Polish schools start summer break

The country’s education minister has said that the passing school year has been one of growing support for students, parents and teachers.

Dariusz Piontkowski told a press conference on Tuesday that almost 3,700 schools in both urban and rural areas were this year provided with modern technology tools, including broadband internet, to increase the efficiency of teaching.

He also said that his ministry had allocated PLN 280 million (EUR 66 million, USD 74 million) to finance free textbooks for schoolchildren.

Piontkowski added that the government was setting aside PLN 1.5 billion to subsidise the purchase of school supplies ahead of the next school year, which begins on September 2.

Poland's conservative government offers parents a handout of PLN 300 for every child under the age of 18 before the start of each school year to help finance the purchase of school supplies under its Good Start programme.

Piontkowski took over as education minister in a wide-ranging government reshuffle early this month.

Several dozen teachers, parents, officials and experts on Monday held another debate on the state of Polish education following pay demands from unions and tensions over school reforms.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR