For four days, Warsaw became a meeting place for people who teach Polish as a foreign language at universities around the world. The lecturers participating in the NAWA programme were in the capital from 30 July to 2 August 2026.

They came together ahead of the new academic year to share experiences, gain new knowledge and discuss the challenges of working in different parts of the world. Thanks to their work, between 2,500 and 3,000 people around the world discover the beauty of the Polish language and the richness of Polish culture every year.

This community continues to grow year by year. In the coming academic year, 99 NAWA lecturers will teach at 105 academic centres abroad across 43 countries. This represents an 18% increase compared with the previous academic year.

More universities are joining the programme, including in places where, just a few years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Polish language courses being offered. For the first time, the Agency has established partnerships with institutions including the University of Ottawa in Canada and Lund University in Sweden.

The programme will also include new centres in France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Türkiye and Vietnam. Interest in the Polish language remains strong, and Polish is reaching new parts of the world.

 

 

The conference was opened by NAWA Director Dr Wojciech Karczewski, who emphasised the importance of the lecturers’ daily work in building international relations.

"The NAWA Lecturers Programme continues to grow year by year. Today, our lecturers teach Polish at more than one hundred academic centres abroad across five continents, and interest in working with us is steadily increasing. This is the clearest evidence that the Polish language and Polish culture are becoming ever more present around the world.

I would like to thank all our lecturers for their daily work, commitment and passion – for their students, they are often Poland’s first ambassadors. I hope that this year’s conference will provide an opportunity for inspiring conversations, the exchange of experiences and the establishment of new contacts that will bear fruit in the coming academic year"

– said Dr Wojciech Karczewski.

The official opening of the conference was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education: Secretary of State Dr Karolina Zioło-Pużuk and Undersecretary of State Professor Andrzej Szeptycki, as well as Joanna Stachyra, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and Promotion of Poland at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

 

The guests emphasised the key role lecturers play in shaping students’ first impressions of Poland and encouraging them to explore the Polish language and culture. They also noted that the lecturers’ work often inspires students to pursue further cooperation with Polish universities. The opening lecture, devoted to the history of Polish orthography, was delivered by Professor Katarzyna Kłosińska.

The conference also provided an opportunity to present the third issue of LektorzyMY, a journal for teachers of Polish as a foreign language established on the lecturers’ own initiative. During the presentation, participants were able to meet not only members of the editorial team but also the authors of articles published in the annual.

 

 

 

 

On the first day, participants learned about the work of institutions that support the promotion of the Polish language and Polish culture abroad, including the National Centre for Culture, the Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad and the Institute for the Development of the Polish Language. It was also an opportunity to discuss potential cooperation and new initiatives.

The second day of the conference was devoted to intensive workshops prepared especially for the lecturers. Discussions covered changes to Polish orthography, the safe use of artificial intelligence and large language models in teaching, and engaging ways to combine language learning with economic topics.

The programme also included a visit to the Palace of the Commonwealth – the historic seat of the National Library – where the lecturers had the opportunity to see an exhibition showcasing the greatest treasures of Polish literature and culture. The exhibits include the oldest records of the Polish language, medieval manuscripts, manuscripts by Fryderyk Chopin and autographs by some of the most distinguished figures in literature and music.

The most important part of the conference, however, was the lecturer-led panel sessions. This was where participants shared their own experiences. They spoke about projects promoting the Polish language, modern teaching methods, the use of artificial intelligence, cooperation with embassies, the organisation of cultural events and ways of fostering students’ interest in Poland. There was also time to discuss the day-to-day challenges of working as a lecturer.

For years, the exchange of experiences has remained the greatest value of the annual conferences. The meeting demonstrated how much participants can learn from one another and how varied the stories are of those who teach Polish – from Reykjavík and Lund, through Strasbourg, Berlin and Tbilisi, to New Delhi, Kyrgyzstan and Tianjin.

NAWA lecturers are ambassadors for Poland. They teach the language, share Polish culture, history and contemporary life, build relationships and encourage successive generations of students to discover Poland. The annual conference is not only an opportunity for them to gain new knowledge, but above all a meeting place for people united by the same passion – the Polish language.

We would like to thank all the lecturers for the time spent together, the inspiring conversations and their daily commitment to promoting the Polish language, Polish culture and Polish scholarship around the world.

Photo gallery from the event: