About Us

Polish Education Commission in Australian is managed by a dedicated group of volunteers from various parts of Australia. Over the years, the Commission has been supported by numerous educators, teachers, and Polish community activists, all full of passion and love for the Polish language and culture.

About Us

Polish Education Commission in Australian is managed by a dedicated group of volunteers from various parts of Australia. Over the years, the Commission has been supported by numerous educators, teachers, and Polish community activists, all full of passion and love for the Polish language and culture.

About Us

Polish Education Commission in Australian is managed by a dedicated group of volunteers from various parts of Australia. Over the years, the Commission has been supported by numerous educators, teachers, and Polish community activists, all full of passion and love for the Polish language and culture.

The Current Board and Members of the PECA

Current Board and
Members of PECA

Madam President Elżbieta Cesarski

Elzbieta Cesarski

President

New South Wales

Deputy President Mrs. Bożena Iwanowski

Bozena Iwanowski

Deputy President

Victoria

Treasurer Ms. Małgorzata Wray

Malgorzata Wray

Treasurer

Western Australia

Ms. Barbara Potaczała - member

Barbara Potaczała

Member

New South Wales

Ms Hanna Bilyk - member

Hanna Bilyk

Member

New South Wales

Ms. Magdalena Delport - member

Magdalena Delport

Member

Victoria

Ms Marysia Nowak - member

Marysia Nowak

Member

New South Wales

Ms Anna Kryj - member

Anna Kryj

Member

New South Wales

Individuals Supporting PECA's Activities

Individuals Supporting PECA's Activities

T. Broszczyk

Genowefa Budniak

Danuta Dróżdż

Jerzy Goebel

Brunon Grzebyta

K. Gwizdałła

Mieczysława Gruszka

Dr A. Horn

Maria Hrycek

Ms. Celina Jabłońska

General Juliusz Kleeberg

Jerzy Łęczycki

Krzystof Łańcucki AM

B. Łuszczyk

Tomasz Ostrowski

Wiesław Pęska

Władysława Pęska

Tadeusz Podniesiński

Ms. Grażyna Racławska

Zofia Sęk-Sękalska

Jadwiga Sochacka

Stanisław Śronek

htm. Witold Szupryczyński

Ryszard Treister

Zdzisław Wielebiński

Wanda Woropińska

s. Jadwiga Wróblewska

Individuals advocating for the development of Polish education in Australia

Individuals Advocating for the development of Polish education in Australia

Dr. John Bedemeres

Barbara Gondek

Andrzej Góra

Zofia Krzysztowska-Kingsley

Fr. Dominik Jałocha OP

Margaret Kwiatkowska

Dr Barbara Lama

Marianna Łacek OAM

ks. Tadeusz Przybylak SChr

Urszula Rogerson

Małgorzata Vella

Albert Vella OAM

Dr Edward Ronowicz (Macquarie University in Sydney)

Dr Edward Ronowicz
(Macquarie University in Sydney)

Andrzej Siedlecki (Macquarie University in Sydney)

Andrzej Siedlecki
(Macquarie University in Sydney)

Andrzej Siedlecki
(Macquarie University in Sydney)

ks. Wiesław Słowik SJ OAM

Former Chairpersons of the Chamber of Audit

Halina T. Szunejko OAM

Halina T. Szunejko OAM

Western Australia

Western Australia

2007–2012

Dr Bożena Szymańska

Dr Bożena Szymańska

New South Wales

New South Wales

2001–2007 (2001–2003 Acting Chair, 2003–2007 Chair)

