Saying ‘no’ to education cuts

Many countries in Central and Eastern Europe have trimmed back spending on education after the 2008 global financial crisis and its aftermath. But Poland and Lithuania have bucked that trend. Given the importance of a well-educated and skilled workforce for future growth, that may prove to have been the smart way to go, writes Judy Dempsey for The New York Times.

Poland and Lithuania have many of the same problems as their European counterparts, including ageing teachers and poor salaries. Still, “we weathered the global financial crisis and we are more than coping with the euro crisis”, Michal Federowicz, director of Poland’s Educational Research Institute in Warsaw, said during an interview.

Poland started major education overhauls in 1989, restructured its school system in 1999 and introduced a new curriculum in 2009, he noted. The Polish government’s education budget is now about 5.7% of gross domestic product, in line with the European average, and it is rising, not falling. Of that amount, more than 1.1% of GDP, is earmarked for higher education.
Full report on The New York Times site