At this year’s Skills Summit, organised under the auspices of the OECD, Poland was represented by Deputy Minister of Education Katarzyna Lubnauer and Dr. Maciej Jakubowski, Director of the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute. Their participation confirms the growing role of IBE PIB as an institution shaping the direction of Polish education policy on the international stage.

Summit of the world’s most developed economies

The event took place on April 27–28, 2026, in Istanbul and brought together education leaders from OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) member states. This year’s edition was held under the theme “Unlocking Talent Across Generations” and focused on three priorities:

• providing young people with a solid foundation for lifelong learning,
• supporting adults in upgrading and reskilling their competencies throughout their extended working lives,
• unlocking the potential of underrepresented and overlooked groups in the labour market.

Poland’s Priorities at the OECD Forum

State Secretary Katarzyna Lubnauer led the Polish delegation. During the tour-de-table session, she presented national priorities of the key skills development policy and participated in panels on curriculum reforms—including the implementation of artificial intelligence tools in the teaching process as well as the adaptation of education systems to demographic and technological challenges.

The Deputy Minister also presented the main directions of the Reform26 Compass of Tomorrow programme, emphasizing its social and emotional dimensions. In turn, Maciej Jakubowski, director of the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute, explained that “we want to educate students who recognise the value of education and lifelong learning.”

“Based on our experience with the recently completed large-scale evaluation of a programme supporting AI-based mathematics instruction, we believe that the approach to such solutions needs to be reconsidered. Not as tools that replace teaching, but as tools that enhance traditional teaching and learning, making them more effective. Without this, many students will not engage sufficiently. They need people who will motivate them,” he noted.

The Director of IBE PIB added that in September 2026, Poland will begin implementing an education reform that will place greater emphasis on student agency, social skills, and digital skills.

“We are reforming the curricula, but we are also developing evidence-based teaching and training materials. We want to educate by showing how digital tools can be effectively used in learning and to solve real-world problems—on issues that are important and relevant to students—while also drawing on the knowledge gained in school,” he explained.

Inspiration from Turkey and Lessons for Poland

The visit to Istanbul was also an opportunity to learn about Turkish models of vocational education for gifted students, implemented at the Maçka Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. Observations and conclusions from the summit will serve as a reference point for implementing Polish reforms so that they meet global OECD standards.