Dostęp otwarty
MARGINALIZATION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN POLAND -PEDAGOGICAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES
Adam SOLAK1, Emilia PALANKIEWICZ-MITRUT2
Język publikacji: angielski
artykuł naukowy
Transformacje Nr 2(125)2025, Data publikacji: 30 czerwca 2025r.
Słowa kluczowe: marginalization, vocational education, 2017 reform, vocational school teachers, vcational schools
Streszczenie This article examines the marginalization of vocational education in Poland, drawing on insights from teachers in technical and vocational schools. It explores the causes and consequences of this trend, which became particularly pronounced after the economic and political transformation of the 1990s. These changes led to a decline in the significance and prestige of vocational education, resulting in fewer students choosing this path and the closure of many vocational schools. The paper presents selected findings from qualitative research (focused group interviews) conducted as part of the scientific project Changes in Vocational Education in Secondary Schools Following the 2017 Education System Reform from the Perspective of Teachers in Technical and Vocational Schools. It offers an overview of vocational education from the teachers' perspective, highlighting the challenges currently facing this form of education. The 2017 education reform aimed to improve the quality of vocational education and align it with the needs of the modern labour market by introducing structural, organizational, and curricular changes. Despite these efforts, vocational education still faces numerous challenges, as indicated by teachers' opinions. They point to insufficient social and institutional support and a lack of broad promotion of this form of education. The results show that vocational education is still perceived as less prestigious than general education. Key problems identified by the respondents include insufficient funding, low student motivation, and the stereotypical belief that vocational schools are schools of last choice. In the conclusion of the study, recommendations based on the research findings highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach to reforming the vocational education system. This approach considers both organizational and social aspects, which would not only ensure that this form of education occupies its rightful place in the education system but also enhance its prestige, better meet the needs of a dynamically changing labour market, and support the development of vocational competencies essential for the economy of the future.
Professor at APS - Institute of Pedagogy, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, Warsaw, Poland
ORCID: 0000-0001-9472-4795
E-mail: asolak@aps.edu.pl
PhD - Department of Pedagogy at the Institute of Sociological Sciences and Pedagogy, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland
ORCID: 0000-0001-7586-3562
E-mail: emilia_palankiewicz-mitrut@sggw.edu.pl