Polish Constitutional Tribunal Ruling on Religious Classes Grades

The news in Polish

1. trybunał  (m.)
   Organ sądowy rozstrzygający w sprawach prawnych. ↩︎
2. konstytucyjny
   Związany z konstytucją, podstawowym prawem państwowym. ↩︎
3. zmiana  (f.)
   Zastąpienie czegoś nowym, inny stan rzeczy. ↩︎
4. średnia  (f.)
   Wartość uśredniona, wynik dzielenia sumy wartości przez ich ilość. ↩︎
5. osłabiać
   Czynić coś słabszym, zmniejszać siłę lub znaczenie. ↩︎
6. konsultacja  (f.)
   Zasięganie rady lub opinii specjalisty. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What did the Polish Ministry of Education want to change about religion grades in schools?

Question 2: What did the Constitutional Tribunal say about the role of religious institutions in the changes?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
trybunał  (m.)	tribunal
konstytucyjny	constitutional
zmiana  (f.)	change
średnia  (f.)	average
osłabiać	weaken
konsultacja  (f.)	consultation

Read the full story

The Polish Constitutional Tribunal recently issued a ruling on a contentious educational regulation concerning the grading of religious classes in schools. The Tribunal determined that a regulation by the Ministry of Education, which proposed that annual or final grades in religion and ethics should not count towards a student’s overall grade average on their school certificate, was unconstitutional.

This regulation, slated for implementation from 1 September 2024, had been challenged by members of the Law and Justice Party (PiS). They argued that excluding religious grades from the overall average diminished the importance of religion in schools and could discourage students from attending these classes. They also highlighted that the regulation was enacted without adequate consultation with religious authorities.

The Tribunal supported the PiS’s view by affirming that excluding religious grades from contributing to a student’s overall average impacts how religious education is organised. It was stressed that such changes should be coordinated with religious institutions. The Tribunal noted that gathering negative feedback during public consultations from the Catholic Education Commission and the Polish Ecumenical Council was insufficient, as these positions had not been considered by the Ministry of Education.

Additionally, complications have arisen due to the tensions regarding the publication of Tribunal decisions. Since a parliamentary resolution in March 2024, there has been a halt on publishing Tribunal rulings in the official gazette, the Journal of Laws, citing potential breaches of legal procedures during judge appointments. This issue could affect the enforceability of the Tribunal’s decisions, including the recent one on religious education.

Further developments are anticipated as the Ministry of Education, led by Minister Barbara Nowacka, argues that Tribunal decisions lack legal grounding under current circumstances. Meanwhile, additional cases related to religious education remain pending before the Tribunal.

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