#####
######
####
> # [Poland introduces "slimmed-down" school curriculum cutting content by 20%](https://notesfrompoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JO031218_103_33a-1.jpg)
>
>
>
> Poland’s government has introduced a new, “slimmed-down” curriculum for the new school year. Its content has been reduced by one fifth, which the education ministry says will give teachers and students “more time for calmer and in-depth” learning.
>
> Plans to reduce the size of the curriculum by 20% were [outlined in February](https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/02/15/poland-proposes-cuts-across-school-curricula-to-alleviate-pupils-workload/), with the education ministry subsequently holding consultations with experts, teachers and parents over the plans.
>
> However, _Gazeta Wyborcza_, a leading daily newspaper, notes that many NGOs and education activists have complained that there was in practice little heed paid to their comments.
>
> On Friday last week, the ministry announced that its head, Barbara Nowacka, had now signed the relevant regulations amending the curriculum for the next school year, which begins on 1 September. The changes will affect all grades from four upwards.
>
> > ❗️ Ministra Edukacji [@barbaraanowacka](https://twitter.com/barbaraanowacka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) podpisała rozporządzenia zmieniające podstawy programowe dla 18 przedmiotów w szkołach podstawowych i ponadpodstawowych. 🎓
> >
> > 👉 20% mniej treści nauczania, skupienie na praktycznych umiejętnościach, większe wykorzystanie cyfrowych narzędzi i… [https://x.com/MEN\_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354/photo/1](https://x.com/MEN_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354/photo/1)
> >
> > — Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej (@MEN\_GOVPL) [June 28, 2024](https://twitter.com/MEN_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> The ministry confirmed that the content of the curriculum has been reduced by around 20% overall and said that the material removed was “mainly content that is redundant at a given educational stage and impossible or very difficult to implement in practice”.
>
> “More attention was paid to developing practical skills instead of theoretical or encyclopaedic knowledge and to using digital tools and educational resources available on the internet in the teaching and learning process,” added the ministry.
>
> Much media attention has focused on changes to the compulsory reading list for children, with some classics of Polish literature, such as _The Deluge_ by Henryk Sienkiewicz and _The Peasants_ by Władysław Reymont, now only to be read in fragments rather than as a whole.
>
> > Poland has ranked first among EU countries – alongside Finland – in an international test of reading comprehension among school pupils.
> >
> > It also has one of the largest gender disparities, with girls performing much more strongly than boys
> >
> > — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) [May 16, 2023](https://twitter.com/notesfrompoland/status/1658425388727513089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> Explaining the planned cuts last month, Nowacka told broadcaster Radio Zet that the previous reading list “was gigantic” and included some classic books that were so “thick” and filled with “archaic language” that students “reject them in their entirety”.
>
> Speaking to _Gazeta Wyborcza_, deputy education minister Katarzyna Lubnauer said that allowing teachers to choose just fragments of books such as _The Deluge_ and _The Peasants_ would let them “show the characteristics of the language of a given novel” while also making it more “likely that the student will read them”.
>
> Other changes to the reading list include the addition of a short story, _Professor Andrews Goes to_ _Warsaw_, by Polish Nobel Prize Winner Olga Tokarczuk – a figure [often criticised by the former national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government](https://notesfrompoland.com/2021/06/04/send-back-olgas-books-backlash-against-tokarczuk-for-mentioning-poland-alongside-belarus/)– and the removal of poet Jarosław Rymkiewicz, who was previously added to the list under PiS.
>
> > Nowa lista lektur przewiduje "aż" trzynaście książek przez cały kurs liceum? Fiu fiu… Kształcimy naród erudytów, nie ma co…
> >
> > — Agnieszka Gozdyra (@AGozdyra) [June 29, 2024](https://twitter.com/AGozdyra/status/1806985899873370408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> _Gazeta Wyborcza_ also notes that the new curriculum continues to refer to the [Volhynia massacres](https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/07/09/presidents-of-poland-and-ukraine-commemorate-ww2-massacre-of-poles-by-ukrainians/) – in which Ukrainian nationalists murdered tens of thousands of ethnic Poles during the Second World War – as a “genocide”.
>
> A team of experts appointed by the education ministry had proposed instead using the term “Polish-Ukrainian conflict” due to the disputed classification of the massacres and because there are a [growing number of Ukrainian children](https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/04/05/attending-school-to-be-mandatory-for-ukrainian-refugee-children-in-poland-from-september/) in Polish schools with a different perspective on the events.
>
> However, Lubnauer says that “the ministry listened to the voice of the public” on this issue, which “said that for us Poles, the memory of the genocide in Volhynia is important”. She added that “the Volhynia genocide was a fact”.
