Education and new challenges - Raport Polska 2030

Education and new challenges
and the existing one has attracted widespread criticism. Learning professions offered by
schools involves more theory than practice, and additionally, there is no link between
them as far as the curriculum is concerned. The classification of professions at schools
does not correspond to the classification of professions in business. The core curriculum
is developed without sufficient consultations with business representatives. 20 Teachers
have little knowledge of the currently used modern technologies. Schools have poor
technical and learning facilities (outdated textbooks, out-of-date technology). The lack
of modern technical and learning facilities makes it impossible to change the specialisations
offered at schools – adaptations to the market demands occur with a certain time
lag. The students of lower secondary schools have no exhaustive information about the
offered educational services and the situation on the labour market. Due to a low opinion
of vocational education in the society, it is excluded from among the selected education
paths. Vocational schools are characterised by a low level of education in foreign
languages. In some of them (about 20%) such courses are not offered at all. 21
As a result, the basic qualifications of vocational school graduates receive poor
assessments. Equally low assessments apply to their attitudes and the so-called soft
competences. Employers complain that work has no value for young people who do
not want to learn and continue education, have demanding attitude and are not creative
and capable of collecting and processing information, lack motivation to work,
responsibility, flexibility. 22 This situation is attributed to several factors. Young people
who go to such schools are selected based on negative criteria – with relatively the
worst socio-educational parameters. Due to the lifestyle promoted in the society (in
affluence) and social glorification of success, they nurture demanding attitude. The
stigma of “being worse” is a source of contempt for their own status, and at the same
time dislike of those who have higher social standing. As a result of this mechanism – in
combination with school education which is based on the preservation of the negative
identity of “a prole”, and not the ethos of a specialist – students and graduates of
vocational schools started forming a segment which defies social inclusion. Changing
their attitudes towards themselves in the world where it is important to be the best
seems to be a very difficult task, nevertheless there is no reason to discontinue various
actions aimed at improving the prestige of simple jobs. The “simplest” and most natural
response is to transform vocational education into a process based on state-of-the-art
solutions in terms of school curriculum, technological facilities and human resources.
Another problem is related to the so-called early school-leavers. In Poland two
thirds of vocational school graduates continue their education in supplementary technical
or general secondary schools. The others leave the education system with very
low qualifications, not attempting any other trainings or supplementary education.
They constitute 5% of the young population aged 18-24, and this one of the lowest
20 S. Taje, Absolwenci szkolnictwa zawodowego a warszawski rynek pracy [Graduates of vocational
schools and the labour market in Warsaw]. Report on the qualitative study based on the focus group
method, Warsaw 26 May 2010, p. 4-5. The survey comprised interviews with 3 headmasters of vocational
schools, 2 educational and career consultants, 3 representatives of National Employment
Agencies (PUP) (2 career consultants and 1 employment agent), 4 representatives of local employers,
a representative of the Education Department at the City Office of Warsaw, and a representative of
a private employment agency.
21 Oświata i wychowanie... [Schooling and education...], op. cit., p. 90.
22 Op. cit., p. 8.
101