Polish students are rising to the top of the class

I have decided to post something positive about Poles in UK : timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article3510811.ece





I don't agree with all statemnets there ... all in all article is positive.

not sure if it can be counted as positive as it will only **** off the british more.

I feel that we have false picture of Polish emigration in UK ... and I wanted to bring something new.

I love comments of young Poles under this article :) my blood :)

It's quite interesting and congrats to their intelligence ( I really believe that they are better educated than British kids but in the ongoing education crisis in the UK that probably isn't too difficult to achieve!) but I do think it's a little unpleasant and in a way another example of perceiving Poles as a nation of people who will 'sell their own mother' to get success. Is that really to be seen as an admirable trait? I personally find comments like "for us failure is not an option, so we value discipline and hard work" somewhat arrogant rather than something to celebrate. Unless of course you adhere to the 1980's world of Gordon Gekko in 'Wall Street'.

you know on this forum we have seen so many posts about lazy Poles unable to speak english ... and I wanted to show something new here ...


it is good motivated young student who knows what he wants ... I am sure he is going achieve what he wants.
Wthout determination of Polish people we would never be free ...

The fact that somebody is hard working and disciplined doesn't mean that he would sell his family.

This is not a secret that during communist period the level of education in Polish schools was higher. All in all we are going down and soon we will reach the EU level (fact which for sure would make happy the champions of EUropeiness in this country).

Polish IQ guarantees their future high rates of admissions in top schools unless laws are made against it deliberately(hard to achive in times of EU).

The Germans were lucky that turkish immigrants had such a low IQ(90) that they have remained still largely out of higher education.Of course Germans turn a blind eye to that not considering giving extra positions in universities in minorities.

In UK the Poles do not need extra positions aimed for them.They will take the current positions because they are more competitive.And if the English will be reluctant to leave them,the usual victims will be again the Asians.

I disagree, the worst discrimination is often pushed under so called "anti-discrimination laws".

Anti-discrimination against who?Here the victims will be english students.Can you imagine a country making laws against discrimination of its own citizens?

Like blacks can have easier access to American universities, replace "blacks" with any other group, poor people, women, homosexuals, peasants, British etc.

The key word is american.In Europe there is no such affirmative policy and if sb wants to start it,it will be ridiculous to protect native inhabitants of the country against minorities because it is against the scope of affirmative policy.So they will find another name,I cannot imagine sth right now.Anyway you are lucky,they have not yet waken up.

Interesting article, though I am not sure why you are using this to justify that massive chip that you have on your shoulder, Lukasz :)

A couple of highly talented Polish pupils have been given an amazing opportunity. Good on them!!

Getting straight As in an environment like Cheltenham College is however no indication of success in real life.

honestly I don't have I just love to argue :) at least now we have freedom of speach.


I would say that it is good for UK, competition brings progress ... it is good strategy and honestly we want to copy it ;)

https://polishforums.com/archives/2005-2009/study/poland-foreign-students-22435/


I think that most of this so strongly motivated people will achieve what they want, we have some univ. in Poland where we create that kind of people and we see that it is very good investemnt (they are successful).

I would not be surprised at all if someday they would establish such laws. Anti-discrimination laws are on rise in Europe and this is dangerous tendency.

Interesting example of protection of "Europeans" is economic protectionism. Officially it is not against anybody but to help our own people. In this case minorities are not targeted but people in other countries obviously are. European Community use this even inside its own borders. For example Poland cannot export more milk than bureaucrats from Brussels allow, job market of many member states is still denied to Polish citizens, Polish peasants receive smaller donation than those from the west.

It is no guarantee - the Alpha females at my school (you know the type - straight As, prefects, prefects, leads in the school orchestra, hockey and netball captains etc) didn't go on to be particularly successful in adult life.

one of the most famous places where that kind of people are created in Poland is :

sgh.waw.pl/en/ogolne-en/

Polish people translate it in way "Szczury gonią hajs". What means "Rats chase after money"
there are two different questions:
1) If we like them
2) If we need them ;)

(students form other economics schools in Poland would have the same answer for two questions ;) )

I feel that there are two different answers ...

