ABSTRACT
Poland, with a population of 37 million, is situated in Central Europe. It transitioned from a communist-controlled state into a democratic one in the 1990s. The system is centralised at the national level; therefore, the Ministry of Education needs to approve all major acts concerning education. In 1999, the whole system of education was completely overhauled and, in 2009, the Ministry of Education implemented new regulations for the school system. It now has preschool education (up to age five); primary school (ages six to 13); lower grammar school, called gymnasium (ages 13 to 16); lyceum (ages 16 to 19); or technical secondary school (ages 16 to 20), followed by undergraduate studies, a Bachelor’s degree lasting three years and an additional two years to graduate with a Master’s degree. This new reform also changed the organisation of PE. Originally there were four 45-minute lessons of physical education (PE) per week. Now the daily timetable has provided new solutions: either two 45-minute lessons interwoven into the daily timetable of pupils, or two lessons offered during the extra-curricular system of facultative activities. In this case, facultative does not mean optional; all lessons, including those in extra-curricular time, are obligatory. However, this new system allows the pupils to select the facultative profile of classes from among sports, recreation and health, dance, and active tourism (Podstawa Programowa, 2009). More emphasis is now placed on developing appropriate social and moral attitudes through experiencing and discovering knowledge and developing life skills, along with developing knowledge-based facts, theories and practice. The new programme offers a general framework of skills and knowledge that should be covered during the PE process, which is divided into the following strands: (a) physical fitness testing and physical development diagnosis; (b) health training; (c) lifetime sports and leisure; (d) safety in physical activity and personal hygiene; (e) sports; (f) dance; and (g) health education (taught at the upper stages of education only). The last strand, health education, is an important innovation in the new curriculum. The health education strand has been designed as a 30-hour module to be realised in one semester in gymnasium 223(ages 13 to 16) and one semester in lyceum (ages 16 to 19). At the two upper stages of education (ages 13 to 19), the emphasis is on employing a new approach of interactive teaching methods, whereas health training concentrates on the basic principles of health-related fitness with planning, demonstrating and exercising.
