As part of the Supporting the Improvement of Quality in Inclusive Education in Poland project – funded by the European Union’s Structural Reform Support Programme and implemented in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG Reform) – the Agency has contributed to a series of three Regional Consultation meetings in Lublin, Kraków and Katowice.
Each meeting was co-hosted by the Regional Educational Authorities and the Polish Ministry of National Education (MEN). Local schools and universities were also involved in the organisation of the meetings. The visiting delegation included a representative of the DG Reform and Agency staff members.
At the consultation meetings the Agency presented its first draft of the assumptions that will underpin the proposal for new legislation on inclusive education in Poland. Around 40 representatives participated in each of the meetings. These representatives included learners, parents, teachers and school leaders from mainstream and special schools, local support personnel, representatives from local and regional governments, educational authorities and representatives from universities and support organisations.
Participants shared their views on the challenges they face in implementing inclusive education and provided feedback on the first consultation draft of the assumptions that will underpin new legislation.
This is the first round of meetings. Four more consultation meetings – in Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Warsaw – will be held later this year.
Based on the feedback collected during all of the consultation exercises, the assumptions will be revised and used to further develop the proposals for new legislation on inclusive education in Poland.
Before the meetings in the three regions, the visiting delegation met with Ms Marzena Machałek, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of National Education, to discuss the proposals for future legislative changes in inclusive education in Poland, as well as the programme of Regional Consultation meetings. More information on this meeting can be found on the MEN website.