The Association of Polish Teachership (ZNP) announced a nationwide manifestation to be held 1 September – the day the fresh school year begins. Teachers from all over Poland will meet in front of the office of the Ministry of National Education (MEN) in Warsaw to express their deep disappointment with the government's unfulfilled promises. The main demands are the absence of 10% increases and the failure to bind wages to the national average. The protest, which is to gather thousands of educators, puts the stableness and functioning of the Polish education strategy at stake in the coming year. The situation is all the more critical that schools are missing 22 000 teachersand without urgent financial changes, this trend will deepen, hitting the quality of teaching and the future of students.
September with protests: What awaits Polish schools?
The ZNP Manifestation will begin on 1 September at 11:00 a.m. before the Ministry of National Education. Union leaders stress that teachers from all corner of the country will come to the capital, determined to pay attention to the dramatically low salaries and increasingly hard working conditions. The choice of date is not accidental – the symbolic start of the school year is to sound powerfully as an appeal for urgent action. The pedagogues feel ignored, and deficiency of dialog with the government exacerbates their frustration. This is simply a direct consequence of the deficiency of real action following the promises made before the elections.
Unfulfilled Government promises: No increases and links to national salary
Financial issues stay a key point in the dispute. Teachers request 10% increaseto compensate for inflation and improve their material status. Moreover, the SNP has long advocated linking teachers' salaries to average salaries in the national economy, which would guarantee the stableness and attractiveness of the profession. Sławomir Bronisz, the head of the ZNP, made it clear that Prime Minister Donald Tusk had not fulfilled the declarations made on this matter. "Nothing has happened in this case for a year. There are no talks, no negotiations, no work either on the education committee or on the subcommittee on education," stressed the Bronisz, pointing to a complete deficiency of advancement in dialog with the government.
Termination of compensation: Another point in dispute
Another crucial problem that causes discontent with the teaching community is the issue of compensation. Traders argue that it should be permanent alternatively than expiring. The current system, with limited duration, raises concerns among educators approaching retirement age. The deficiency of stableness of this solution discourages further work and hinders the planning of the professional future, which further reduces morale in the industry. The NPA calls for urgent changes to this issue in order to supply teachers with decent and predictable conditions for retirement.
Personnel crisis: 22,000 vacancies and imagination of the future
The effects of the current policy are already seen in alarming statistics. Polish education strategy is presently missing 22 000 teachers. This figure is evidence of a deepening staff crisis that straight affects the quality of teaching. Without adequate financial incentives and improved working conditions, it will become increasingly hard to attract young, capable graduates to the profession and to keep experienced educators. The deficiency of specialists, overcrowded grades and the request to combine jobs are just any of the consequences that students and their parents will feel. ZNP strikes an alarm: without urgent investment in staff, the future of the Polish school is simply a large question mark.
What's next? Perspectives for Polish Education
The upcoming manifestation of September 1st is not only a expression of frustration, but besides a final bell for the government. Teachers clearly communicate that without concrete action and fulfillment of promises, the situation in education will only deteriorate. Parents and students must be aware that the deficiency of financial and staff stableness in schools has a direct bearing on the quality of teaching and the availability of education. The NPA expects to resume real dialog and take concrete decisions that will guarantee decent working conditions and pay. Otherwise, protests can become a permanent part of the scenery of Polish education, and the staff crisis will deepen, threatening the future of the full education system.
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Emergency E.N.P. Alert. Teachers protest on September 1, the school year is questionable.