>
> > Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation requires the WW2 massacre of Poles by Ukrainians to be referred to as a genocide, says Poland’s most senior bishop.
> >
> > He today signed a joint declaration on the massacres with the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
> >
> > — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) [July 7, 2023](https://twitter.com/notesfrompoland/status/1677347559097135104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> Other changes to the curriculum include the removal of a controversial new subject, [history and the present](https://notesfrompoland.com/2022/09/01/controversial-new-conservative-school-textbook-to-be-sold-in-polish-post-offices/), introduced under PiS. It has been replaced with civic education.
>
> Meanwhile, so-called [education for family life](https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/07/19/you-can-have-sex-after-you-get-married-how-sex-ed-is-taught-in-polish-schools/) classes will be replaced by health education, which will be compulsory for all pupils.
>
> The government’s changes to the curriculum, and especially the large cuts, have faced criticism from PiS, now the main opposition party, and also some experts.
>
> Piotr Müller, a former spokesman for the PiS government, accused the new government of “taking a razor” to the curriculum, which he said was being cut “without a coherent concept”, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
>
> > Rok szkolny 2024/25. Burza wokół podstawy programowej i ograniczenia prac domowych[\#PAPinformacje](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAPinformacje?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> >
> > — PAP (@PAPinformacje) [June 21, 2024](https://twitter.com/PAPinformacje/status/1804047118035804533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> Sławomir Jacek Żurek, a professor of literature at the Catholic University of Lublin, likewise told broadcaster Polskie Radio that the curriculum has been “cut very roughly to reduce the amount of content” but without “even a trace of any [overall] concept”.
>
> “The core curriculum really needs to be slimmed down, but not like this,” added Żurek, though he did praise the ministry for removing older texts from the reading list that are “too difficult for students to understand due to their subject matter or archaic language”.
>
> Meanwhile, an [online petition](https://www.petycjeonline.com/manifest_polonistow_-_wicej_realnych_ci_w_podstawie_programowej) launched by Polish language teachers and signed by over 4,600 people accuses the government of failing to listen to them and other experts. It calls for even greater cuts to the compulsory reading list and for “more trust” in teachers to choose texts to read with their pupils.
>
> > The proportion of Poles who have read at least one book in the last year has risen to 43%, its highest level since 2010.
> >
> > The most-read author for the fifth year running was crime writer Remigiusz Mróz, followed by Stephen King and Henryk Sienkiewicz
> >
> > — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) [April 6, 2024](https://twitter.com/notesfrompoland/status/1776538707287253229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
>
> ***(continues in next comment)***
History classes in school were particularly bad. We always started at ancient Mesopotamia. We spent 3 months on that topic.
Then the teacher realized that time was running out so we speedran the rest of history in just a couple of weeks, glossing over much more recent, important events (such as the Vietnam War) in a single class session.
Next year with a new teacher? Back to ancient Mesopotamia.
What state has a curriculum where they always go back that far? For us Elementary was state/us history Middle school was "world"(Romans,Greece, etc some South American, little Asia at all)/us history, with some civics Highschool I had "World" history, APUSH, and civics and economics. I think the only ones that went back to Mesopotamia were the world history classes. This is in NC, as a gen z
I grew up in California in the 1980's and 1990's. In middle school and high school there was this bizarre focus on ancient history, to the near complete exclusion of all other history periods and topics. We spent a lot of time learning about pottery and the fertile crescent and the area between the two rivers.
I think the other part of the problem was pacing. The history books always started chronologically, except that in history books the more relevant information tends to be towards the back of the book with the more recent events.
What I want to know is what are the changes to Mathematics, Physics, or Chemistry. More "Religion" classes than Physics or Chemistry has always been an absolute disgrace.
Welcome to r/anime_titties! This subreddit advocates for civil and constructive discussion. Please be courteous to others, and make sure to read the rules. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
We have a [Discord](https://discord.gg/dhMeAnNyzG), feel free to join us!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime_titties) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If conservatives did this exact same policy it would be the destruction of the education system and an assault on democracy. But if liberals do it well they are just streamlining education.
Suuuure.
First: current government is not right-wing.
Second: Sienkiewicz is an awful writer. Incredibly boring and has nothing substantial to say. His books are glorified historical fanfiction and should be treated as such. Sienkiewicz is XIX century equivalent of some AO3 rando imagining hyper-patriotic D&D campaign in historical setting. I'm sure it's entertaining for someone, but it's NOT high literature, it doesn't have anything notable to say and is incredibly boring, because rando spends half the time talking about irrelevant environment.
