Poland’s Constitutional Court Rules Against Reducing Religious Lessons

The news in Polish

1. uznać
   stwierdzić coś jako prawdziwe lub ważne ↩︎
2. przepis  (m.)
   oficjalne zasady lub regulacje prawne ↩︎
3. dotyczyć
   mieć związek z czymś, odnosić się do czegoś ↩︎
4. niekonstytucyjny
   niezgodne z konstytucją, dokumentem najważniejszym w kraju ↩︎
5. orzekać
   wydawać decyzję sądową lub oficjalną opinię ↩︎
6. konsultować
   zasięgać opinii lub rady w jakiejś sprawie ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What did the Polish Constitutional Court say the ministry must do before changing the number of religion or ethics lessons?

Question 2: What is the ministry’s opinion about reducing the number of religion lessons?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
uznać	recognise
przepis  (m.)	regulation
dotyczyć	concern
niekonstytucyjny	unconstitutional
orzekać	rule
konsultować	consult

Read the full story

The Polish Constitutional Court has ruled against the recent education ministry’s regulation intended to reduce the number of religious or ethics lessons in schools. Sitting on July 3rd, the court, led by President Bogdan Święczkowski, found the ministry’s decision unconstitutional. This verdict was reached unanimously by the panel, including Krystyna Pawłowicz as the reporting judge and Stanisław Piotrowicz.

The contentious regulation was proposed by Education Minister Barbara Nowacka and scheduled to take effect from September 1st, 2025. It aimed to cut the weekly religious or ethics lessons from two to one, positioning these classes before or after the main curriculum. Minister Nowacka justified the change as a fulfillment of electoral promises and an exercise of common sense. However, legal experts and religious representatives challenged the decree, leading to a judicial review.

The court highlighted that the education ministry failed to consult with religious organizations, contravening the legal requirement for ministerial collaboration with church representatives on educational policies. As Pawłowicz stated, many substantive viewpoints from various religious groups were overlooked, which is mandatory under the education system statute. The ruling underscored the necessity for the ministry to engage in dialogue before implementing such significant educational amendments.

In reaction to the court’s decision, the Ministry of Education maintained that the enactment was still valid and emphasized that the regulations had been published in the government’s official journal. The ministry argued that a reduction in the frequency of lessons was supported by a majority of the public, suggesting that children are already heavily burdened with school hours.

On the other hand, the Polish Episcopate condemned the decision unilaterally imposed by the ministry, urging a return to legal standards and constructive discourse to protect the interests of religious citizens. Spokesman Leszek Gęsiak indicated that the church might pursue legal action if the ministry retains its current stance, potentially extending the matter to international institutions.

This decision follows broader tensions regarding the functioning and authority of the Constitutional Court, with earlier parliamentary motions challenging its legitimacy and effectiveness. Consequently, court rulings have faced complications in official promulgations.

As the controversy unfolds, the court’s ruling places significant pressure on both the Polish government and educational authorities to address the procedural deficiencies identified and collaborate more extensively with religious entities.

Info: ‘Polish Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Polish’, our dedicated language school offering various courses designed to help individuals master the Polish language. We provide numerous resources to learn Polish online and support our students at every step of their language-learning journey.