Image by Krzysztof Pacholak on Flickr.com
Recently, some of my friends asked me this question. After doing some researching, this is what I came up with!
Education (edukacja) is free of charge for foreign children (dzieci obcokrajowców) in public elementary schools, gymnasiums and secondary schools until the child turns 18 or completes the school he was enrolled in before turning 18 (e.g. in comprehensive high school). Exceptions are listed below:
post-secondary schools (szkoły policealne)
post-secondary schools for adults (szkoły policealne dla dorosłych)
artistic schools (szkoły artystyczne)
teacher training schools (szkoły nauczycielskie)
Foreigners learning in a public post-secondary school, post-secondary school for adult education or teacher training school pay the equivalent of 1,500 euros for each year of study. In public arts and music schools the fee is the equivalent of 3,000 euros, and in ballet schools, circus art schools and post-secondary colleges for librarians and organizers of cultural activities it is 4,500 euros per year of study. For the first year of study all of the above fees are increased by 200 euro. For a period of study shorter than a school year, the fee shall be paid in proportion to the planned duration of the studies.
In justified cases, the school authorities may agree for the fee to be paid at a later date than the day before classes begin, or to payment in installments (płatność w ratach). In the case of a foreigner in financial difficulty the school authorities may – at the request of a parent or guardian of a minor foreigner or at the request an adult foreigner himself – exempt the student from all or part of the tuition fees.
In every case the fee is paid into a current account – the sub-account for the school authority in PLN, as calculated using the average exchange rate of EUR to PLN of the Polish National Bank announced for the day of the bank transfer.
Attendance in public kindergartens (przedszkola) for children who are not Polish citizens is payable on the same basis as for Polish children.
Can you apply for a grant or waiver of fees if you can not afford all the expenses of your child’s education? Depending on your status as a foreigner in Poland, your child may or may not be eligible for social assistance. For persons entitled to such assistance, the Polish social welfare system (Polski system opieki społecznej) provides for financing of the purchase of school books for children and free lunches in the school cafeteria.
Many schools also administer some kind of aid fund for children from the poorest families – most often a part of the contribution to the Parents’ Council is spent for this purpose. Thus it is possible to apply to the school’s Parents’ Council or a given form’s Council (representation of parents of students in a given class) for an exemption or reduction of fees, funding for a child’s participation in class trips, etc. Such benefits are also available to Polish parents in difficult circumstances, so it is nothing unusual to make such a request.
You should also familiarize yourself with the current offer of assistance programs for migrants made available by Polish NGOs.
Every child that is not a Polish citizen is entitled to additional free classes of instruction in the Polish language held in the school he attends for the first 12 months, not less than 2 lessons per week (in Poland a lesson hour is 45 minutes). The weekly schedule and number of hours is set by the school headmaster in consultation with the entity organising the classes. These classes may take the form of individual or group lessons, depending on the situation in the school. The total amount of additional free lessons in Polish and remedial courses in other subjects can not be greater than five hours per week per student.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
