In an attempt to write a piece on the powerful attempts of liberals to spread awareness of the alarming political situation in Poland, I stumbled upon distraught articles by European journalists that were frightened for the future of Poland’s education system. Poland is simply failing to teach citizens anything other than the beliefs of the Law and Justice party, which is not only worrying for Liberals, but for Poland’s future in the EU. 

Education System

The education system of a national plays a key role in understanding how the mindsets and political beliefs of their citizens are formed and where they could originate from. Poland, like most European countries have a compulsory education system until secondary education. When looking at statistics provided by the 2019 Education and Training Monitor by the European Commission, there doesn’t seem to be any alarming signs of a lack of education provided. Statistics regarding enrollments rates remain relatively consistent to EU averages, spending per student however are relatively low when compared to EU averages. When looking at government spending on the education system this can be linked to education resources available and possibly even quality of education. When looking at factors of a society that need to be improved and receive more investment in order to increase and improve political understanding amongst society, the education system is an obvious target.

After a long history of communism and a great religious involvement it is understandable that the values that were taught in Polish history are carried and sought by citizens in their political leaders. As 87% of the Polish population identify as Roman Catholic, religion also plays a great role in the education system in Poland. Catholic schools are mostly private schools and deemed to be prestigious in Polish society. The citizens that then receive said prestigious education, and likely other forms of higher education are also likely to participate in political activity. Catholic influence can therefore play a great role in voters choice, and political parties can use catholic values to attract supporters.

The combination of the education environment, relatively low government spending and the possible religious bias that is created within this education environment are important to consider when analyzing Cassel and Lo’s factors that influence political literacy. The number of euro’s put in the educational system and the grades that students produce are not sufficient indicators of an education system well equipped enough to contribute to a politically literate society. The cultural norms or ‘socialization agents’ within the educational system also play a role, and need to be taken into consideration when studying the political behavior of Polish citizens.

European Responsibility

Poland is still a European member state, which holds them to certain responsibilities, such as upholding the constitutional rights of their citizens. Whether they choose to abide by them or not of of course a different question. As democratic backsliding largely threatens the legitimacy of the EU and its principles, it is crucial that the EU focuses on political education schemes, especially in countries such as Poland where citizens are facing a bias environment where they can no longer obtain the power to gain true political literacy.