In a new sweep of reforms, Polish secondary schools will adopt mandatory civic education and optional health education on 1 September. The changes aim to empower students with practical skills—from voting rights to mental‑wellness and digital safety—while teachers are drawn from biology, psychology and health‑professional backgrounds. The programme marks the beginning of the 2026 overhaul.
Mandatory Civic Education Starts September 1
In a video posted to the Minister of Education’s social‑media channels, Barbara Nowacka announced that from 1 September a new compulsory subject—civic education—will be introduced in secondary schools.
“I am very pleased that this much‑needed subject is becoming real and tangible. It will prepare young people for life in the modern world, giving them a sense of agency, practical skills and a feeling of pride and patriotism,” she said.
Nowacka explained the content of the lessons: students will learn how to exercise passive or active voting rights, prepare a citizen budget, manage administrative procedures, and debate responsibly—distinguishing truth from falsehood and seeking reliable sources.
She emphasised that the new subject will provide “strength and agency for new people” and offers practical skills. She concluded that introducing civic education marks the beginning of the 2026 reforms.
Health Education Will Also Enter Schools
Earlier this month the Ministry of Education published a similar video on a second upcoming subject, health education, slated for 1 September 2025. It will be non‑mandatory.
“It won’t be a typical subject,” Nowacka clarified.
The lessons will cover mental health and emotions, internet and addiction, ecology and planetary health, nutrition and the body, and adolescence.
“Is that something that will really be useful in life?” she asked. “That’s exactly the point.
“The lessons will address all aspects of human health at various life stages. It is practical knowledge and skills that have real meaning in everyday life,” the Ministry summarised in the post accompanying the video.
Who Will Teach the New Subjects?
On 8 August the Ministry of Education issued a new regulation outlining the qualifications required for teachers who will deliver health‑education lessons from the upcoming school year.
According to the decree, a teacher of health education may be a person who meets the same qualifications as teachers in other subjects: a holder of a first‑ or second‑cycle degree or a single master’s degree in health education, and who possesses pedagogical training; or a holder of another master’s degree with pedagogical training and postgraduate studies in health education.
Further, the regulation specifies that teachers of biology, nature, physical education, family life education, psychology, and those who have completed studies preparing for medical professions—such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, laboratory diagnosticians, physiotherapists, paramedics—or studies in public health, dietetics, or human nutrition with pedagogical preparation will also be qualified to teach health education.
Source: Gazeta,
