Polish parliament votes for controversial education overhaul

WARSAW, Poland – Poland's lower house of parliament has voted to eliminate middle schools and return to an earlier system in which children attended eight years of primary school followed by high school or vocational school.

The law, written by the ruling Law and Justice party, was passed by the Sejm, or lower house, late Wednesday. It goes next to the Senate, which could request some changes.

The government says the current system is doing a poor job of educating students and plans to do away with middle schools next year.

Many parents and teachers object to the changes, saying they are being done too quickly. They also fear the overhaul is being used as a pretense for a deep curriculum change to push the ruling party's nationalistic ideology onto students.