Government for the facilitation of certification of Polish language skills
Source: Fotolia /
Easier access to exams and certificates attesting knowledge of Polish language is the goal of the draft amendment to the Law on the Polish Language, adopted by the Council of Ministers last Tuesday. The new regulations will allow more people to take the exams.
The draft amendment to the Law on the Polish Language and the Law on the Organization and Operation of Pension Funds are based on assumptions approved by the Council of Ministers in December of 2013. Draft applicant is the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
"The new regulations will allow more people to take the exams certifying proficiency in Polish as a foreign language. Prepared regulations are addressed to foreign business partners, foreigners - study candidates, people who bind their business or career with Poland, including those applying for Polish citizenship. The new rules make it easier for these people to obtain official certification of proficiency in Polish as a foreign language" - reported the Government Information Centre in the release sent after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Minister of Science and Higher Education Lena Kolarska-Bobińska noted that there was growing interest in learning Polish among foreigners. "The need to confirm this knowledge has also increased. In 2012-2013 the number of persons taking the Polish language exam doubled - from about one thousand to more than two thousand. The current system of certification requires improvement and wider availability" - emphasised Minister Kolarska-Bobińska in the release.
Until now, the body responsible for conducting examinations and awarding certificates attesting knowledge of Polish as a foreign language was State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language. "After the changes, the system will be decentralized" - reads the Government Information Centre release.
After the changes are introduced, the existing commission will be replaced by the Commission on Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language, which will coordinate and oversee the functioning of the system. However, the exams certifying knowledge of Polish as a foreign language will be held by Polish and foreign universities offering courses in Polish philology, and other entities operating in Poland or abroad, including language schools, Polish institutes and schools abroad. In order to be granted the right to hold the examinations, they must for at least three years conduct courses or classes of Polish language, Polish as a foreign language, or other similar classes.
The list of entities authorized to organize examinations and information about times and places of exams will be published in the Public Information Bulletin on the Minister of Science and Higher Education website. The first authorizations to organize the examinations will be awarded for two years, and further authorizations for up to five years. "This will ensure periodic evaluation of the activities of entities authorized to organize examinations and ensure their proper level" - informed the Government Information Centre in the release.
The number of Polish language certification levels will also increase under the proposed rules. Instead of the current three levels, ten will be introduced: six from A1 to C2 and four levels for children and youth. This solution is in line with the European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. "This should also facilitate, for example, intercollegiate exchange students" - reads the Government Information Centre release.
As a result of the proposed changes, the group of people who will be able to obtain a certificate of knowledge of the Polish language as a foreign language without having to take the exam will also be expanded.
The changes to be introduced in the Law on the Polish Language also result in changes in the Law on the Organization and Operation of Pension Funds. In accordance with the provisions of this law, at least two of the members of the management board of a pension fund, including the CEO, have to speak the Polish language. In the case of foreign nationals, Polish language skills should be confirmed by an official certificate. Obtaining this certification will be possible on the terms described in the amended Law on the Polish Language.
The regulations proposed in the draft amendment will now be sent to the Sejm.
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