Poland has introduced mandatory “Education for Safety” lessons in schools, which include firearms training and basic first aid for students as young as 14 years old.
The program aims to equip students with “shooting skills,” tactical rescue basics, and knowledge to handle situations caused by warfare. Students are trained in assembling and disassembling firearms, improving their aim, and handling weapons safely. However, to ensure student safety, these sessions utilize laser guns rather than live ammunition and take place in school gymnasiums.
This mandatory curriculum, which covers students in the eighth grade of primary school and the first grade of secondary school (ages 14-16), includes broader lessons on state security, disaster response, and first aid. The firearms component is designed to provide theoretical preparation in primary schools, with more practical training offered in districts equipped with pneumatic weapons, laser shooting ranges, and similar facilities.
A spokesperson for Poland’s education ministry explained in an email to Euronews that these measures build on earlier regulations introduced in September 2022, which initially made such training optional. As of this academic year, all of Poland’s approximately 18,000 schools are rolling out laser-based firearms training technology, with some districts having already adopted the program last year.
The Education for Safety classes are designed to occupy no more than one hour per week and aim to balance practical skills with essential knowledge about health and safety in emergencies.