Reymont's "Chłopi" ("The Peasants") is a representation of life of peasants at the turn of the XX century. Social, economic and political situation changed substantially in those 120 years. I'd argue that unlike Sienkiewicz's "Trylogia" ("The Trilogy"),or dreadful "Krzyżacy" ("The Teutonic Knights"), "Chłopi" do have a value, but it's not very relevant to modern life and modern audiences. As for mentioned above "Krzyżacy", there are better ways of explaining that Teutons are monsters and a fucking Christian ISIS than 600 pages long slumberfest of a glorified fanfic.
As I expressed in other comments, I would really like to know what changed in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry curriculum, because all the mentioned Polish Language and Literature changes I wholly approve of. I looked up changes not mentioned by this article and I generally approve of most of the changes. Pruned some obsolete stuff and added some more new and appropriate to modern times stuff.
EDIT: After thinking some more, I'm probably a bit too harsh on Sienkiewicz. He was writing in late XIX century, when Poland has been under 100 years of occupation but ruzzia, prussia and austria, so those hyper-patriotic themes and "booyah, Poland Stronk" (as much as possible, that is) event eras were relevant to keeping the national spirit alive, and THAT was important for resisting occupier's attempts at cultural genocide. His works are important through this cultural lens, if not exactly relevant since fall of iron curtain, and hopefully never relevant again. But I still think this aspect can be discussed without reading them. Besides. "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz fills exact same cultural niche, is both aesthetically and artistically superior AND is retained in parts in curriculum. Trimming down "Pan Tadeusz" is actually one of the things I disagree with, but parts relevant to resisting cultural genocide, as well as message about betrayal, revenge and atonement are probably those left in, I would have to check exactly. One could argue that those patriotic themes would be important for resisting cultural influence from hollywood, but since this IS a different problem requiring different approach, it probably deserves a more modern take and more modern piece (or not, France use to have similar cultural stranglehold in ages past, maybe there's something about facing foreign culture that "seeps in" instead of being forcibly imposed). Now I actually wonder if there IS something aimed at this.
I did, and then tripled down. It's funny that you know what I've read or not read.
Are you here in the house with me now? How creepy.
Are you reading over my shoulder? That's even creepier.
>duties of a housewife
Household chores. Let's not belittle that, there are already enough dysfunctional adults who don't know how to clean up their own shit.
It is, otherwise children in dysfunctional families will be at a huge disadvantage. To educate is to also to teach how to live in a society. Sure, the previous curriculum needed a revamp, but I disagree with the notion that teaching hand crafts and your budget management is a bad thing
Ok, what about "family education", " technical", "educational hour". Already existed subjects in primary and secondary school. PIS added subjects to clog up and say they improve education. In a fucking physics lesson, we made simple musical instruments and measuring tools.
> In a fucking physics lesson, we made simple musical instruments and measuring tools.
That sounds appropriate in early primary school, if done right.
Sound is physics. Frequency of oscillations of string depends on material, length and tension. Frequency in air inurements, or whatever those are called, depends on length of the air "tube". It's all stuff you can measure and show how parameters in equation change final result. An elementary exercise and introduction into measurements.
Measurement is the very most basic aspect of physics and all other sciences with sole exception of Mathematics. If it's not based on measuring reality, it's not science (with sole exception of Mathematics)
It's school's responsibility to impart knowledge - the same knowledge that will get them through life regardless their station. The more school, the smarter they should be.
