Multilingual Education in Poland
Anna Dąbrowska, Polish Language Council
Table of contents
A. National and ethnic minorities in Poland
- Legal status of minorities and minority languages
- Languages of minorities as auxiliary languages – bilinguality of a part of Polish citizens.
- Minority education
B. Immigrants
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C. Teaching foreign languages at Polish schools
D. Foreign students at Polish Universities and Academies
E. Teaching Polish as a foreign language
F. Conclusions
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A. National and ethnic minorities in Poland
Table 1. Percentage of national and ethnic minorities inhabiting RP in different periods
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Time (period) | % of ethnic and national minorities |
Before 1795 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) | 40% |
1918 – 1939 (two decades between World War I and World War II ) | 33% |
After 1945 | 3% |
National and ethnic minorities in Poland
Currently there are 9 national minorities in Poland: Belarusian, Czech, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Jews
and
4 ethnic minorities: Karaim, Romani, Lemko and Tatar.
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��a) Legal status of national and ethnic minorities in Poland�
The legal status of minorities and their languages is stipulated both in internal national legal acts and international ones.
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According to findings arising from the National Census of Population and Housing from 2002 the following numbers of Polish citizens speak the following minority languages
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National and ethnic minorities | Declared use of a national minority language, ethnic minority language or regional language at home |
Belarus | 40 226 |
Czech | 1 226 |
Karaim | - |
Lithuanian | 5 696 |
Lemko | 5 605 |
German | 196 841 |
Armenian | 321 |
Russian | 794 |
Slovak | 794 |
Tartar | 9 |
Ukrainian | 21 055 |
Jewish | 243 (Hebrew - 207; Yiddish – 36) |
People using the Kashubian language at home | 52 665 |
Gminas where auxiliary lenguages are used
Minimum 20% of inhabitants belong to national or ethnic minorities. Such a possibility exists in 51 communes.
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��1. Kashubian on the north of Poland�
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proper names are given in two language versions
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Polish and Kashubian
2. Belarusian
and Lithuanian
– on the north
east of Poland
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http://i.wp.pl/a/f/jpeg/26670/punsk2.jpeg
Lithuanian
3. German –
the south
west of Poland
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German
http://raclawice.net/gfx/news/oberglogauzamazane.jpg
Teaching minority languages at schools�
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�
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Table 3. The number of children learning minority languages at given types of schools in a school year 2009 / 2010
| Language | Primary schools | Grammar schools | Upper-grammar schools |
1. | German | 23 885 | 7948 | 60 |
2. | Kashubian | 8158 | 1193 | 201 |
3. | Belarusian | 1421 | 859 | 787 |
4. | Ukrainian | 903 | 513 | 309 |
5. | Other | 770 | 306 | 114 |
In 1169 educational entities,
in a school year 2009/2010,
55 004 children learnt minority languages.
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Some shoolbooks for learning minioritie languages in Poland
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��Lemko �Reading �Primer�
Fundacja Wspierania
Mniejszości Łemkowskiej
„Rutenika”
Warszawa-Legnica 2003
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Kashubian Reading Primer
Minority language can be chosen as a topic for Baccalureat (matura)
In 2009 only 364 pupils chose a minority language as a topic – Belarusian 240, Ukrainian – 89, Lithuanian – 25 and
Kashubian – 10.
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The example of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship
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http://www.taxipolska.com/img/wojewodztwo-dolnoslaskie.png
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
In more than a dozen of schools
Ukrainian 205 pupils
Lemko 80 pupils
German 26 pupils
Romani 1 pupil
are thaugt
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Multiligualism and multicuturality at Wrocław schools
Polish
English
Hebriew
The school was established in 1998
http://90plan.ovh.net/~educatiof/zdj/F0/F01310.jpg
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University level and minority languages
Minority languages could also be taught at University levels under philological studies
Pedagogical University of Kraków where is a special major – Russian Philology with the Rusyn-Lemko language
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University level and minority languages
Kashubian philology at the University of Gdańsk
University of Opole offers post-graduate studies in a field German as a foreign language and as a minority language in mono- and bilingual education
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According to the information passed by the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Legal Status in a period between May 2008 to February 2010 no complaints were sent to the Office about groundless diversity, limitations or preferences related to use of a regional or minority language.
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Immigrants in poland
Research in 2008 (immigrants in Poland)
131 countries of immigrants’ origin were identified
Ukraine (26.6%)
Belarus (9.2%)
China (4.2%)
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Immigrants in poland
More than 30% of immigrants had problems with communicating in Polish
Language and integration-oriented courses are more and more frequently organized.
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Foreign language education
It is compulsory
The first foreign language begins to be taught to pupils seven year old, and instruction lasts at least 6 years.
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English is the most frequently chosen foreign language
1999/2000 46.9%
2009/2010 86.2%
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German, Russian and French – different degrees of popularity
The largest differences can be observed between Western and Eastern voivodeships.
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Foreign languages at Polish schools in percentage
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http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_e_oswiata_i_wychowanie_2009-2010.pdf
In Western voivodeships percentage of pupils learning German is between 47% – 59% and in case of Russian about 1%
In Estern voivodeships the case is definitely different: 12% learn Russian and 22% - 23% learn German
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bilingual classes
In Lower Silesia there are almost 20 grammar and upper-grammar schools with bilingual classes
English, French, German
Spanish, Italian
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International Baccalaureate Diploma
International Baccalaureate Diploma can be obtained at 9 secondary schools in Poland
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Foreign students
In 2009 17 thousand foreigners studied at Polish Universities and Academies.
They are offered Polish lessons, from which a large part of them benefit.
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Polish as a foreign language
Since important political and economic changes occurred (1989, 2004) a strong increase of interest in learning Polish as a foreign language has been observed.
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Polish as a foreign language
Preparation and introduction of the Polish certification system corresponding with Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
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http://certyfikatpolski.pl/ http://www.buwiwm.edu.pl/certyfikacja/
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(Państwowa Komisja Poświadczania Znajomości
Języka Polskiego jako Obcego)
State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language
Polish as a foreign language
From the day when the state exam in Polish as a foreign language was introduced (i.e. starting from May 2004) until the end of August 2011 2,782 people took it.
It is very good!
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Conclusions:�
1. National and ethnic minorities are sparse in Poland and the state respects their rights to cultivate their own cultures and languages. Poland ratified relevant EU documents (e.g. European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages) and introduced appropriate legal regulations.
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Conclusions:
2. Young people in Poland speak at least one foreign language better and better – first of all English, which corresponds with introduction of compulsory foreign language training at schools, Universities and Academies of various types and levels.
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Conclusions:
3. More and more foreign people study in Poland – some majors are taught in English; numerous international students attend Polish classes.
4. The status of Polish has strengthened as a result of introduction of the state certified exam in Polish as a foreign language in 2004.
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Q & A?
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Thank you for your attention
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Bibliography:
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