The leader of the Polish Teachers’ Union (ZNP) Slawomir Broniarz and other speakers, pointed out how multidimensional the problems of education are. There is presently a scarcity of young teachers in Poland, with many choosing to leave the profession as soon as they receive an offer of a better paid job. Even according to conservative estimates, there is already a shortage of several thousand teachers in the country. Lessons that should be taught by specialists are run by substitute teachers, which obviously negatively affects the quality of education received by pupils.
The ZNP is demanding pay rises of 20 per cent, as only serious funding of education will encourage teachers to remain in the profession. It also expects a "slimming down" of school bureaucracy and for the Ministry of Education to focus on solving the real problems connected to a shortage of teachers and school equipment, rather than producing more ideological textbooks. Teachers are fully aware that schools subjected to a right-wing ideology will not adequately prepare their pupils to function in the real world.
Addressing thousands of teachers and higher-education educators at the start of the demonstration, Sławomir Broniarz said: 'Today, the major problem is the deep underfunding of education - from the first grade of primary school to university PhD studies. The Minister claims that he is increasing spending on education, although he consistently ignores the fact that there is soaring inflation’. Broniarz reminded that Polish teachers did not cause high inflation or instigated Russia's war in Ukraine, which are now being put forward as reasons for the lack of education funding.
Unfortunately, the speakers were mainly preaching to the converted. Educatoin Minister Przemysław Czarnek did not visit nor speak with the protestors.
Smaller teachers' protests were also held in other provincial cities across the country. Resentment and feelings that work in schools and universities is not adequately valued is rife among education workers in Poland.