Magdalena Rzóska-Krzysztoń

Magdalena Rzóska-Krzysztoń

New South Wales

New South Wales

1999 to 2001

Brunon Kowalski

Brunon Kowalski

New South Wales

New South Wales

1974 to 1999

Jerzy Łęczycki

Jerzy Łęczycki

VIC

VIC

1971–1974

Władysław Karbownik

Władysław Karbownik

SA

SA

1968–1971

Prof. Jerzy Goebel

Prof. Jerzy Goebel

New South Wales

New South Wales

1964–1968

Former members of PECA

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Teresa Burzyńska

Ewa Chodasiewicz

New South Wales

Dr Danuta Gabszewicz

Hanna Geras

Wiesława Głodek

Teresa Juszcze

Magdalena Rzóska-Krzysztoń

Józefina Samecka

Elżbieta Starzynska

Dr Bożena Szymańska

Małgorzata Świątek

Wanda Śmigulska

South Australia

Elizabeth Bukowska

Queensland

Teresa Serafin

Anna Wolska

Tasmania

Teresa Grabek

Bogdan Pietra

Victoria

Kamila Achler

Zofia Lisińska

Western Australia

Halina T. Szunejko OAM

Our initiatives

Our initiatives

Teacher's Guide

Teacher's Guide

The first significant initiative of the Commission was the publication of the “Teachers' Guide. Journal of the Educational Commission of Polish Community in Australia”, which was conceived and initially edited by Professor Jerzy Goebel, the first chairman of KOPA.

As an experienced educator—Prof. Goebel taught in Poland before the war and, after arriving in Australia, he taught at the Polish school in Cabramatta—he understood that Polish community schools and teaching staff required reliable and inspiring materials to use in their educational work. In addition to its practical value, the journal not only facilitated the integration of the Polish community's teachers and educators in Australia but also significantly contributed to the promotion of Polish community education beyond Australia's borders. For several decades, the “Guide” was sent to, among others, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Poland.

The Education Commission of the Polish Community in Australia collaborates with a range of national and state organisations whose objectives align with the Commission's goals in the areas of planning educational activities aimed at Polish schools and Australians of Polish descent wishing to learn the Polish language, as well as promoting Polish community education in Australia.

Over the years, KOPA has cooperated with:

In the pages of the "Guide", reports from KOPA, reports of state representatives of the Commission, and a detailed list of Polish schools in various states were published. An important part of the magazine consisted of articles on Polish culture and history, class scenarios, teaching materials, guides presenting the latest trends in teaching methodology, and practical advice to enhance the functioning of schools. The texts and studies were submitted by both teachers and writers as well as social activists who were committed to Polish education matters.

Starting in 1971, the task of collecting materials and editing the journal was entrusted to the secretary of KOPA. From 1971 to 1999, this role was held by Magdalena Rzóska-Krzysztoń, a philologist specializing in Polish, and from 1999 to 2007 by Małgorzata Świątek, a philologist specializing in English.

The first issue of the "Teacher's Guide" appeared in 1964. Initially, the magazine was published quarterly, and later, twice a year. With the expansion of the Internet and greater availability of teaching materials online, the development of the magazine was discontinued. The last issue of the "Guide" was published in 2008.

Youth Camps

Educational Camps in Poland is an initiative undertaken by KOPA and the 'Polish Community' Association, facilitated by funding from the Senate of the Republic of Poland as part of supporting Polish diaspora education abroad. Elżbieta Cesarski was responsible for co-organising the camps and supervising the youth during their stay in Poland. Danuta Tyszkiewicz, a long-time teacher and headmaster of the School and Preschool Complex in Przemiarowo, assisted in the implementation of the project.

In the years 2015-2019, five such camps were organised, enabling Australian youth of Polish descent to connect with the country of their ancestors, explore Poland, and develop their Polish speaking skills. For some of the girls and boys, it was their first encounter with Poland and... winter.

The camps took place in December, each lasting 17 days (15 days of leisure + 2 travel days). They usually started after the first Saturday in December and concluded a week before Christmas. The holiday period allowed interested youth to extend their stay in Poland and spend time with family. The camps were attended by 7 to 14 young individuals from various Australian states (a total of 50 participants across the five camps).

The participants were accommodated at the Polish Community House in Pułtusk, from where they travelled to different corners of Poland to admire the beautiful landscapes and monuments and experience culture and language at its source. The visits of the Polish diaspora youth to Polish schools, participation in actual classes, and the chance to meet Polish peers were exceptionally valuable experiences.

The Polish Education Committee in Australia collaborates with a range of nationwide and state organisations whose objectives align with those of the Committee in areas of educational initiative planning directed towards Polish schools and Australians of Polish descent who wish to learn the Polish language, as well as the promotion of Polish education in Australia.

