Poland’s Education Minister Barbara Nowacka sharply criticized Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski after he compared the education system to Nazi Germany.
Archbishop Criticizes Health Education
During a celebration of the Virgin Mary Queen of Poland on Saturday at Jasna Góra, the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, criticized health education in schools.
He noted that, as a non-compulsory subject, it only had a 30 percent attendance rate, but was still made mandatory, while approximately 70 percent of students attend religious education, which is not compulsory.
Minister Defends Health Education Curriculum
Asked on Monday (May 4th) in Polsat News about Archbishop Wojda’s words, the Minister of Education pointed out that the Episcopate criticized the section on sexual health last year, but had no reservations about the rest of the curriculum.
She indicated that the subject is needed and young people should learn about important aspects of life, health, and hygiene.
Bishops Show Disrespect for Teachers, Minister Claims
According to the Minister of Education, the criticism shows that the bishops do not know what is in the core curriculum and do not understand how important reliable knowledge provided by teachers is in the modern world.
She also called the criticism an expression of “disrespect for teachers.”
“Nothing Wrong with Sexual Health”
“There is nothing wrong or inappropriate about sexual health,” she emphasized. “I am convinced that many teachers will show how important knowledge about sexual health is, because it is an element of health. It’s nothing strange.”
New Mandatory Health Education Rules
On April 9th, the Minister of Education announced that health education will be a compulsory subject from the new school year, with the section on sexual education being optional.
In response, the Education Commission of the Polish Episcopate stated that the subject should not be compulsory even in this form, as it contains content that “does not adequately respect the values of marriage and family, as defined and guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.”
“Hater in a Cassock”
The Minister of Education was also asked about the words of retired Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, who, on April 18th during the Star Rally at Jasna Góra, compared the education system to the actions of Adolf Hitler.
Archbishop’s Hitler Comparison
“They are cutting the teaching of history, Polish language, geography and all important subjects directly influencing the formation of identity. They want to do to our youth what Hitler wanted: to teach them only addition and subtraction, so that a mass without will to work in German asparagus fields would be created. This cannot be allowed!” Jędraszewski said.
Church Allows False Statements, Minister Says
Nowacka pointed out that the Church allows such false statements. “I think this is very harmful to the Church and people,” she noted. “He is simply a hater, an ordinary hater in a cassock,” Nowacka concluded.
