Central
The Ministry of National Education is responsible for:
- Co-ordinating the national education policy;
- Cooperating in this respect with regional authorities and other organisational units responsible for the school education system;
- Setting out educational requirements and procedures with regard to admission, timetables, curricula, assessment, organisational arrangements, and remuneration of staff.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is responsible for:
- Setting regulations;
- Facilitating international and EU cooperation;
- Supervising the development of research in Poland;
- Overseeing the functioning of higher education institutions (HEI), their compliance with law, statutes, and, in the case of non-public HEIs, with the permit granted for their establishment, as well as the expenditure of public funds.
The Polish Accreditation Committee (Państwowa Komisja Akredytacyjna) is responsible for:
- Evaluating the quality of higher education;
- Providing quality assurance.
The General Council for Science and Higher Education (Rada Główna Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego) is responsible for:
- Co-operating with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to develop the state educational policy;
- Defining the fields of study and developing educational standards.
The Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (Konferencja Rektorów Akademickich Szkół Polskich) and the Conference of Rectors of Vocational Schools in Poland (Konferencja Rektorów Zawodowych Szkół Polskich, are responsible for:
- Developing the financing principles for HEIs and the rules governing their operation, specifically as regards regulations that accompany legal acts.
Regional
Regional level
Regional education superintendents (kuratorzy oświaty), appointed by the minister in charge of education, direct regional educational authorities (kuratoria oświaty) and are responsible for:
- Pedagogical supervision of public and non‑public schools and kindergartens;
- General administration of education in the region;
- Implementation of the national education policy;
- Cooperation with the regional government in the determination of the regional and local education policy and in the development of school infrastructure;
- Cooperation with district examination boards (Okręgowe Komisje Egzaminacyjne) and support to schools in preparations of examinations;
- Cooperation with teacher excellence centres, pedagogical libraries, and psycho‑pedagogical counselling centres;
- Implementation of tasks defined in law and regulations.
County authorities are responsible for:
- Establishing and managing upper‑secondary schools (including with special departments), art centres, sport schools and sport excellence schools (szkoły mistrzostwa sportowego), special primary schools, youth care centres (młodzieżowe ośrodki wychowawcze), psycho‑pedagogical counselling centres, schools in youth correctional facilities and juvenile shelters and hostels for minors; counselling and guidance centres; and remedial centres;
- Providing free lessons of the Polish language to certain groups of foreigners;
- Establishing and managing teacher excellence centres and pedagogical libraries (discretionary);
- Establishing and managing nursery schools (discretionary).
Local
Local authorities are responsible for:
- Establishing and managing nursery schools, kindergartens (including with special departments) and primary schools;
- Providing free lessons of the Polish language to certain groups of foreigners;
- Establishing and managing teacher excellence centres and pedagogical libraries (discretionary).
Responsible ministries/bodies
Ministry of National Education
Ministry of Science and Higher Education
Polish Accreditation Committee
General Council for Science and Higher Education
Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland
Regional education superintendents (kuratorzy oświaty) and regional educational authorities (kuratoria oświaty) directed by them
County (powiat) authorities
Local (gmina) authorities
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