Over the years, PECA has collaborated with:

Wojtek the Bear Diaspora Tournament

On the initiative of Elżbieta Cesarska, President of KOPA, Australian Polish community schools were included in the Polish Community Tournament 'Misia Wojtka', organized by the Institute of National Remembrance and the Polonica Foundation. In the tournament games in 2022, 16 teams from Australia participated. Three two-person teams qualified for the finals of the III Polish Community Tournament 'Misia Wojtka', which took place in May 2023 in Warsaw: two teams from the Polish Saturday School named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski in Rowville (Victoria) and two students from schools in Chatswood and North Shore (New South Wales).

REPORT FROM THE PROJECT

REPORT FROM THE EVENT

Postgraduate Studies in Glottodidactics

In the years 2022–2023, KOPA collaborated with the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Poland in organising professional development for Polish community teachers. Through the determination of Elżbieta Cesarska, the president of KOPA, 19 Polish community teachers from Australia were able to participate in postgraduate studies in glottodidactics (teaching Polish as a foreign language), conducted during the 2023 academic year by lecturers from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

cooperation agreement

cooperation agreement

The Polish Education Commission in Australia collaborates with a range of nationwide and state organisations whose objectives align with those of the Commission in the areas of planning educational activities aimed at Polish schools and Australians of Polish descent who wish to learn the Polish language, as well as promoting Polish education in Australia.

Over the years, PECA has collaborated with:

The Polish Education Commission in Australia collaborates with a range of national and state organisations, whose objectives align with the Commission’s goals in areas of planning educational activities aimed at Polish schools and Australians of Polish descent who wish to learn the Polish language, as well as promoting Polish community education in Australia.

Over the years, PECA has collaborated with:

Supreme Council of Polish Australians

Association of Polish Teachers in Australia

Local Methodological Centre in Australia

Association of Polish Professionals in Australia

Department of Education of the Federation of Polish Organisations in Victoria

Polish Educational Society in Victoria

Polish Educational Society in New South Wales

Polish Educational Society in South Australia Inc.

polish schools in Australia

polish community media in Australia

In executing projects funded by public resources, PECA collaborated, among others, with the Association 'Polish Community'.

  • Polish Press and Media

News about the activities of PECA and the events it organises has been regularly published in Polish community press (including "Wiadomości Polskie" in Sydney, "Tygodnik Polski" in Melbourne), online media (including Puls Polonii, Polonia Portal in Victoria), and in the newsletters of the "Wspólnota Polska" Association.
An extensive study on Polish community education in Australia and profiles of selected schools were featured in the methodological quarterly for Polish community teachers "Uczymy jak uczyć" (issue 2/2021), published by the "Wspólnota Polska" Association. Among the educational materials provided was also a lesson outline dedicated to Pawel Edmund Strzelecki – the Polish explorer of Australia's highest peak.

Updates on the activities of PECA and the events it organises were regularly published in the Polish diaspora press (including “Polish News” in Sydney, “Polish Weekly” in Melbourne), online media (including Puls Polonii, Polish Portal in Victoria), and in the newsletters of the Association “Polish Community”.

An extensive study on Polish diaspora education in Australia and profiles of selected schools were featured in the methodological quarterly for Polish diaspora teachers “We Teach How to Teach” (issue 2/2021), published by the Association “Polish Community”. Among the educational materials provided was also a lesson plan dedicated to Paweł Edmund Strzelecki – the Polish explorer of Australia's highest peak.

A comprehensive study concerning Polish education in Australia and profiles of selected schools have been published in the methodological quarterly for Polish teachers "We Teach How to Teach" (issue 2/2021), released by the Association "Polish Community". Among the educational materials provided, there is also a lesson plan dedicated to Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish explorer of Australia's highest peak.

A comprehensive study concerning Polish education in Australia and profiles of selected schools have been published in the methodological quarterly for Polish teachers "We Teach How to Teach" (issue 2/2021), released by the Association "Polish Community". Among the educational materials provided, there is also a lesson plan dedicated to Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish explorer of Australia's highest peak.

read the quarterly journal

  • Polish Press and Media