder of the Navigo school chain. “In my opinion, Polish education has great potential and I want to share what works in our institutions and disseminate the best solutions.”
The Union’s founding members appointed Mateusz Krajewski from the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty foundation, the largest non-governmental body running public schools and kindergartens in Poland, as President of the Union.
Any entity running a non-government educational institution: public or private, can join the Union of Education Employers. Information about applications can be found on the website www.pracodawcy.edu.pl.
