Poland’s education ministry has launched a programme to fund “patriotic” school trips meant as a way of bringing students and teachers back together as a “community” after the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 15 million zloty (€3.3 million) “Get To Know Poland” scheme was launched on Thursday, with applications for schools open until late September or until funds – which are granted on a first-come-first-served basis – run out. The ministry estimates several hundred thousand students will benefit, reports Polskie Radio.
Schools can apply for trips relating to four themes: the Polish underground state during World War Two; the life of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński; culture and national heritage; and Polish scientific achievements.
Within each topic, the ministry will choose spots that trips will need to in some part cover to qualify for funding. While a full list is yet to be published, the ministry gave examples including the Museum of Poles Saving Jews during the Second World War, the Museum of Cursed Soldiers, and the Copernicus Science Centre, reports Rzeczpospolita.
“We want young people to go to places of national remembrance; places related to culture, science, and to our outstanding ancestors and heroes,” said Przemysław Czarnek, the education minister, quoted by TVN24.
Such trips would be both a way to support teachers in “building modern patriotism” in their curriculum, as well as a means of “rebuilding the community between students and teachers” following the pandemic, he added.
The government will reimburse schools for for up to 80% of the costs of the trips, capped at 5,000 zloty per group for one-day outings, 10,000 zloty for two-day trips, and 15,000 zloty for longer ones.
“The amount will be the same, regardless of the number of participants,” said Czarnek, who added that the ministry would “not hold organisers accountable for what groups they create”. He said that trips should be taken in October and November this year.
PiS has placed great emphasis on pursuing an active “historical policy”. It claims that Poles have been victims of a “pedagogy of shame” designed to prevent them from feeling pride in their history and has sought to instead promote positive aspects of the country’s past as well as the victimhood of Poles.
Main image credit: Artur Nowacki/Flickr (under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