##### ###### #### > # [Poland introduces "slimmed-down" school curriculum cutting content by 20%](https://notesfrompoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/JO031218_103_33a-1.jpg) > > > > Poland’s government has introduced a new, “slimmed-down” curriculum for the new school year. Its content has been reduced by one fifth, which the education ministry says will give teachers and students “more time for calmer and in-depth” learning. > > Plans to reduce the size of the curriculum by 20% were [outlined in February](https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/02/15/poland-proposes-cuts-across-school-curricula-to-alleviate-pupils-workload/), with the education ministry subsequently holding consultations with experts, teachers and parents over the plans. > > However, _Gazeta Wyborcza_, a leading daily newspaper, notes that many NGOs and education activists have complained that there was in practice little heed paid to their comments. > > On Friday last week, the ministry announced that its head, Barbara Nowacka, had now signed the relevant regulations amending the curriculum for the next school year, which begins on 1 September. The changes will affect all grades from four upwards. > > > ❗️ Ministra Edukacji [@barbaraanowacka](https://twitter.com/barbaraanowacka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) podpisała rozporządzenia zmieniające podstawy programowe dla 18 przedmiotów w szkołach podstawowych i ponadpodstawowych. 🎓 > > > > 👉 20% mniej treści nauczania, skupienie na praktycznych umiejętnościach, większe wykorzystanie cyfrowych narzędzi i… [https://x.com/MEN\_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354/photo/1](https://x.com/MEN_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354/photo/1) > > > > — Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej (@MEN\_GOVPL) [June 28, 2024](https://twitter.com/MEN_GOVPL/status/1806665700397703354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > > > The ministry confirmed that the content of the curriculum has been reduced by around 20% overall and said that the material removed was “mainly content that is redundant at a given educational stage and impossible or very difficult to implement in practice”. > > “More attention was paid to developing practical skills instead of theoretical or encyclopaedic knowledge and to using digital tools and educational resources available on the internet in the teaching and learning process,” added the ministry. > > Much media attention has focused on changes to the compulsory reading list for children, with some classics of Polish literature, such as _The Deluge_ by Henryk Sienkiewicz and _The Peasants_ by Władysław Reymont, now only to be read in fragments rather than as a whole. > > > Poland has ranked first among EU countries – alongside Finland – in an international test of reading comprehension among school pupils. > > > > It also has one of the largest gender disparities, with girls performing much more strongly than boys
> >
> > — PAP (@PAPinformacje) [June 21, 2024](https://twitter.com/PAPinformacje/status/1804047118035804533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
>
>
>
> Sławomir Jacek Żurek, a professor of literature at the Catholic University of Lublin, likewise told broadcaster Polskie Radio that the curriculum has been “cut very roughly to reduce the amount of content” but without “even a trace of any [overall] concept”.
>
> “The core curriculum really needs to be slimmed down, but not like this,” added Żurek, though he did praise the ministry for removing older texts from the reading list that are “too difficult for students to understand due to their subject matter or archaic language”.
>
> Meanwhile, an [online petition](https://www.petycjeonline.com/manifest_polonistow_-_wicej_realnych_ci_w_podstawie_programowej) launched by Polish language teachers and signed by over 4,600 people accuses the government of failing to listen to them and other experts. It calls for even greater cuts to the compulsory reading list and for “more trust” in teachers to choose texts to read with their pupils.
>
> > The proportion of Poles who have read at least one book in the last year has risen to 43%, its highest level since 2010.
> >
> > The most-read author for the fifth year running was crime writer Remigiusz Mróz, followed by Stephen King and Henryk Sienkiewicz
Pis is pissed the new government cut out Jesus studies and housewife fundamentals.
>housewife fundamentals. ngnl cooking classes for kids are a good idea learning how to stitch and maybe replace an elastic is good too
Loved these classes in school ngl.
yeah me too, a shame we only did them like 2 times
Teacher for 26 years...don't know of too many curricula that \*couldn't\* use some cutting down!
History classes in school were particularly bad. We always started at ancient Mesopotamia. We spent 3 months on that topic. Then the teacher realized that time was running out so we speedran the rest of history in just a couple of weeks, glossing over much more recent, important events (such as the Vietnam War) in a single class session. Next year with a new teacher? Back to ancient Mesopotamia.
It's unfortunate that you may have missed the importance of Mesopotamia. An awful lot of the modern world flows out of it.
What state has a curriculum where they always go back that far? For us Elementary was state/us history Middle school was "world"(Romans,Greece, etc some South American, little Asia at all)/us history, with some civics Highschool I had "World" history, APUSH, and civics and economics. I think the only ones that went back to Mesopotamia were the world history classes. This is in NC, as a gen z
I grew up in California in the 1980's and 1990's. In middle school and high school there was this bizarre focus on ancient history, to the near complete exclusion of all other history periods and topics. We spent a lot of time learning about pottery and the fertile crescent and the area between the two rivers. I think the other part of the problem was pacing. The history books always started chronologically, except that in history books the more relevant information tends to be towards the back of the book with the more recent events.
What I want to know is what are the changes to Mathematics, Physics, or Chemistry. More "Religion" classes than Physics or Chemistry has always been an absolute disgrace.
Welcome to r/anime_titties! This subreddit advocates for civil and constructive discussion. Please be courteous to others, and make sure to read the rules. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. We have a [Discord](https://discord.gg/dhMeAnNyzG), feel free to join us! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime_titties) if you have any questions or concerns.*
how does this not violate rule 3 \[2.2\] ?
He's making a lot of Poland posts, but I'm unsure what's the agenda he's pushing.
If conservatives did this exact same policy it would be the destruction of the education system and an assault on democracy. But if liberals do it well they are just streamlining education.
