For many years there has been a tendency to start a dialogue among many stakeholders concerning R/M languages. Poland signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages on 12 May 2003. The Charter entered into force in Poland on 1 June 2009. Poland declared that it would apply Parts II and III of the Charter to Armenian, Belarusan, Czech, German, Hebrew, Karaim, Kashubian, Lemko-Rusyn, Lithuanian, Romani, Russian, Slovak, Tatar Ukrainian and Yiddish.

Official information about language policy can be obtained from the National Statistics Institute, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, as well as many web pages of international projects. The official publication Education in the School Year 2009/2010 presents information about all aspects of education including R/M and foreign languages.

Changes within the education system regulated by the Act of 8 January 1999, Regulations for Implementing the Reform of the Educational System, are the best evidence that the system of education in Poland has undergone fundamental changes in order to equip contemporary children, pupils and adults with necessary knowledge and skills. 

There is no obligation to learn foreign languages at pre-primary level. They are not included in the curriculum. However, most children start learning foreign languages in pre-primary education. The courses are usually paid by parents or sponsors who understand the global need for speaking foreign languages. These are tailor-made courses which suit the needs of young learners. The courses combine 'playing' with a given language, using new methodology and techniques appropriate for children. The most popular foreign languages are English, German and French. Although foreign language education has been developing rapidly at pre-primary level, it is necessary to introduce similar ways of organising courses with/by highly qualified teachers as for primary and secondary education. A public debate should be started with representatives of local governments, the ministry, as well as parents. 

Compulsory education in Poland starts at the age of seven at primary school and ends at the age of 16 (but no later than 18) at lower secondary school. Since 2004/2005, children in Poland are obliged to attend a so-called '0' grade either in nursery or primary school.

Regional or minority languages

Children can take courses in R/M languages. According to the Polish Statistical Office, in the 2010/2011 school year there were 46,500 children attending R/M language courses, with German - the language of the largest national minority in Poland - being predominantly learnt. 

Foreign languages

In primary education one foreign language is mandatory from the first grade at the age of seven. This situation can change for the better after 2014 when a new education reform will be fully implemented. The most popular foreign languages taught are English, German and French. The situation in primary education is positive. Recently developed programmes introduced compulsory language classes for children at the age of seven in 2009/10: one compulsory foreign language taught from the first grade and a second compulsory foreign language taught in lower secondary schools. Teachers are professional and highly qualified, being graduates of different philology departments, developing their skills doing different courses, receiving scholarships and participating in workshops and conferences.

Primary education pupils take a so-called 'competence test' and one of the competences is a written foreign language test.

During secondary education pupils continue the study of the foreign language chosen in primary school. They also start a second foreign language in the first year of secondary level. Two foreign languages are compulsory and students choose from English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. In some schools students are taught Chinese. There are secondary schools with an international baccalaureate (CIB) and the curriculum is based on content as well as language learning. Some secondary schools provide intensive language programmes. Students take their final exams (Matura) which are run by the Central Examination Board (along with its regional branches) in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and other R&D and professional bodies. One of the subjects is a foreign language exam.

As far as the Kashubian language is concerned, there is no secondary level teaching. Most students chose elementary level tests in R/M languages at the matriculation exam (Matura) in 2010, according to the Statistical Office.

Teachers are professionally qualified and all those working in secondary education have a university degree (Master of Arts or Master of Science). They are given clear instructions from the Ministry of Education on curricula and teaching requirements.

At the vocational training level, the teaching of foreign languages faces certain difficulties: the programme and syllabus is created locally. Vocational schools are autonomous in constructing their final language requirements; however, there is linkage to the CEFR. The quality assurance and procedures connected with final assessment are not popular. One of the potential changes could be the introduction of a common platform for a dialogue between vocational authorities in order to create common foreign language requirements including a syllabus and final exam. 

Universities have compulsory foreign language courses in their programmes. The universities in Poland are autonomous and the programme of a given field of study should be approved by the Faculty Board. It is very difficult to standardise foreign language courses at universities. Students take final exams at B1 or B2 levels (first cycle) or B2 and C1 levels (second cycle). For doctoral students, courses such as English for Academic Purposes, ESP and soft skills are provided. The languages taught are English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Norwegian, Arabic, Japanese and Lithuanian. Polish is introduced as a foreign language to international students who come to Poland as Erasmus students or on private exchanges.

There are many Polish universities where the language of instruction is English or French. Students, both Polish and international, take their degrees in a language which is not their native one. For more standardisation and better quality in teaching, universities may join SERMO (Association of Academic Foreign Languages Centres). 

Polish television offers may international films which are dubbed. A similar situation occurs in the cinema where one mostly watches a dubbed version without subtitles. There are some satellite programmes where subtitles are added to the original version of films.

There are a few good examples of regional television broadcasting (for example, Silesia television) where local programmes are shown.

Newspapers are mainly in Polish. There are some international English, French, German or Italian newspapers available in some bookstores and shops. Some Polish newspapers publish abstracts of their articles and news on web pages in English.

In Poland there are some public institutions which supply information in foreign languages; for example, websites are available in English as well as in Polish. Basic information is given in English in many cities. Minority languages are used and authorities guarantee that public administration and public service institutions support the use of minority languages. 

