The Minister of National Education, Barbara Nowacka, appointed members of an expert team to work on preparing a draft curriculum for a new general education subject – civics education. Olga Wasilewska, Deputy Manager of the International Research Department at the Educational Research Institute became a member of the team.
Experts include experienced civics and history teachers, academics, representatives of non-governmental organisations active in civics education, IBE and the Central Examination Board.
These will be very practical lessons. We would like students to visit public institutions and conduct Oxford debates. We want to teach young people how to discuss culturally. Young people should have the opportunity to actually experience citizenship and learn how to face the challenges presented by the world.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Katarzyna Lubnauer, who emphasised that civics education will be a practical subject, covering issues relevant to the functioning of local communities, the state and its institutions, the European Union and the world.
We want the subject to be based on the triad of knowledge, skills, competences. In addition to knowledge, students should develop specific skills, practical knowledge and soft competences, such as the art of discussion.
Civic education will be a practical subject with four components. The first will cover regional issues and how local government works. The second will be about the functioning of the state and its institutions. The third component will be knowledge about the European Union, and the last will focus on global issues in the context of climate or migration policy, among others.
Members of the Civics Education Expert Team:
Dr. Jędrzej Witkowski – Coordinator
Urszula Małek, history teacher
Dr. Kamil Paździor, history teacher
Dr.Olga Napiontek, Fundacja Civis Polonus
Anna Rabiega, Wrocław District Examination Board
Olga Wasilewska, Educational Research Institute
Assoc. Prof. Łukasz Zamęcki, University of Warsaw
Assoc. Prof. Marcin Zaremba, University of Warsaw
Source: Ministry of National Education.