The impact of the implementation of the EU's common regional policy on the Polish education system (2007–2013)

Abstract

The article analyses the impact of the European Union's common regional policy on the Polish education system during the implementation of the cohesion policy in 2007-2013. As one of the main recipients of EU financial assistance, Poland had a unique opportunity to use this assistance not only to modernise its educational infrastructure, but also to implement large-scale systemic and institutional changes in education at all levels.

The study reveals the logic of using funding within three levels of intervention: systemic (creation of a National Qualifications System, support for external examinations), intermediate (development of quality assurance mechanisms, innovative curricula) and local (reduction of regional educational disparities, teacher training, development of pre-school education). It has been demonstrated that financial support has contributed to creating conditions for increasing human capital and strengthening social cohesion as key objectives of EU regional policy.

It has been found that the implementation of cohesion policy has had a positive impact on the quality of education, in particular through increased efficiency of the school system, reduced early school leaving rates and recognition of Polish education in international rankings (OECD Better Life Index, PISA). At the same time, a number of systemic barriers were identified that limited the sustainability of the changes achieved after the end of project funding, in particular weak institutional anchoring of innovations, lack of incentives to improve teaching in higher education, and low participation of adults in lifelong learning.

The conclusions justify that, despite structural constraints, EU policy played an important role in the transformation of the Polish education system, becoming a driving force for its adaptation to the challenges of the knowledge economy. Prospects for further research should be linked to assessing the impact of regional policy on the quality of educational outcomes, the level of institutional capacity, and the sustainable development of the education system in Central and Eastern European countries.