Will the Ministry of National Education abandon the high-profile reform? "I'm not ruling anything out today"

Barbara Nowacka was asked on TVN24 if she ever regretted that homework wasn't mandatory. "Looking at how homework was previously assigned, how en masse children, instead of reading books, pursuing their passions, or simply relaxing, spent hours doing homework, we had to take action," the head of the Ministry of National Education began. The Minister of National Education explained that the action was taken in two ways.

The head of the Ministry of National Education on voluntary housework. Barbara Nowacka spoke out.

"Firstly, the core curriculum has been reduced by 20 percent starting in 2024, one of our first actions. Incidentally, our predecessors already knew there was too much material and began working on reducing the core curriculum themselves," said Nowacka. The head of the Ministry of National Education also noted changes in the way homework is assigned in primary schools.

Nowacka emphasized that teachers can still assign assignments, and students will then be accountable to the teacher. "This is precisely one of the tools teachers have. What has changed is that they are optional and ungraded. Most of the reports we received were that parents were doing them with their children, or children were doing them with tutors," explained the Minister of National Education.

The head of the Ministry of National Education on voluntary housework. "A child deserves free time."

"I requested an evaluation of this change, and we'll see the results, hopefully, in September," Nowacka admitted. According to the head of the Ministry of National Education, if it turns out that adjustments are necessary, they will be made. "I'm not ruling anything out today, because I'm approaching this substantively and methodically. We'll see what the evaluation results are," Nowacka emphasized. She added that the ministry is listening to teachers. The Minister of National Education noted that "children deserve free time."

Nowacka emphasized that many schools previously refrained from assigning mandatory homework. "This is also a big lesson for me: centralizing such an approach can lead to some teachers simply rejecting it. The longer I'm at the Ministry of National Education, the more I feel the need to give teachers more autonomy and delegate more responsibility to school statutes," concluded the head of the Ministry of National Education. Any changes could be implemented by September 1, 2026, or even earlier.

Read also: "Teachers see the need for relief and a deeper breath." What will the Ministry of National Education do? Read also: Storm over the Ministry of National Education's proposal. Nowacka speaks out.