End of school year promises summer holiday for some, exam worry for others

With the end of the school year today, six million children will be heading home for their summer vacation. But according to a Ministry of Education estimate, with a two-week holiday costing up to zl.3,500 per person, just one third of schoolchildren will be going away during the vacation. While most students will be enjoying their break from school, for next year's high school graduates this may be a time of worry. Many are concerned about the planned reform of the matura (matriculation) exam next year, which will increase the number of written tests from two to four. However, there is hope of a reprieve for some students, since the SLD, the strongest candidate in September parliamentary elections, promises to scrap plans for the nationwide introduction of the new matura, and instead introduce it first in a few selected schools. (Zycie, p. 4) M.T.K.