Barbara Nowacka is a Polish politician, IT specialist, feminist, and activist for the LGBT minority. She served as co-chair of the Twój Ruch party from 2015 to 2017 and has been the leader of the Inicjatywa Polska since 2016. She is currently a Member of the Sejm for the ninth and tenth terms. On 13 December 2023, she was appointed the Minister of Education in Donald Tusk's third government.

Barbara Nowacka, the current education minister, has a lot on her plate. She is busy with several tasks, such as developing a new core curriculum, organising public consultations on the reading list, and introducing the ban on compulsory homework in primary schools. Additionally, she regularly meets with other ministers, including the Minister for Health, Izabela Leszczyna, and the Minister for Sport and Tourism, Sławomir Nitras, to ensure that pupils receive care in every aspect of their lives.

Barbara Nowacka announces new school subject

Barbara Nowacka appeared as a guest on TVP Info's evening program on Thursday, 11 April. During the interview, the Education Minister acknowledged that a new subject will be introduced for both primary and secondary school students. Nowacka stated that the new subject would focus on health education in the broadest sense, which is currently lacking in Polish educational institutions. She also announced a joint conference with Izabela Leszczyna and Sławomir Nitras on Friday, 12 April.

During an interview with Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz, Barbara Nowacka emphasised the importance of education on physical health, nutrition, and human sexuality. She also mentioned plans to promote vaccination in schools, specifically HPV vaccination. Nowacka highlighted the fact that HPV vaccination is crucial as cervical cancer is a preventable disease that kills young girls and women, leads to infertility, and can be avoided through vaccination.

The Minister of Education stressed that she is keen for the government to take care of children's mental and sexual health, as well as their proper nutrition. One can guess that the latest subject will oscillate around these topics. This is another change that Barbara Nowacka has announced. On Wednesday, 10 April, in an interview with the media, she said that History and the Present, the apple of Przemysław Czarnek's eye, would disappear from schools.

The Minister of Education emphasised her commitment to taking care of children's mental and sexual health, as well as their proper nutrition. It seems that the announced school subject will focus on these important topics. This is just one of the changes that Barbara Nowacka has recently announced. During an interview with the media on 10 April, she stated that ‘Historia i Teraźniejszość’ ("History and the Present Day") school subject, highly valued by the former Minister of Education Przemysław Czarnek, would be removed from schools.