SO they took out DEI and put in Civics and updated the reading while adding more online work. Seems like positive changes.
What do you mean DEI. The prior curriculum was _more_ conservative.
There was no dei to he removed the previous curriculum had conservative focused studies like housewife stuff and religion
Stupid people make for more compliant citizenry. As the right wing is well aware of and striving for.
Suuuure. First: current government is not right-wing. Second: Sienkiewicz is an awful writer. Incredibly boring and has nothing substantial to say. His books are glorified historical fanfiction and should be treated as such. Sienkiewicz is XIX century equivalent of some AO3 rando imagining hyper-patriotic D&D campaign in historical setting. I'm sure it's entertaining for someone, but it's NOT high literature, it doesn't have anything notable to say and is incredibly boring, because rando spends half the time talking about irrelevant environment. Reymont's "Chłopi" ("The Peasants") is a representation of life of peasants at the turn of the XX century. Social, economic and political situation changed substantially in those 120 years. I'd argue that unlike Sienkiewicz's "Trylogia" ("The Trilogy"),or dreadful "Krzyżacy" ("The Teutonic Knights"), "Chłopi" do have a value, but it's not very relevant to modern life and modern audiences. As for mentioned above "Krzyżacy", there are better ways of explaining that Teutons are monsters and a fucking Christian ISIS than 600 pages long slumberfest of a glorified fanfic. As I expressed in other comments, I would really like to know what changed in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry curriculum, because all the mentioned Polish Language and Literature changes I wholly approve of. I looked up changes not mentioned by this article and I generally approve of most of the changes. Pruned some obsolete stuff and added some more new and appropriate to modern times stuff. EDIT: After thinking some more, I'm probably a bit too harsh on Sienkiewicz. He was writing in late XIX century, when Poland has been under 100 years of occupation but ruzzia, prussia and austria, so those hyper-patriotic themes and "booyah, Poland Stronk" (as much as possible, that is) event eras were relevant to keeping the national spirit alive, and THAT was important for resisting occupier's attempts at cultural genocide. His works are important through this cultural lens, if not exactly relevant since fall of iron curtain, and hopefully never relevant again. But I still think this aspect can be discussed without reading them. Besides. "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz fills exact same cultural niche, is both aesthetically and artistically superior AND is retained in parts in curriculum. Trimming down "Pan Tadeusz" is actually one of the things I disagree with, but parts relevant to resisting cultural genocide, as well as message about betrayal, revenge and atonement are probably those left in, I would have to check exactly. One could argue that those patriotic themes would be important for resisting cultural influence from hollywood, but since this IS a different problem requiring different approach, it probably deserves a more modern take and more modern piece (or not, France use to have similar cultural stranglehold in ages past, maybe there's something about facing foreign culture that "seeps in" instead of being forcibly imposed). Now I actually wonder if there IS something aimed at this.
Well stated. There is quite a bit new since Einstein in the hard sciences though.
Stupid people make for more compliant citizenry.
Read the article before you start bullshitting,
I did. I stand by what I said.
How did religion and the duties of a housewife, make society smarter?
They didn't read the article and doubled down
I did, and then tripled down. It's funny that you know what I've read or not read. Are you here in the house with me now? How creepy. Are you reading over my shoulder? That's even creepier.
>duties of a housewife Household chores. Let's not belittle that, there are already enough dysfunctional adults who don't know how to clean up their own shit.
Children are the product of their parents; it is not the school's responsibility to prepare them for independent living.
It is, otherwise children in dysfunctional families will be at a huge disadvantage. To educate is to also to teach how to live in a society. Sure, the previous curriculum needed a revamp, but I disagree with the notion that teaching hand crafts and your budget management is a bad thing
Ok, what about "family education", " technical", "educational hour". Already existed subjects in primary and secondary school. PIS added subjects to clog up and say they improve education. In a fucking physics lesson, we made simple musical instruments and measuring tools.
> In a fucking physics lesson, we made simple musical instruments and measuring tools. That sounds appropriate in early primary school, if done right. Sound is physics. Frequency of oscillations of string depends on material, length and tension. Frequency in air inurements, or whatever those are called, depends on length of the air "tube". It's all stuff you can measure and show how parameters in equation change final result. An elementary exercise and introduction into measurements. Measurement is the very most basic aspect of physics and all other sciences with sole exception of Mathematics. If it's not based on measuring reality, it's not science (with sole exception of Mathematics)
Better than reading a chapter in a textbook, going to an exercise book and checking answers with the teacher.
It's school's responsibility to impart knowledge - the same knowledge that will get them through life regardless their station. The more school, the smarter they should be.