According to the Ministry of Education, health education will provide students with tools to care for both physical and mental health, to stay safe online, and to build mature social relationships.
The Catholic Church in Poland has sharply criticised the subject, describing it as “ideological colonisation” and warning parents to withdraw their children.
Church leaders have taken particular issue with lessons on gender identity and the LGBT+ community.
The education ministry has rejected those claims, saying that the subject is designed to support students with preventive knowledge and practical skills.
Deputy Education Minister Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz said: "Health education is not systemic corruption of children, but systemic support."
The poll, carried out by SW Research for the news outlet Onet, found that 48.6 percent of respondents rejected the Church’s claim that health education represents “systemic corruption of children.”
Just over 22 percent agreed with the Church, while 17.3 percent said they were unfamiliar with the issue, and 11.4 percent were undecided.
The findings suggest that nearly half of Polish society sees no threat in the new subject, while about one in five shares the concerns of Church leaders.
The results show clear demographic differences. Men were more likely than women to agree with the Church, at 25.3 percent compared to 20.2 percent.
Opposition to health education was strongest in small towns of up to 20,000 people, at 32.2 percent, while in large cities above 500,000, the figure fell to 16.4 percent.
Education Minister Barbara Nowacka outlined the reforms in a letter to students and teachers at the start of the 2025/2026 school year.
She said that the changes were meant to prepare young people for “the challenges of a rapidly changing reality” by strengthening practical skills, a sense of agency, and satisfaction with learning.
Health education will be introduced as a non-compulsory subject, replacing the current “family life education” classes.
Starting on Monday, health education and civic education became part of the school curriculum.
In parallel, the content of physical education classes has also been revised to fit what Nowacka described as a more comprehensive model of schooling.
The SW Research survey was conducted online between August 26 and 27 based on a representative sample of 814 respondents.
(rt/gs)
Source: polskieradio24.pl