Named after Polish education minister Przemysław Czarnek, the Lex Czarnek 2.0 bill states that every NGO that would like to promote its initiatives at school would require a green light from the headteacher, the school board and the parents.
Also, in line with the new regulations, home-schooling is expected to undergo a few minor changes.
But the most hotly debated part of the bill concerns government-nominated chief education officers who would have the final say when it comes to appointing school principals.
During a bill-related discussion at a lower house session on Thursday, MP Maria Kurowska of the ruling Law and Justice party said that the bill “aims to organise all these areas that thwart good breeding of the young.”
Opposition MPs, however, slammed the bill, claiming that it throws school into the hands of politicians.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, member of a right-wing faction, said that the move to build barriers to NGOs is inexplicable, given that the ruling party “is doing worse things.”
The bill also met with strong criticism from the left – Andrzej Rozenek of the Polish Socialist Party opined that the ruling party wishes to “transform education into indoctrination.”
A previous version of the draft bill was vetoed by President Andrzej Duda, who attempted to “avoid disputes that do harm to the interests of the state” in face of the Ukraine war.
Rumour, however, had it that the First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, a teacher by education, played her part in the veto.
Lex Czarnek 2.0 now heads to the Senate, the upper house of Poland's parliament, for further debate.
(pjm)
Source: Do Rzeczy, nauka.trojmiasto.pl