In the face of the dramatic deficiency of teachers in Polish kindergartens, the government decided to take an unprecedented and highly controversial step. The fresh rules to respond to a massive staff crisis open the door to work with the youngest people without formal pedagogical education. Although the Ministry of Education presents this as a necessity, teachers and experts beat the alarm, informing against makeshift patching holes in the strategy at the expense of the quality of education and kid safety. The situation is most serious in more than 200 counties, where staff shortages paralyze the functioning of the facilities. The fresh law can fundamentally change the image of Polish kindergarten.
Alarming data from all over Poland. The scale of the problem is huge
The problem of deficiency of pre-school teachers has ceased to be marginal – it has become a nationwide crisis. According to the latest data of the “Profession Barometer”, the staff deficit already occurs in 217 counties nationwide. This is an alarming number, which shows that the problem concerns most regions of Poland, not just individual municipalities. The situation is peculiarly dramatic in 12 of these districts, where the shortage of workers has been defined as "big".
On this lewd list are the largest Polish cities and their surroundings, specified as Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, as well as Kraków, Grodziski or Przeworski districts. It is there that parents may have the biggest problem with uncovering a place for the child, and the directors of the facilities face the impossible task of completing the staff. On a national scale, it is officially said over 1650 vacancies in kindergartens. This number grows at a time erstwhile the request for pre-school care, especially for the youngest children, is evidence high. It's a systemic fracture that required urgent intervention.
The government reacts to a change of law. What precisely is changing?
In consequence to an expanding crisis, the government reached for a extremist solution. The key change was introduced by Amendment of the Law on Education. The fresh rules let for the employment in kindergarten, as a teacher, of a individual who does not have the formal pedagogical qualifications required by the current regulations. This is simply a real revolution that completely changes the rules of recruitment to work with the youngest.
However, the employment of specified a individual will not be entirely optional. The Act introduces 2 key conditions that must be met together. First, the unqualified must consent to employment appropriate education guardian. Secondly, the candidate must get a affirmative assessment by the manager of the institution. Importantly, the fresh law does not limit the employment of specified persons to extracurricular activities. This means that a individual without pedagogical preparation will be able to drive all regular care and education activities with a pre-school group.
Experts are on alert. "It's not reform, it's makeshift"
The changes proposed by the government met with immediate and sharp opposition from teachers and education experts. Many of them believe that this is simply a shortcut that, alternatively of solving the problem, will only deepen it in the long term. Dr Zuzanna Jastrzębska-Krajewska, author of the petition against changes, emphasizes that the origin of the crisis is not the deficiency of people with qualifications on the market, but terrible working conditions in the profession of teacher.
Experts indicate that the main reasons for leaving the profession are low earnings, excessive bureaucratic responsibilities, deficiency of systemic support and progressive degradation of the prestige of the profession. alternatively of addressing these fundamental problems, the government chooses a solution that experts call a "provider". In their opinion, this is an effort to "fix holes" in the strategy at the expense of the quality of education and safety of children. There are concerns that allowing people without substantive and intellectual preparation to work with tiny children can lead to unpredictable, negative consequences.
What are the consequences for children and parents? That's what you request to know.
Although changes are intended to save the continuity of the operation of the facilities, it is precisely The youngest can feel their negative effects most. The top hazard of appearance in kindergartens of staff without pedagogical preparation occurs in these 12 districts, where the deficit is the largest. It is there that directors, put against the wall, may be forced to scope for new, controversial legal opportunities.
Parents and experts inform that the state, alternatively of saving the system, can contribute to its further disintegration. In practice, children can be cared for by people who, despite good intentions, do not have cognition of developmental psychology, working methods with a group or ways of responding to crisis situations. The profession of a kindergarten teacher, requiring highly advanced and comprehensive competences, risks devaluation to the level of work “for everyone”. For parents, this means that they request to look more closely at the qualifications of the staff in the facility where their kid attends.
The revision of the Education Law is undoubtedly 1 of the most extremist changes in Polish pre-school education in years. It is an effort to address the problem of shortages of staff forcefully, but raises legitimate concerns about the future of quality education. It is essential for parents and carers to realize the applicable consequences of these changes.
- Possibility of hiring a individual without studies: The head of the kindergarten will be able to hire a individual without directional education to conduct classes with children.
- Consent of the curator required: specified employment requires the formal approval of the education curator, which is to be a form of security.
- Source problem unresolved: The change does not address the main causes of the crisis, namely low wages and hard working conditions of teachers.
- Increased parental vigilance: Parents should be more actively curious in the qualifications of teaching staff in their children's facilities.
Read more:
The government has found a solution to the crisis. Unqualified people will go to kindergarten!
