Przemysław Czarnek leads in a recent survey as the least popular education minister, with Barbara Nowacka trailing but narrowing the gap.
Who Remains the Worst Education Minister?
A survey conducted by SW Research on behalf of “Wprost” has placed Przemysław Czarnek, the Education and Science Minister in the PiS government, at the top with 36.4 percent of the votes. He holds a clear advantage over Barbara Nowacka, the current head of the Ministry of National Education. While Nowacka received 19.9 percent, which is higher than the same period last year, the next-ranking politicians include Roman Giertych (10.1 percent), Anna Zalewska (5.5 percent), Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska (2.1 percent), Katarzyna Hall (1.7 percent), Krystyna Szumilas (1.5 percent), and Dariusz Piontkowski (1.2 percent). Only 0.2 percent of respondents named someone else, while 21.4 percent had no opinion. A similar poll was conducted a year ago, also before the school year began, with the same top three politicians but different vote distributions: Czarnek received 42.9 percent then, and Nowacka 13.4 percent. The latest survey was carried out online between August 26-27, with 814 interviews.
Possible Adjustments to Homework Policies
One of the key reforms under Nowacka’s leadership has been reducing homework. According to new regulations, no homework is assigned in grades I-III of primary schools, except for motor skills exercises. In grades IV-VIII, homework is optional and not graded, replaced instead by feedback on students’ correct and incorrect work. In early August, Nowacka informed TVN24 that the ministry requested an evaluation of this change. “If it turns out that adjustments are needed, they will be made,” she stated, adding that such changes would not occur before the upcoming school year. Nowacka was also asked if she considers reinstating graded homework in schools, to which she replied, “I exclude nothing today, as I approach this issue entirely methodically and critically.” She explained that the decision depends on the evaluation results and the surveys conducted by the Institute of Educational Research.
Source: Gazeta, https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/roman-giertych#anchorLink, https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/joanna-kluzik-rostkowska#anchorLink, https://www.tokfm.pl/Tokfm/7, https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/0
