At the end of July, Minister of Education and Science (Polish: Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki, MEiN) Przemyslaw Czarnek was quite negative about the planned teachers' protest. Let us remind you that on 1 September the Polish Teachers' Union (Polish: Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego, ZNP) is organising a picket in front of the Education Ministry building.

Teachers are fed up with low salaries and the deteriorating quality of education, but Minister Czarnek does not understand how they can overlook the paradise he has created for them. It appears that teachers are indeed underestimating this educational El Dorado, as figures from the Ministry of Education show that by the end of 2023 some 4,500 teaching posts will have to be filled.

The Ministry of Education and Science, basing on the data from the Educational Information System (Polish: System Informacji Oświatowej), has reported that around 4,500 teaching posts will remain vacant by 31 December 2023. As Portal Samorządowy reports, MEiN stresses that half of the vacancies are to appear due to teachers retiring - that's 1961 posts.

Educators from the Mazowieckie, Śląskie and Małopolskie voivodeships in particular have decided to take this step. However, there is no denying that a significant part of the staff shortage results from the termination of employment contracts - this amounts to more than 2,200 vacancies.

Teachers in the Mazovia, Lower Silesia and Lesser Poland regions gave up their careers in education most frequently. These groups are also joined by teachers who go on health leave on 1 September and those who have exercised their right to compensation benefits (if they decide to terminate their contracts before the date of retirement).

"The increased number of job offers for teachers is currently influenced by the beginning of the next school year. Before it starts, teachers usually decide whether to change their place of employment or retire," the deputy head of the ministry, Dariusz Piontkowski, told Portal Samorządowy.

Last year, after the start of the 2022/2023 school year, Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek drew attention to dramatic staff shortages in schools. There were almost 3,000 vacancies in Warsaw alone. In Kraków, 85% of all principals complained about problems finding science teachers.

Has the ministry done anything to improve this situation and encourage teachers to stay in their posts since? It seems not. Although Dariusz Piontkowski claims that the staff shortages in schools happen every year, one can assume that teachers have other motives as well.

Just a reminder of the reasons why teachers are organising a protest picket on 1 September. A beginning teacher can only expect a gross salary of PLN 3690 (€833), which is only 90 zlotys (€20) higher than the minimum wage in Poland. But unionized teachers will also take to the streets due to worsening working conditions, bad reforms and staff shortages which, apparently, will only increase.

In response to the picketing of teachers, minister Czarnek tweeted that ZNP "does not pay attention to reality". According to the minister, teachers do not see the financial outlay for education that was supposed to have taken place during the Law and Justice (PiS) tenure. Among other things, Czarnek pointed to a 60% increase in education subsidies.

We should add that from 1 September secondary school teachers will be able to take as much overtime as they want. The amendment to the Teacher’s Charter prepared by Minister Czarnek abolishes the previously set time limit. In the upcoming school year, teachers of secondary schools, technical and trade schools will be allowed to work more than 1.5 full-time jobs.

Source: Portal Samorządowy, Serwis Samorządowy PAP