On 24th June, the UW hosted “Internationalisation Day” – an event dedicated to the role of language in the internationalisation of science and higher education. During the event, the National Agency for Academic Exchange awarded accreditations for the delivery of Polish as a foreign language courses for the period 2026–2029. The UW was one of the institutions to receive this accreditation.
The theme of the event held on 24th June at the University of Warsaw was the language of internationalisation, the relationship between Polish and English, and the role of university centres for teaching Polish as a foreign language. The meeting took place as part of “Internationalisation Days”, a series of consultation events organised by the National Agency for Academic Exchange, attended by representatives of universities, research institutions, public administration and international experts.
Among those attending the meeting at the UW were: Dr Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education; Prof. Sambor Grucza, the UW Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources; Prof. Iwona Kurz, Dean of the UW’s Faculty of Polish Studies; Prof. Katarzyna Dróżdż-Łuszczyk, Director of the Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners Polonicum, representatives of the National Agency for Academic Exchange, and researchers from the University of Warsaw.
Accreditations to run courses
During the event, the National Agency for Academic Exchange awarded accreditations to run Polish as a foreign language courses for the period 2026–2029. Certificates were awarded to 17 higher education institutions, which will be able to take part in calls for proposals to deliver language programmes for foreign nationals – including preparatory, summer, certificate and adaptation courses, as well as specialist workshops for foreign Polish language teachers.
One of the recognised universities is the University of Warsaw. The accreditations were presented by Dr Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Dr Damian Syjczak, Deputy Director of NAWA, and Dr Mariusz Czech, Director of NAWA’s Polish Language Programmes Office. The certificate awarded to the UW was received by Prof. Iwona Kurz, Dean of the Faculty of Polish Studies, and Prof. Katarzyna Dróżdż-Łuszczyk, Director of the UW’s Polonicum Centre.
Thanks to the accreditation granted by NAWA, the UW will be able to organise face-to-face and online courses for language teachers. These courses will be run by the Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners Polonicum.
The Polonicum Centre has been operating within the UW’s Faculty of Polish Studies since 1956. The centre’s programmes are aimed at people interested in learning about Poland and the Polish language. The Polonicum team conducts research, trains teachers of Polish as a foreign language, promotes the Polish language and culture abroad, administers certification examinations in Polish as a foreign language, and organises and runs postgraduate programmes in the teaching of Polish.
The NAWA courses run by Polonicum will be aimed at teachers of Polish as a foreign language who are employees at foreign universities where Polish is taught in language courses or as part of Polish studies programmes. The courses are designed to support the development of a network of Polish language courses worldwide and to enhance the skills of those teaching Polish. The course timetable will be announced on the Polonicum website at the turn of 2026/2027. The range of courses offered by the Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners Polonicum can be found at: https://polonicum.uw.edu.pl/.
Panel discussions
“Internationalisation Day”, held at the UW, provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, identify challenges and best practices, and jointly develop directions for the internationalisation of Polish science.
The discussion panel entitled “The relationship between the Polish and English languages in the context of internationalisation” was attended by Prof. Sambor Grucza, the UW Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources, and Prof. Katarzyna Kłosińska from the UW’s Faculty of Polish Studies, Chair of the Polish Language Council. The discussion entitled “The role of university centres for teaching Polish as a foreign language in the process of the internationalisation of science and higher education” was attended by, amongst others, Prof. Katarzyna Dróżdż-Łuszczyk, Director of the UW’s Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners Polonicum.
