KRUPED: POLISH SCHOOLS SHOULD SET HIGH STANDARDS WHILE EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL SKILLS

The Conference of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions Educating Teachers and Pedagogues (KRUPed) took place on 29-30 June 2026. The first day of the meeting was hosted by the welcoming Municipality of Olsztyn near Częstochowa, while the second was held at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa.

During the conference, representatives of member universities discussed a number of key issues concerning the preparation of future teachers. Among the main topics were the challenges of postgraduate teacher education and the development of innovative teacher-training programmes designed to respond to the increasingly diverse needs of society. The participants also addressed the system and quality of teacher education in Poland, drawing on the methodological foundations of current research.

A press briefing was also held on 30 June 2026, during which dr Katarzyna Lubnauer, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Education, stressed that the education of teachers is a lifelong process.
"Teacher education is never truly complete," said dr Lubnauer. "There will always be new challenges arising from the changing world that teachers must be prepared to meet."

She emphasised that the Polish education system performs well but acknowledged that schools continue to face significant challenges.
"Polish schools provide a high standard of education," she noted. "However, this does not mean there are no issues affecting school communities. Among the most important are the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the need to prepare young people to understand and use these technologies responsibly. We also face demographic challenges affecting both pupils and teachers. The average age of teachers in Poland is now 48. While we generally do not experience an overall shortage of teachers, there are particular difficulties in vocational education, where it is increasingly challenging to recruit qualified professionals. At the same time, we must continue to attract young people to the teaching profession to ensure a gradual renewal of the workforce."

Dr Lubnauer also announced that from 1 September 2026 Polish schools will introduce significant changes aimed at strengthening practical education. Greater emphasis will be placed on developing students' practical competences alongside subject knowledge, enabling them to acquire skills that will prove valuable in everyday life. She expressed confidence that these reforms would further enhance the competitiveness of the Polish education system and its graduates, who, she stressed, are fully comparable with their peers across Europe.
"Polish schools should set high standards while also equipping students with practical skills," she concluded.

Also speaking during the media briefing was Professor Barbara Marcinkowska, Rector of the Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw and Chair of the Conference of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions Educating Teachers and Pedagogues (KRUPed).
"Teacher education faces a wide range of challenges," Professor Marcinkowska explained. "The teacher education standards introduced in 2019 had in fact been developed several years earlier. Nearly a decade has now passed since that work began. During this period we have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence. These developments have transformed both society and higher education, creating entirely new challenges for universities. In addition, teachers of specialist subjects often have to work across several schools to secure a full-time position. These are complex issues that require long-term solutions. It is a journey that never truly ends. Meetings such as this one in Czestochowa are therefore invaluable. By working together, we can develop stronger recommendations and present them to the Ministry of National Education, helping to shape the future of teacher education in Poland."

The Acting Rector of Jan Dlugosz University, Professor Bogusław Przywora, highlighted the importance of hosting the conference.
"We are proud that, alongside fulfilling its academic mission, our University serves as a place for meaningful debate and for developing solutions that can later be implemented by the Ministry of National Education," he said. "It is particularly significant because, throughout its 55-year history, our University has been closely associated with the education of teachers and pedagogues. As we celebrate this year's anniversary, I hope that in the years ahead we will continue to take pride not only in our graduates - highly qualified teachers - but also in our ongoing contribution to educating future generations of educators."

More information about KRUPed is available on the conference website.