School Year Nears with 11,000 Open Positions Across Poland, Yet Zero Vacancies for New Health Education Subject

Just before the 2026/2027 school year begins, thousands of open positions are recorded in Polish schools, while data from the Ministry of Education shows no vacancies for health education teachers.

Thousands of Vacancies, But Not One for This Subject

Ahead of the 2026/2027 school year, schools and educational institutions reported 17,308 open job positions, which corresponds to 11,732 full-time equivalents. At the same time, not a single vacancy was reported for health education teachers, according to Ministry of National Education data provided to PAP.

The highest number of job offers relates to kindergarten education at 1,919, co-organizing teachers for students with disabilities at 1,649, psychologists at 1,149, and mathematics teachers at 1,019. For Polish language teachers, 939 offers were listed, English language at 896, and vocational subject teachers at 893. According to MEN data, there is not a single open position for health education teachers.

Why Schools Are Not Searching for New Teachers

MEN explained to PAP that the principal of a given school, based on work organization and existing staff, assesses whether they need to hire an additional teacher and in such cases publishes vacancy information.

“Health education does not have to be taught by a teacher employed exclusively for teaching this subject. Qualifications to teach it are held by nearly 113,000 teachers, including biology, nature, physical education, family life education teachers, or psychologists. Classes can also be conducted by more than one teacher,” stated MEN spokesperson Ewelina Gorczyca to PAP.

Qualifications to teach the new mandatory subject can also be held by people with medical education and graduates of fields related to public health, dietetics, or human nutrition, provided they have pedagogical preparation.

How the Situation Looks Ahead of September

The spokesperson explained that the lack of reported vacancies means schools did not report the need to hire additional health education teachers. MEN does not have separate data on schools that are not conducting recruitment but are considering hiring an additional teacher.

MEN noted that the vacation period is a time of staff movements, which affects the increase in job offers before the school year starts. The ministry emphasized that the number of published offers does not reflect actual staff shortages in schools. “Based on currently available data, there is no basis to predict problems with ensuring staff to conduct health education from September,” the MEN spokesperson communicated.

Post-Graduate Studies and Thousands of Authorized Teachers

According to MEN data, in the 2025/2026 school year, health education classes were taught by nearly 23,000 teachers. Meanwhile, qualifications to teach this subject are held by nearly 113,000 teachers.

The education ministry informed PAP that agreements were signed with 11 universities to implement free qualification post-graduate studies for teachers in the field of health education. In the first edition, 580 teachers participated. In the second edition, started in 2026, participation was planned for 610 teachers.

Regional Situation: Lesser Poland Under Inspectorate Scrutiny

In Lesser Poland alone, during the past school year, the Lesser Poland Superintendent of Education issued 15 permits to employ teachers lacking the required qualifications to conduct health education. “From this, it follows that the remaining teachers conducting these classes possessed the required qualifications,” Lesser Poland Superintendent of Education Gabriela Olszowska told PAP.

At the same time, by August 6, 2026, the Education Inspectorate in Kraków received 556 applications for permission to employ a teacher without required qualifications for the 2026/2027 school year. These most frequently concerned co-organizing teachers, school psychologists, revalidation, and kindergarten education. Directors’ applications on this matter continue to be submitted. The superintendent’s approval to employ a person without required qualifications can be issued at the school director’s request if there is no possibility of hiring a teacher with appropriate qualifications.

The Lesser Poland Superintendent of Education does not gather information on how many teachers are acquiring additional qualifications to teach health education. Such data is held by school directors or teacher training centers, Olszowska stated.

Subject Implementation Rules and Student Attendance

In the 2025/2026 school year, health education was an optional subject. In the upcoming school year, the part concerning sexual health will remain optional, while the remaining part of the subject will be implemented under the rules specified in new regulations.

Data concerning the number of students participating in the optional part regarding sexual health will be gathered by school directors from the beginning of the new school year.

In the past school year, health education classes did not enjoy high popularity. Approximately 30 percent of students participated in them. In primary schools, it was 40.36 percent, while in post-primary schools, it was about 10 percent. In Lesser Poland, 22.27 percent of students participated in these classes.