Language competence is part of job descriptions in certain institutions. However, there are no consistent language policy plans developing language skills as well as appraisal on the basis of foreign language knowledge. 

Poland is a country which pays attention to the level of foreign languages in business. Human Resources departments hire staff with knowledge of at least two foreign languages. In companies, the possibility of developing language skills is created by the managers. Employees can take language courses paid or supported by the company. Although European project funding of such courses and seminars is well developed in Poland, companies participating in our research did not seem to use this form of upgrading their staff knowledge. Further investigation should be carried out to resolve this issue.

Managers are given opportunities to study a foreign language. The data shows that such possibilities should be created for all employees including so-called first contact staff, for example, receptionists, clerks or bus drivers.

Companies use foreign languages not only for advertising and promotional purposes in leaflets and folders, but also for websites of their institutions. The main languages used apart from English are German, Russian, French, Hungarian, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch and Slovak. Ukrainian, Arabic, Belarusan and Korean are the native languages of partner organisations.

Poland has undergone substantial changes in the domain of education. A variety of European documents have created a common ground for making Poles more aware of being European citizens. The number of pupils learning foreign languages at schools is constantly rising, with a predominance of English taught to 89% of all pupils at primary, lower, and upper secondary schools in the 2010/2011 school year. Other languages commonly taught included German (36.4% of students), Russian (4.8%) and French (2.9%). The popularity of particular foreign languages taught at schools is regionally diversified. 46.8% of all pupils attending schools learnt one foreign language only; two languages were learnt by nearly every second pupil. Teachers' qualifications are commonly very good. Apart from university education, one in three teachers had the status of appointed teacher, and chartered teachers - the highest rank in professional development - constituted nearly half of pedagogical school personnel. The remaining school personnel (23%) were contractual teachers. Pupils and students are given the opportunity to attend various extracurricular courses, classes and research groups organised in clubs and schools. Moreover, European funds are used for extra language courses in many Polish primary and secondary schools.

There are, however, a number of points which need more clarification, such as the status of teaching foreign languages at pre-primary level; the status of foreign languages in higher institutions; the use of subtitles in television and cinema to promote multilingualism in media; and radio broadcasting and some telvision channels which broadcast programmes in foreign or minority languages. Last but not least, more attention should be paid to languages in business, providing more help, instructions and initiatives for this sector. Language and cultural awareness are key to success in the global and international business market. 

The language situation in Poland is moving in a positive direction. There are many new initiatives taken by different groups of people for whom language education is a priority as well as an obligation. The following initiatives are just some of the examples influencing language policy in Poland.

1. Conferences, workshops and seminars

Many conferences on the topic of multilingualism and plurilingualism have been organised in Poland. An important recent initiative was the conference under the Polish presidency, Multilingual Competences for Professional and Social Success in Europe, organised in September 2011. The aim of the conference was to launch an official debate on language education and its importance for better employability and career opportunities.

2. FIJED - Foundation Institute for Quality in Education was founded in 2010 as an umbrella organisation and meeting point for different associations, societies and organisations operating in the field of education. The aim of FIJED is to promote plurilingualism by organising events, conferences and meetings in co-operation with associations, publishing houses and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (see www. fijed.pl).

3. FRSE - Foundation for the Development of the Education System is one of the leading organisations on the Polish market dealing with activities such as study abroad (the Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus Mundus, Eurodesk), conferences, events (eTwinning) and competitions (European Language Label). Moreover, FRSE publishes Jêzyki Obce w szkole, European Language Label, Europa dla aktywnych.

4. Publications

There are articles and papers published in Polish and foreign journals which present the contemporary state of the art of Polish education. The book Internationalisation of higher education edited by Waldemar Martyniuk was published by FRSE in 2011.

5. SERMO - Association of Academic Foreign Language Centres was founded in 2006. Its members are the heads and deputy heads of language centres of Polish universities. There are different targets and aims of SERMO activities; for example, to standardise content as well as final targets of language exams at universities in line with CEFR. The members of SERMO meet at least twice a year during conferences organised by language centres. Co-operation with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Education, KRASP, other associations, the British Council, as well as international organisations, is among SERMO's ambitions (see www.sermo.org.pl).

6. There are many local and national initiatives which promote the learning and teaching of national, R/M and foreign languages. Just to mention some of them:

- Study in Poland - a programme addressed to international students who study at Polish universities (promoting Polish language and culture);

- CLIL - developed in primary, secondary and higher education

- the European Day of Languages organised every year in September across Poland in all types of schools.

These and other initiatives are good evidence that language and cultural awareness form a basis for education in Poland. This process needs time and the empathy of all interested parties, including government, education authorities, local businesses, as well as students and their parents. Polish cities should become more user-friendly, promoting tolerance and multilingualism as well as Polish hospitality to both Polish citizens and international visitors. 

Central Statistical Office, www.stat.gov.pl

Council of Europe, http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty

Foundation Institute for Quality in Education, www.fijed.pl

Internacjonalizacja studiów Wyższych, red. Waldemar Martyniuk, Fundacja Rozwoju Systemu Edukacji, 2011

Assocation of Academic Foreign Languages Centres, www.sermo.org.pl