According to the Association of Secular Catechists, changes in the organization of religious education classes pose a threat to religious education teachers. It would mean a “sudden loss of livelihoods, because in accident The changes will enter into force on 1 September 2024, there will be a reduction in teaching positions”. However, the matter is more complicated due to the shortage of teaching staff throughout the country.
Catechists are worried about their jobs. Meanwhile, schools have empty vacancies
– We do not expect that the changes that will come into effect in the new school year will affect the reduction of their employment. However, such a problem may occur next year when the Ministry of National Education decides to limit the number of hours of religion – he said in “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” Marek Pleśniar, director of the Polish Association of Educational Managers.
Pleśniar added, however, that the country is short of catechists as well as all other teachers. Priest Dr. Łukasz Przybylski from the Department of Pastoral Care for Children and Youth of the Warsaw Metropolitan Curia told “DGP” that the problem with vacancies for catechist positions concerns larger cities, mainly Warsaw.
Father Prof. UAM Dr. Hab. Mirosław Gogolik explains that this is a generational problem. Religion has been in schools for over 30 years and people who started working as catechists then are now of retirement age. – Young people, on the other hand, are afraid whether they will find employment after studying in this field – said Gogolik.
Religious dispute referred to the Constitutional Tribunal
The Minister of National Education, Barbara Nowacka, has decided that from the new school year, religion classes can be organized in a combined manner – instead of for one class, for children from different classes and even age groups.
In connection with this decision An application was submitted to the Constitutional Tribunal to examine the constitutionality of the regulation on religious education classes. It was submitted by the first president of the Supreme Court, Małgorzata Manowska. The judge thus agreed to the request of the episcopate in this case.
According to Manowska, the regulation on religious education classes is contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the Act on the Education System and the provisions of the Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland. At the same time, Manowska requested the suspension of the application of the contested provisions until the Constitutional Tribunal decides on the case.
– It is not the decisions of the episcopate that will influence the shape of the state's educational policy. government will decide on matters related to the functioning of the state – commented Barbara Nowacka, Minister of Education.