Polish journal “Issues in Childhood Care and Education” facing the realities and educational policy of the Polish government

Abstract

The aim of the author was to evaluate the cognitive, descriptive and diagnostic values of the social and educational reality presented in the monthly magazine by state and local government institutions in the practice of managing the country and the life of society. According to my estimates, during the 60 years of their editorial work, “Issues in Childhood Care and Education” has included in its monthly magazine over 5,000 publications of various nature, devoted to all phenomena and problems of education, upbringing, care and development of children and youth, as well as institutions implementing a great program for educating young generation. Professional experience allowed me to highly evaluate the cognitive and diagnostic reliability of the published texts. They provide a real image of educational institutions, their work, problems with everyday life, the remarkable work of organizers, instructors and educators. They allow to assess the development value of this work for children and youth. At the same time, the knowledge of the reality allows for a critical judgement on the way of using these diagnostic and cognitive values to improve the conditions in which a Polish child lives, to improve the work of schools and care and educational institutions. The dominant style of coexistence between science and the world of politics is the artificial principle of division into problems falling under the competence of the world of science (descriptive, cognitive, diagnostic...) and the second sphere – the world of management, decisions, distribution of resources – belonging to the world of politics and other governing bodies. These are two separate worlds, the contacts and mutual communication of which either does not exist or is only instrumental in nature. Politics does not use the achievements of science, its recognition and diagnosis. And here you can find the sources of many bad decisions, failed projects, and social and economic failures.