I know that a lot of people feel satisfaction when puffed up person is unsuccessful ;) and some of them have problems after studies ... Most od them are successful (we talk about career) ...

as to SGH (link I have posted) they are very good in what they do ...

The main rating have been accompanied by 10 part-ratings, each of them including 10 schools being the best in a separate category. Warsaw School of Economics has been classified in three of them:

Best of Economics - 3rd position (just behind London School of Economics and Mannheim Business School,
Best in finance - 5th position,
Top salaries in finance - 7th position.

generaly hard work is the most important thing ... I feel that Polish students of medicne, informatics and economics know what I mean. In Poland poles have education for free so there is no difference poor or rich ... everybody have chance.

Yeah, my friend worked for some time as a teacher in high school and gimnazjum here in Poland and said to me that the level of education was definitely higher in "our times". Maybe it's just an international phenomenon?

Yes,exactly because teachers and proffessors are now pressed by middle class to lower expectations of academic performance,to substantially lower criteria for admission process to university etc and most of them comply in order to keep their jobs.There is a general culture of anti-intellectualism.

After watching polish Big Brother the other day, I'm afraid you are right.

The irony of all this is that, as 'Lesser' (I like the name!) hints at, the excellence of the Polish education system IS rooted in the communist era and IS now starting to see a decline (like all over Europe). I just have to board our local bus at the end of the school day to despair at the future of the Polish education system! I suggest everyone watches "Idiocracy" to see what the future holds for humanity!

My girl is the top of our group of 250 at college...so proud of her!

above the rest of maybe 240 none polish people.

matches the topic title.

This is too much to say that the communist started this process. However they kept high level of education in many areas. This just sad that high level of math could coexist with retarded communist vision of economics.


I think that this is rather politicians try to appease to the people in this area. They don't care about public pressure if this would cost them much of effort.

That's the whole point of the anti-discrimination laws. One group of people feels bad for another and tries to "make up" for it.

Like the whites in America are somewhat doing for the blacks.

Many gimnazjum students are super bright, I have the utmost respect for them and their level. It doesn't surprise me that they are making such good progress.

What goes wrong? ;)

University of the Highlands and Islands, student of the year 2008.

Polish smart **se

And this is were the Times pisses with the lid down, Lukasz. Where does a Science degree guarantee you a good job? Especially if you are conditioned into parrot fashion learning and regurgitating facts for an exam?

Hmm, I can`t fully agree with you. Higher standard of education in communist times is probably a myth.

Why do we have such an impression today?

In communism the ratio of students who chose high school (liceum) was about 30%. They were the elite, most of them went to universities afterwards.
The rest 70% went to vocational or technical schools to acquire a job after 3 or 5 years learning.

Today the proportions are reverse. About 60% students go to high schools with an aim of enrolling some uni studies afterwards. It is obvius that the level of education have had to go down if students who in the past used to go to vocational schools today attend high schools.

Now the question arises - is it better to educate 20% elite in high schools and send the rest to vocational ones, or open the door wider so that all could join?

As a teacher, I prefer 60%.

What about you?

Not necessarily. It just meant that the content of the lessons had to be reorganised towards more realistic educational outcomes.

That's nonsense, lesser. Every generation becomes brighter as time passes. I don't think many Poles would agree with you. Pawian is right here and he has experienced both.

Down to the EU level? You know, I don't buy into this idea that one country has such a higher level than another in Europe. I see Poland as having a high level of education but no higher than many parts of Scotland, Germany or Holland for example.

There are areas where Poland is better and areas where it lags behind. For example, the Polish medical system seems to produce excellent doctors who are not driven by the same concerns as British ones who, quite often judging by accounts, don't diagnose the problem as accurately as their Polish counterparts. Medical students here are very thorough and well trained. Again, this is a generalisation but it often rings true. IT is another strong point.

It's a question both of values (discerned according to the needs and conditions of the country) and also of harmonising or streamlining syllabi/curriculums to facilitate exchange across Europe.

Education, in today's modern world, should not strictly be a competition (tho some is healthy) but more about cooperation and consultation and sharing of knowledge. The success of schemes such as Socrates, Comenus and Erasmus point to that being desirable.

It is for us to find the balance between compatibility and a coordinated position.