From: mk_thisisit
Miron Mironiuk, a Polish entrepreneur and founder of AI Space, advocates for programming to be recognized as a fundamental skill for Poland’s future development [01:06:00]. He believes that by prioritizing education, particularly in programming, Poland can achieve its goal of becoming one of the ten richest countries globally [02:21:00].
Poland’s Ambition and Current State
Mironiuk asserts that Poland’s national goal should be to advance into the top 10 richest countries in the world [02:21:00]. Currently, Poland ranks 50th in terms of GDP per capita [02:31:00]. He argues that this leap is achievable, citing the sevenfold growth in Polish GDP per capita over the last 30 years [02:43:00]. To achieve this, Poland must utilize its most important 21st-century resource: its intellect [03:05:00].
Polish Programming Talent
Poles are recognized as having the best programmers in the world, a fact supported by their performance in major IT Olympiads [03:15:00]. Poland outranks countries like Russia, China, and the United States in these competitions, winning almost as many medals as the U.S. despite having a population nine times smaller [03:18:00]. Despite having “fantastic engineers” and “smartest people in the world,” Poland’s 50th position in GDP per capita indicates a gap that needs addressing [03:30:00].
The “Programming Our Second Language” Project
Mironiuk attributes the discrepancy between Poland’s programming talent and its economic standing to shortcomings in the Polish education system [03:43:00]. While the system excels at identifying and preparing top talents for Olympiads (only 200 out of 18,000 computer science teachers participate in the Olympic program, yet Poland leads in medals per capita) [04:01:00], programming, despite being introduced to the core curriculum six years ago, is not effectively taught due to unprepared teachers [04:30:00].
To address this, Mironiuk’s “Programming Our Second Language” project aims to teach basic programming to all primary school students in Poland within four years [04:59:00].
Project Implementation
The project, starting September 1, focuses on preparing teachers to teach programming [07:56:00]. Initial training provides enough knowledge for teachers to begin classes, with ongoing support and expanded knowledge offered throughout the year [08:53:00]. InstaCode, with Andrzej Samek (the first Pole to win an international IT Olympiad), serves as the educational partner [09:07:00].
A critical aspect of the project is offering scholarships to all participating teachers every month, with additional awards for the top 30% most outstanding teachers based on commitment and student progress [09:51:00]. This addresses the challenge of low teacher salaries [09:29:00].
Initially, the project will be piloted in three representative communes: Chełm, Syców, and Zduńska Wola [05:31:00]. These locations were chosen because they:
- Are representative of most communes in Poland [05:46:00].
- Aim to reach children who need the opportunity most, often those from smaller towns [06:09:00].
- Represent different political affiliations, demonstrating a commitment to working beyond political divisions for the country’s long-term benefit [06:30:00].
AI Space and Mironiuk initiated, organized, and co-finance the project [11:46:00]. Nask (Scientific Academic Computer Network), under the Ministry of Digital Affairs, covers the costs of scholarships and awards [12:00:00]. The substantive council includes Professor Krzysztof Diks, a mentor to Olympic champions, who, along with Professors Madej and Sysło, were instrumental in integrating programming into the core curriculum six years prior [12:14:00].
Mironiuk views his involvement as paying a debt to Polish public schools for his upbringing and ensuring future generations have similar opportunities [12:30:00].
Vision for the Future
Mironiuk emphasizes that Artificial Intelligence is a tool that, used wisely, can free up human time by automating repetitive tasks [22:50:00]. He dismisses futuristic concerns about AI sentience to focus on present problems like education and healthcare, where AI can scale best teaching practices [25:07:00].
He likens the current shift in educational needs to historical literacy advancements:
“Imagine that 200 years ago only 10% of adults could read and write only 10% of adults today You read write every eight-year-old can and now it will be the same with programming this is why we call this project programming our second language because we believe that programming is a fundamental skill of the 21st century just like the ability to read write or count” [25:57:00]
He clarifies that knowing basic programming will not necessarily make someone a programmer, just as reading and writing do not make one a writer [26:27:00]. However, children entering the job market without basic programming knowledge will be “digitally illiterate” [26:38:00].
The project is named “Once in 120 Years” because Mironiuk believes the opportunity for Poland is comparable to the Second Industrial Revolution 120 years ago, when new technologies like electricity and the internal combustion engine allowed the United States to surpass Great Britain economically [27:51:00]. Poland, with its strong base of programmers, has an even better starting position in this new “game” [28:16:00].
Teachers and schools interested in joining the program can register on the “oncein120years.pl” website [27:18:00].