Polish Institutional Education Abroad in Light of the Globalisation Processes

The article analyses Polish institutional education abroad in light of globalization process. Its aim is to show in what way and to what extent Polish institutional education abroad fits into the model of education viewed in the context of globalization process. On this basis, the paper analyses various aspects of its functioning, namely: the legal and organizational basis of Polish education abroad; Polish institutional education abroad and its (anti-)globalization dimensions; the unique features of the functioning of Polish diaspora (Polonia) schools showcased by the characteristic activity of the SEN School of the Teachers’ Educational Association in Dublin. Globalization – as a socio-cultural phenomenon – currently has many faces and dimensions. Moreover, in the educational context it is sometimes characterized ambivalently. Against this background, the uniqueness of Polish institutional education abroad in the face of globalization process emerges. This uniqueness lies in the fact that the main premise of Polish education abroad was and is to maintain and shape the Polish national and cultural identity. In this context, the paper analyses the progress of contemporary Polish institutional education abroad, which – while taking care to preserve all aspects of identity strongly associated with the country of origin and its culture – at the same time strives to fit into the assumptions and educational expectations of the country of settlement. In this way it tries to implement an educational policy friendly to the country of settlement, which undoubtedly gives it a globalized dimension. Such a policy enriches and enables pupils, who are participants in two educational spaces: the compulsory one of the country of settlement and the optional Polish one, to reconcile and co-realize a broad and multidimensional educational process, which therefore possesses attributes of globalization.