Barbara Nowacka is a Polish politician, feminist activist, and IT specialist. She served as the co-chair of the Your Movement (Polish: Twój Ruch) party from 2015 to 2017. Since 2016, she has led the Polish Initiative (Polish: Inicjatywa Polska) party. Currently, she is a member of the Sejm of the ninth and tenth terms. Moreover, since December 13, 2023, she has served as the Minister of Education in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's third government.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka has been quite active recently. As the head of the ministry, she has made several controversial decisions, including proposing the elimination of homework in primary schools and removing various books from the reading list.

On 26 February, she visited a secondary school in Człuchów, where she discussed teacher pay increases and answered students' questions. The Matura exam and its potential abolition were also talked about.

At a press briefing organised by the Minister of Education, Barbara Nowacka reminded the journalists that Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government is taking steps to support teachers. The Minister highlighted that newly employed teachers will now receive a 33% pay rise, whereas certified and appointed teachers will receive a 30% salary increase. This change will also apply to those working in kindergartens and non-public schools.

"For a Polish school to be good, teachers must want to teach at school. For them to want to teach, they must earn a decent salary," said Barbara Nowacka during the briefing.

The Minister of Education has expressed her opinion that the Polish education system needs to change. She emphasised that these changes should be introduced gradually and calmly, with a general consensus and understanding of the importance of education. Barbara Nowacka believes that education must adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. According to the Ministry of Education head, the ministry is currently working on several changes to the curricula to address these challenges.

Barbara Nowacka stated that for primary schools, there will be a shift away from mandatory and evaluated homework. Furthermore, a more concise core curriculum will be implemented across all teaching levels starting 1 September. "This initiative was initiated by previous officials, and now, through pre-consultations and future consultations, the objective is to create a learning environment where knowledge is acquired and not simply memorised," Nowacka said.

Barbara Nowacka also told the journalists that a document by the Central Examination Commission experts containing suggestions for reducing the core curriculum had been submitted for pre-consultation.

"This raised many questions, controversies, and discussions. I myself have doubts as to whether all of their proposed solutions will contribute to school development," said Barbara Nowacka.

The head of the Ministry of Education also mentioned that it had received over 50,000 comments, which are being analysed by their team. Barbara Nowacka stated that a more concise document will be made within two weeks, which will be the basis of any future changes. The Education Minister wants to implement a 20% reduction in the core curriculum by September 1, 2024.

During a briefing held on Monday, 26 February, Barbara Nowacka addressed the issue of the Matura exam. The Minister of Education admitted that she is regularly asked at meetings with students whether it is possible to abolish the compulsory exam. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Education head does not have any good news for teenagers.

"We will not abolish secondary school exams. They are a necessary, objective criterion for assessing what young people have learned," said Barbara Nowacka.

Source: radiozet.pl