Matura: Intellectual Death

“I feel guilty, it wasn’t supposed to look like this,” said Deputy Education Minister Irena Dzierzgowska who prepared the educational reform three years ago. She endorsed an open letter in which the most prominent scholars asked the current Minister of Education Katarzyna Hall to change the way the Polish language part of the ‘Matura’ (secondary school, A-level-type exam) is graded. Intellectuals argue that the new system of grading the Matura has a detrimental effect on the intellectual development of young people. “The Matura answer key kills the ability to think on your own. Such a way of grading has been a source of outrage of the whole academic community. We all agree that it is absurd,” says history Professor Maciej Król. There have been numerous complaints coming both from students sitting the exam and their teachers. They argue that the key, which is a strictly standardized way of grading, has created a situation in which pupils for the last two years have been simply learning to pass tests instead of furthering their knowledge. They were forced to do this in order to correctly guess the intentions of the people who wrote the tests. Scholars claim that there is no question about the fact that such a system gives rise to mediocre students. “Schools should teach pupils how to resolve difficult problems, approach problem from various angles, not being afraid to formulate a complex thesis, and have your own opinion. By instilling these abilities in students schools helps develop intelligence and creativity. The key, which is highly schematic, suppresses these abilities,” says Professor Jacek Hołówka, a philosopher.
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