News

Support for pupils with disabilities 2026

23.07.2026 r.

Information regarding the Government’s programme to assist pupils with disabilities by subsidising the purchase of textbooks, educational materials and workbooks for the years 2026–2028, to be implemented in 2026.

The Government programme to assist pupils with disabilities by subsidising the purchase of textbooks, educational materials and workbooks for the years 2026–2028, to be implemented in 2026

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE

The aim of the programme is to promote equal educational opportunities and support the educational development of pupils with disabilities by subsidising the purchase of textbooks for general education, educational materials for general education, educational materials for vocational education and workbooks.

PROGRAMME BENEFICIARIES

Direct beneficiaries of the programme

The direct beneficiaries of the programme are pupils who are visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, with a mild, moderate or severe intellectual disability, with a physical disability, including aphasia, with autism, including those with Asperger’s syndrome, and those with multiple disabilities (where these consist of any of the disabilities listed above), who directly receive assistance for the purchase of textbooks for general education, educational materials for general education, educational materials for vocational education and exercise materials, and who are attending, in the school year:

2026/2027 at a general upper secondary school, a technical college, a first-level vocational school, a second-level vocational school, a special school preparing pupils for work, or a four-year general secondary music school of the second level, Year 6 of the existing six-year second-level general music school operated within a four-year second-level general music school, a secondary school of fine arts, or Years 6–9 of a general ballet school;
2027/2028 or 2028/2029 to a general secondary school, a technical secondary school, a first-level vocational school, a second-level vocational school, a special school preparing pupils for work, a four-year general secondary music school, an arts secondary school or Years 6–9 of a general secondary ballet school.

Indirect beneficiaries of the programme

The indirect beneficiaries of the programme are:

families raising pupils with disabilities who are direct beneficiaries of the programme;
local government bodies responsible for local education and social policy;
ministers responsible for schools:

the Minister responsible for culture and the protection of national heritage,
the minister responsible for agriculture,
the minister responsible for the environment,
the minister responsible for maritime affairs,
the Minister responsible for inland waterway transport,
the Minister responsible for fisheries,
the ministers responsible for the professions specified in the classification of vocational education professions referred to in Article 8(14a) of the Act of 14 December 2016 – Education Law.

The subsidy for the purchase of general education textbooks, general education teaching materials, vocational education teaching materials and exercise materials per pupil amounts to:

for pupils who are visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, have a mild intellectual disability, have a physical disability (including aphasia), have autism, including those with Asperger’s syndrome, and pupils with multiple disabilities, where these consist of any of the disabilities referred to above, attending in the school year:

1) 2026/2027 at a general upper secondary school, a technical college, a four-year general secondary music school (second stage), Year 6 of the existing six-year general secondary music school (second stage) operated within a four-year general secondary music school (second stage), a secondary school of fine arts, or Years 6–9 of a general secondary ballet school;

2) 2027/2028 or 2028/2029 to a general secondary school, a technical secondary school, a four-year general secondary music school (second stage), an arts secondary school or Years 6–9 of a general secondary ballet school

up to 534 zł

for pupils who are visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, have a mild intellectual disability, a physical disability (including aphasia), autism, including those with Asperger’s syndrome, and pupils with multiple disabilities, where these disabilities are among those referred to above, attending in the 2026/2027, 2027/2028 or 2028/2029 at a first-level vocational school or a second-level vocational school

up to 468 zł

for pupils with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities and pupils with multiple disabilities (where these are pupils with any of the following disabilities: pupils who are visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, with a mild intellectual disability,
with a physical disability, including aphasia, autism, including those with Asperger’s syndrome, and those with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities), who are attending a special school preparing them for work during the 2026/2027, 2027/2028 or 2028/2029 at a special school preparing pupils for work

up to 270 zł

It is estimated that between 2026 and 2028, approximately 228,716 pupils with a certificate of special educational needs will receive support under the programme, including – 75,979 pupils; in the 2027/2028 school year – 83,527 pupils; and in the 2028/2029 school year – 69,210 pupils.

PROCEDURE FOR GRANTING ASSISTANCE

Assistance in the form of a grant towards the purchase of general education textbooks, general education teaching materials, educational materials for vocational education or workbooks is granted upon application by the pupil’s guardian or an adult pupil, as well as upon application by a teacher, social worker or other person with the consent of the pupil’s guardian or the adult pupil.
An application for assistance shall be submitted to the headteacher of the school which the pupil will attend in the 2026/2027, 2027/2028 or 2028/2029 school year, as applicable: a general upper secondary school, a technical college, a first-level vocational school, a second-level vocational school, a special school preparing pupils for work, a four-year general upper secondary music school, Year 6 of the existing six-year second-level general music school operated within a four-year second-level general music school, an arts secondary school, or Years 6–9 of a general ballet school.

The application for assistance shall include:

1) the pupil’s first name(s) and surname, and their home address;

2) the name and address of the school’s registered office, and the year group the pupil will be attending in the 2026/2027, 2027/2028 or 2028/2029 school year, as applicable;

3) the first name(s) and surname of the person submitting the application and their home address; and, in the case of an application submitted by:

a) the head of a care and educational facility or the head of a regional care and therapeutic facility – the address of that facility’s registered office;
b) a teacher or social worker – the address of the organisation where they are employed;

4) the date of issue and reference number of the decision on the pupil’s need for special educational support.

An application for assistance submitted by a teacher, social worker or other person with the consent of the pupil’s guardian or an adult pupil must be accompanied by that consent.

The headteacher of a school run by a local authority, a legal person other than a local authority, or a natural person, shall draw up a list of pupils eligible to receive assistance in the form of a subsidy towards the purchase of general education textbooks, general education teaching materials, educational materials for vocational education or workbooks, and shall forward it to the commune head, mayor or city mayor, as appropriate, with jurisdiction over the school’s registered office.
The headteacher of a school run by the Minister shall draw up a list of pupils eligible to receive assistance in the form of a subsidy towards the purchase of general education textbooks, general education teaching materials, educational materials for vocational education or practical training materials, and shall submit it to the minister responsible for the school.
In the case of a general upper secondary school, a technical college, a first-level vocational school, a second-level vocational school, a special school preparing pupils for work, four-year general secondary music schools of the second stage, and Year 6 of the existing six-year general secondary music schools of the second stage operated within four-year general secondary music schools of the second stage, run by a local authority, the commune head, the mayor or city president, competent in respect of the school’s registered office, shall transfer funds to subsidise the purchase of textbooks for general education, educational materials for general education, educational materials for vocational education or exercise materials, to the school’s bank account.
Ministers responsible for schools, upon receiving a list of pupils eligible for assistance in the form of a subsidy for the purchase of general education textbooks, general education teaching materials, educational materials for vocational education or workbooks in schools run by those ministers, shall transfer the funds to the bank accounts of those schools.

Further information is available on the websites of:

– the Ministry of National Education

and

– the Katowice Board of Education:
www.kuratorium.katowice.pl, under the tab: Board of Education / public tasks / support for pupils with disabilities.