Poles weigh in on abolition of homework
National Education Minister Barbara Nowacka has announced the abolition of homework, which has sparked controversy among Poles. According to a recent survey, many Poles are against the proposed changes to education.
After the parliamentary elections in autumn, the government led by Donald Tusk took control of the Polish education system. The former Minister of Education and Science, PrzemysĆaw Czarnek of the Law and Justice party (PiS), was replaced by Barbara Nowacka from the Civic Coalition (KO).
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Nowacka is in favour of eliminating homework and has announced the implementation of a regulation to abolish homework from April onwards. The new regulation will first apply to primary schools.
Public opinion on abolishing homework in Poland: What do people think?
A survey was conducted by Research Partner in the first few days of February to gauge the opinion of Poles on abolishing homework. The survey included 1119 people aged 18 and above from across the country. The results showed that 39% of the respondents favoured the change, with 14% selecting "definitely yes" and 25% selecting "rather yes".
On the other hand, 43% of the respondents supported retaining the status quo, i.e., keeping homework as it is. Among these respondents, 24% chose "definitely not", and 19% chose "rather not" when asked about removing homework tasks altogether.
According to the same survey, 55% of respondents aged 18-24 are in favour of abolishing homework in schools. However, respondents from rural areas and small towns with up to 20,000 inhabitants do not favour the Ministry of Education's plans, with 46% and 50% of respondents, respectively, objecting to the abolition of homework.
Abolition of homework among political party electorates
According to the poll, Nowacka's plans for abolishing homework received varying support among voters of different political parties. The results were as follows: 63% of the United Right and Confederation electorates' respondents opposed the abolition, while 56% of the Left voters were in support. The Civic Coalition voters had 55% of respondents in favour of the abolition, while Third Way electorates' results were similar to the average.
Source: PAP