Poland’s Ministry of National Education (MEN) will postpone a decision regarding the future of health education, originally expected today, until next week.
Health Education’s Future Uncertain
A decision concerning the future of health education was to be announced this week, according to findings from DGP. Initial announcements from the leadership of the MEN indicated a decision regarding the subject’s status and potential curriculum changes would be made by the end of March.
Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka stated last week on TVN24, “I will present my decision literally in a few days, by the end of March. That’s what I promised teachers and principals, because it’s also important for them when they create schedules.”
Current Status and Participation Rates
The deadline has passed. The head of the MEN was to decide whether health education would change from an optional to a mandatory subject. However, sources indicate ongoing final consultations within the ministry, with details to be presented next week.
Health education replaced education for family life (WDŻWR) in September. Classes are held in primary schools (grades IV–VIII) and secondary schools (grades I-III), covering 11 thematic modules including physical and mental health, values, online safety, addiction prevention, and sex education.
Declining Participation in Previous Program
Due to its optional nature, the subject has not garnered significant student interest. MEN data shows that 920,000 students participated in the 2025/2026 school year, approximately 30% of those eligible.
The Ministry of Education emphasized that participation in health education was comparable to that of the previous WDŻWR classes. Data reveals a systematic decline in student participation in WDŻWR from 2019/2020 to 2024/2025, falling from 50.38% to 33%. A linear projection suggests a further decline to around 26% by 2026/2027.
Conservative Concerns and Coalition Pressure
The potential changes to the subject’s format have been widely debated. Conservative groups have expressed concerns that content related to sexuality could violate the constitutional principle of parental educational primacy.
Facing protests and disagreements, a decision was made to keep the subject optional, a position also supported by coalition partners from the PSL.
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