On 12-14 May, a representative of the AMU International Relations Centre, Joanna Barszcz, along with a delegation from NAWA and officials from eleven of Poland's largest higher education institutions in Poland, participated in "Polonia Meetings Dublin", a series of meetings between representatives of Polish universities, NAWA and the Polish community in Ireland.
The meetings with Polish youth in Dublin aimed to present the offer of studies at Polish universities, which are of significant interest to the Polonia community in Ireland. The vast majority of this group plan to return to the country.
With the support of the Polish Consulate and Embassy in Dublin, two gatherings were organised with members of the Polish community in Dublin, associated with the 'Polish House' and the Polish Educational Society in Dublin, as well as three meetings with Polish youth, parents and headmasters and teachers of the largest Polish schools in Ireland.
As part of 'Polonia Meetings Dublin', the delegates from Polish universities cooperating with Irish institutions of higher education also participated in a meeting with the staff of Global Engagement TCD and NAWA lecturers teaching Polish at the Institute of Slavonic Studies at Trinity College Dublin. This was an occasion to discuss the prospects for further joint research and teaching cooperation projects and the development of academic exchange between AMU and Irish HEIs.
A bonus point of the visit was a trip to Cork and a chance to meet with the second-largest Polish community in Ireland. It is also worth mentioning that there are currently close to 60 Polish schools in Ireland, offering weekend classes in Polish for children aged 3-18, including - courses preparing them for the Polish Baccalaureate and studying in Poland. As of September 2020, the Polish language has been introduced into the Irish core curriculum for secondary schools, which means, among other things, that it is possible to pass the baccalaureate exam in this subject at the primary or extended level. All efforts in this field are supported by the Polish Embassy and Consulate in Dublin. We hope to see a grander number of candidates from Irish Polish communities at our University.
