Education: a public or a competetive value?

Abstract

Competition understood as the effort of schools to achieve the highest scores and to be among the best institutions is not a new phenomen. What is in some sense new is a growing social interest about this issue. The polish educational system is currently more open to european politic standards of education which favour comparison among schools’ achievements and emphasis on educational outcomes. At the same time, schools are still considered institutions with a mission, a none the less important role to educate the youth in solidarity, openness to others, capicity to share with others one’s intellectual potentials. A wise oscillation between the public (for the public benefit) and the competitive aspect of education is now an essential challenge schools have to face.