Teachers set to protest against education reform
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
10.10.2016 07:30
The Polish Teachers’ Union has announced it will stage protests in a string of cities on Monday against planned reforms to the education system.
Teachers’ Union President Sławomir Broniarz. Photo: PAP/Jacek Turczyk
Organizers expect 25,000 teachers, parents and local government officials to take part in the protests, planned in 17 cities on Monday afternoon.
The government intends to do away with the current model of a 6-year primary school system, a 3-year middle school and 3-year high school, and return to the older system of 8-year primary school and 4-year high school/5-year vocational school, starting from 2017.
Many teachers want the government to withdraw from the reforms, and are pressing for salary increases and more spending on education.
Although Education Minister Anna Zalewska has said that there will be no layoffs of teachers in the aftermath of the reform, this remains a major concern for unionists.
"With the change of the system, we do not anticipate that any teachers will lose their jobs as a result," Zalewska told public broadcaster TVP Info on Saturday. (mol/pk)
Source: PAP