The NIK audit showed that schools organised classes at their choice. That was the outcome of non-defined standards of remote and hybrid learning. From 30% to 100% of classes in key subjects (e.g. Polish language, foreign languages, maths, physics and geography) were held online, depending on school. Other classes, such as safety education, religion, ethics or physical education required students to work on their own. As a consequence, the education process was transferred on children and their parents. Some classes were not held at all.
NIK underlines that some schools had problems with controlling school attendance. It was not verified in two of eight audited schools in school year 2019/2020. That was the case because the Minister of Education allowed not to record students’ attendance in online classes in the Manual for schools on remote learning, which was inconsistent with the effective law. The Manual also suggested that schools may contact students and their parents via the so-called electronic gradebook. The NIK audit showed, though, that at the end of 2020 every third school in Poland did not have that tool.
The lack of system approach to the school functioning during the epidemic, as well as cases of digital exclusion among students caused by the lack of proper equipment, fast internet connection or technological knowledge led to inequalities in the education process. According to NIK, this situation requires launching additional compensatory programmes.
Ad hoc remote learning
After the COVID-19 epidemic was declared in Poland, one of the first decisions taken by the government was to suspend the operation of education facilities from 11 March 2020. The remote education started on 25 March 2020. Nearly 24 thousand schools operated in Poland at that time, providing education to almost 5 million children and youth.
Subsequent ministers of education, cooperated with the Minister of Health, the Chief Sanitary Inspector and chief education officers to make sure schools provide education and care to children and youth. They were not sufficient, though. They usually involved ad hoc recommendations and guidelines as well as adjustments of law to the current needs.
Frequent changes destabilised schools. From March 2020 to June 2021, the Ministry of Education drafted 58 ordinances on the Covid-19 epidemic. The key two of them dealt with limitations in the functioning of education facilities and specified the way remote education was organised. The second ordinance was changed 28 times by the end of the audit.
In the initial phase of the epidemic, the majority of the audited schools conducted classes based on materials provided via the electronic gradebook. Then teachers gradually started to use internet applications of all types - Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Messenger, Facebook. But on-line classes did not start at the same time in all schools, or even in individual grades. Secondary schools were far more advanced in that respect.
In April and in May 2020, the Ministry of Education launched two EU-funded projects: Remote school and Remote school +. On the one hand, the projects aimed at developing the remote learning capacity, and on the other – at reducing the “digital exclusion” of students. NIK underlined that some of them did not have laptops at their disposal, or even access to internet connection of adequate bandwidth.
As part of those projects, the purchase of 137 thousand pieces of computer equipment for teachers and students was refunded. Besides, in consultation with the Research and Academic Computer Network - National Research Institute (NASK-PIB), 2.4 thousand school multimedia packages were provided to schools (including 60 thousand tablets) and 764 mobile computer labs (including over 12 thousand laptops). In total, more than PLN 451 million was earmarked for that purpose. At the same time, the state budget subsidy of about PLN 270 million enabled the purchase of computer equipment, thus facilitating remote education to over half a million teachers.
Not everywhere was the financing tailored to the needs, though. In one commune (Płock), 77 schools from with nearly 22 thousand students needed 480 laptops and they received only 77 (one laptop per school). At the same time, in another commune (Przytoczna), the limit of funds based on the number of big families living there made it possible to satisfy 100% of needs of two local schools providing education to nearly 500 students.
Local governments received essential computer equipment for remote learning as part of various EU-funded projects (including Remote school and Remote school +). However, that was not enough to satisfy all needs.
Training programmes for teachers were not enough, either. For instance, the Minister of Education launched a programme to support teacher training institutions and pedagogical libraries in their remote education tasks. As much as PLN 50.5 million was earmarked for that project but not a single teacher was covered with that from August 2020 to April 2021. Only about 11 thousand teachers of the planned 75 thousand completed the training as part of the project “Lesson. Enter” and another 12 thousand teachers were undergoing the training until May 2021. The project’s cost exceeded PLN 13.5 thousand. It needs to be added that professional development in the audited period was about improvement of teachers’ digital skills, and was not related to remote education.
