The Ministry of National Education is responsible for arts education at primary and secondary levels, while the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage supervises the public system of artistic education and specialised art schools. Public debate increasingly concerns unequal access to cultural education, shortages of arts education in general schools and the role of cultural competences in the digital era. The basic school programme is supported by cultural centres and activities of other institutions, which provide their own arts education programmes. The current school system consists of eight-year primary schools and four-year secondary schools. Two basic art courses are taught at both levels: music and fine arts. On a primary level, both subjects are compulsory for grades four to seven and account for one hour a week each.
At secondary level, schools may offer subjects such as music, visual arts, philosophy or art history depending on the curriculum profile and organisational possibilities. Additionally, secondary schools might expend their curricula to include art history, music history, Latin and ancient culture, or philosophy (eight hours a week), in order to provide students with specialised and advanced knowledge of these topics, if they choose to continue studying arts at a tertiary level. The Polish education system allows students to pass the secondary school-leaving examination in those subjects.
In addition to the aforementioned system, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s cultural education programme supports extracurricular cultural activities developed by cultural institutions.
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