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Education in Poland is compulsory; every child must receive education from when they are 7 years old until they are 18 years old. It is also mandatory for 6 year old children to receive one year of kindergarten education, before starting primary school at 7 years old. Primary school lasts eight years , and students must take a final exam at the end of the eighth grade. After graduating from primary school, people typically go on to attend secondary school , which lasts 4 or 5 years. They can also choose to educate themselves towards a specific profession or trade, and receive work experience and qualifications through apprenticeships. After graduating from secondary school and passing the final exam, called the matura, one can pursue a higher education at a university, college, etc.
The Polish Ministry of Education established by King Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1773 was the first ministry of education in the world, and the traditions continue. The international PISA 2012 praised the progresses made by Polish education in mathematics, science and literacy; the number of top-performers having increased since 2003 while the number of low-performers decreased again. In 2014, the Pearson/Economist Intelligence Unit rated Polish education as fifth best in Europe and tenth best in the world.
There are several alternatives for the upper secondary education later on, the most common being the four years of a liceum or five years in a technikum. Both end with a maturity exam , and may be followed by several forms of upper education, leading to Bachelor: licencjat or inżynier , Master: magister and eventually PhD: doktor. The system of education in Poland allows for 22 years of continuous, uninterrupted schooling.