Unchanged curriculum
In December 2020, after several months of remote education, the Minister of Education decided to limit the scope of exam requirements for students who were taking the primary school final exam or the GCSE in school year 2020/2021. NIK has positively evaluated this decision. According to NIK, considering the context of difficult learning conditions was crucial for proper evaluation of the students’ learning progress.
As a result of limited exam requirements, the GCSE results in 2021 were statistically comparable and did not differ much from past years’ levels. However, the number of secondary school graduates who did not pass the GCSE in the primary date was less than 20% in 2019, 26% in 2020 and over 25% in 2021.
Despite limited exam requirements and difficulties related to remote education, teachers were still obliged to cover the whole curriculum in the audited period. The Ministry of Education did not make any changes, although the results of another audit of NIK: “Organisation of teachers’ work in state schools” showed that in school year 2019/2020 and in the first half of 2020/2021 the curriculum was not fully covered.
Full results of that audit can be found here: https://www.nik.gov.pl/en/news/nik-about-organisation-of-teachers-work-in-state-schools-part-1.html and here: https://www.nik.gov.pl/en/news/nik-about-organisation-of-teachers-work-in-state-schools-part-2-remote-education.html
Delayed psychological and pedagogical aid
The Minister of Education ordered chief education officers to analyse psychological and pedagogical aid provided in schools. At the same time, the European Institute for Integrated Prevention (EIIP) was requested to prepare a set of recommendations underlying system solutions on education, mental health and prevention of epidemic-related problems of children and youth.
The EIIP report clearly indicated that in the course of the epidemic, the mental and physical condition of students and teachers was getting worse. It was recommended in the report that any measures related to bringing up, prevention and assistance to children and youth should become a priority in the education system, both during and after the epidemic.
Already in February 2021, the study results were alarming. However, only in July the Minister announced the National Programme to Support Students after the Pandemic. As much as PLN 224 million was earmarked for that purpose, of which PLN 15 million for psychological and pedagogical aid for teachers and students, and the remaining amount for extra classes. In spite of recommendations arising from the European Institute for Integrated Prevention, the Ministry decided that the Programme would be implemented from school year 2021/2022. It shows that efforts of the Minister of Education related to psychological and pedagogical aid were delayed and insufficient.
In the audited period, also provisions on therapeutic classes, including revalidation classes, were changed. The changes dealt with students who cannot learn from home because of disabilities or for other reasons. Decisions about the forms of assistance were left to school principals, whereas chief education officers were to monitor schools. The monitoring of 19 thousand facilities revealed that from October 2020 to February 2021, 38% of students from open-access schools provided with support, 44% of students from inclusive schools and 77% of students from special schools had direct contact with teachers.
Individual education was continued in the audited schools and different types of classes for students with learning difficulties were organised.
Recommendations
The NIK audit showed that the traditional education model did not match the online education reality. The epidemic highlighted imperfections of the education system even more: social communication issues, curricula and teaching methods not adapted to challenges of the modern world, too little pressure on key skills.
According to NIK, the lack of system approach to remote education, insufficient teacher training on online education, as well as cases of students’ digital exclusion indicate that an optimal model for the schools’ functioning in an epidemic threat needs to be created. In line with recommendations of academic communities, it should provide balance between requirements of the sanitary regime and measures protecting students’ mental health. That is why, NIK has made the following recommendations:
To the Minister of Education and Science
- to create an optimal model for the schools’ functioning in an epidemic threat period,
- to prepare a repair plan in cooperation with representatives of educational- and academic communities as well as local governments, the so-called “Plan for schools after the pandemic”, to initiate changes in the education system;
- to support schools and psychological-pedagogical counselling centres in providing specialist aid to students, parents and teachers whose mental health deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic;
- to eliminate educational inequalities by launching additional compensatory programmes for students who had limited access to remote learning because of digital exclusion;
- to intensify measures to ensure digital education access to all students;
- to support teachers in developing digital skills in remote education;
- to continue improving conditions for digital education in schools.
To chief education officers
- to provide fully-fledged support to schools in crisis situations, both in terms of law and methodology;
- to monitor forms and the scope of psychological and pedagogical aid provided by schools to students;
- to make observations of online classes and immediately provide schools with relevant conclusions.
