On November 17, International Students' Day is celebrated around the world, commemorating protests by students in Prague against the Nazis invasion in 1939. On this occasion we would like to wish all students, especially those who decide to have international experiences and any sort of academic mobility, a constant motivation to learn, constant desire to explore the world and fulfillment of all their scientific dreams!
This year we celebrated with our Banach NAWA scholarsip holders throughout the weekend.
On the occasion of International Students' Day, we organized a meeting in Warsaw for foreign students from 25 countries who, thanks to the Banach NAWA scholarship, have been studying in Poland for a year now. The event aims to integrate students, let them exchange experiences and acquire new skills that they will be able to use after returning to their home countries. Students take part in integration and intercultural workshops, as well as, among others, dedicated to public speaking or mental health.
The event is attended by about 60 students from Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Palestine, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The meeting was opened by the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, director general of the Agency, Dr. Wojciech Karczewski and director of the Department of programmes for students, Magdalena Kachnowicz.
Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki, opening the meeting, recalled the origins of International Students' Day, established in 1941 in honor of students who protested against the Nazi invasion in Prague in 1939. The deputy minister emphasized that this anniversary symbolizes academic solidarity and the importance of international cooperation in the world of science.
Prof. Szeptycki also expressed interest in foreign students' opinions about Poland. He asked about their first impressions, the challenges they have to face during their studies and about their experiences related to everyday life in our country. In his opinion, these are crucial for further improvement of the offer of Polish universities for international students. He also noted that in the 1990s, foreign students were quite rare in Poland. Today they constitute an important part of the academic community. “We can clearly see that over the last three decades, and especially after Poland's accession to the European Union, our country has become an attractive place to study for foreign students. Their number is constantly growing, which is the result of actions taken to support academic mobility.
The director general of NAWA, Dr. Wojciech Karczewski, welcomed the students with the words: "It's hard for me to imagine a better group to celebrate such a special day as International Students' Day with." Introducing the programme's patron, he said: "Stefan Banach was a dreamer like you, he also once made a key decision in his life and strived to achieve scientific success. Stefan Banach was a Pole, one of the most outstanding mathematicians of the 20th century. His achievements influenced the entire world of science. We chose him as the patron of our programme because we feel that his achievements can be an example for you, as each of you is at the beginning of your path and has dreams related to education, science, and influence on reality. I really hope that you feel the potential to do something important for this world, to change it for the better."
The Banach NAWA programme allows the most talented young people from developing countries to undertake second-cycle studies in Poland at public universities supervised by the Minister of Science and Higher Education, in the field of engineering and technical sciences, agricultural sciences and exact and natural sciences.
n the last academic year (2023/24), over 3,000 foreign students received support under NAWA scholarship programmes. In addition, approximately 700 people from all over the world interested in Polish language and culture participate in NAWA summer courses annually.
The event accompanies the Ready, Study, Go! Poland campaign, which aims to promote Poland as a country worth studying in, run by NAWA since 2017.