Poland’s PiS protests new school subject, claims it will pervert children

The education system in Poland is at the centre of yet another heated debate, as ultra-conservative organisations joined the opposition PiS (ECR) party and its supporters on the streets on Sunday to protest against the introduction of health education as a new subject in schools.

Critics of the new curriculum, which is due to come into force in September 2025, argue that the government's decision reflects ideological overreach at the expense of students' well-being. They also believe that Brussels is influencing the changes in the Polish education system with the malicious aim of weaning students from traditional values.

Hanna Dobrowolska, coordinator of the Association for the Defence of Schools, says the EU aims for "a complete elimination of the sovereignty of Polish education" and promotes "anti-values instead of values."

“Gender tolerance, inclusion, climate ideology, and the planetary diet are slogans that can already be found in new subjects such as health education and civic education,” she added.

“An internationalised Unionist - that's the plan. Therapy-dependent, controllable, with little knowledge and no ambition. A cheap labour force. Such was the plan for Polish children,” she continued.

The Coalition to Save Polish Schools, a movement bringing together some 70 conservative associations of parents, teachers, and patriotic organisations, organised the protest on Sunday (1 December) in Warsaw's Castle Square under the slogan “No for depravity.”

The demonstrators carried banners with slogans such as “Let's protect children from homo-education”, “Not rainbow, not secular, our Poland [must be] Catholic”, and “God, honour, homeland”.

Participants included former PiS education minister Przemysław Czarnek and Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) and a PiS-backed candidate for president in the 2025 elections.

Curriculum authors reject allegations

The four-party coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk (PO, EPP) is to introduce health education as a school subject as part of a school system reform.

The coalition came to power after the 2023 parliamentary elections, ending eight years of PiS rule. The new subject would replace voluntary family education, which many experts have criticised as outdated.

The curriculum's authors argue that its primary focus is physical and mental health.

“The school must teach how to take care of one's own health. Prevention is a priority because it allows us to live a long life in good health. It is hard to imagine a better time to develop healthy lifestyle habits than at school,” the Health Ministry states on its website.

However, critics of health education, including PiS, argue that it contributes to the premature sexualisation of children and promotes what they call "LGBT propaganda" or "untraditional values".

The draft core curriculum for health education has nine sections covering physical, mental and social health, nutrition, puberty, sexual health, environmental health, the internet and addiction prevention.

Zbigniew Izdebski, co-author of the core curriculum for health education, sexologist educator, public health specialist and co-author of medical faculties, told Gazeta Wyborcza that the health education will be divided into about a dozen blocks.

“The topics will include physical health, physical activity, mental health, nutrition, and I can't imagine leaving out the topics of sexuality because it makes someone uncomfortable,” he said.

“The student will learn not only about psycho-sexual development but also about issues of building family and social relationships and entering into relationships. There will be talks about love, respect, the value of marriage, family,” he added.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)