Published : 2025-11-06

Religious education in Polish schools (1956–1961)

Abstract

The systemic transformations that took place in Poland after the end of World War II radically changed the face of Polish education. Although materialist ideology was promoted in schools, religion remained on the list of compulsory subjects until 1956, albeit with its instruction consistently restricted. By 1956, it was taught in only a few schools. During the period of the so-called People’s Poland, religious education was treated instrumentally, depending on the needs of the current ruling authorities. As a result of the political breakthrough in Poland in the autumn of 1956, religion classes returned to schools as an optional subject, taught at the request of parents. From the 1957/58 school year, the communist state authorities again began to remove religious education from schools. With the enactment of the Education Development Act by the Sejm on 15 July 1961, which included a provision on the secular nature of schools and other educational institutions, religion classes were officially removed from schools. At that time, the Church took on the responsibility of providing extracurricular religious education for children and youth, including in churches and parish classrooms. The aim of this publication is to present the issue of the removal of religion classes from Polish schools between 1956 and 1961, based on available primary sources and scholarly literature.

Keywords:

religious education in schools, upbringing of children and youth, secularization of the younger generation, indoctrination, state – Church relations in Poland



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Jaworska, K. (2025). Religious education in Polish schools (1956–1961). Społeczeństwo, 35(2), 9–25. https://doi.org/10.58324/s.449




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