5.10 Current debates and reforms
Debates around youth and children touch on two general areas.
The first is the question education and curriculum reform: thinning down the basic education curriculum combined with focus on competences and use of knowledge, instead of memorization. Just as important is the move to make the school less ideological and to rid of elements of blatant political propaganda instituted by the previous government, as well as to make schools into friendly and secure places. This requires a new approach towards pedagogy, teaching tolerance and cohabitation in diversity, as well as acceptance for diversity in various forms, including ethnic (especially with Ukrainian children attending Polish schools in numbers), and the LGBT+ community. It is also necessary to provide psychological support and to take care of the mental health of youth and children.
The other key area is the question of women’s rights, especially when it comes to sexuality, easy access to anticonception, and legal and safe abortions. Those issues were some of the key elements of mobilizing young women for voting in the latest parliamentary elections.