Reflections on the historiography of the Commission of National Education in the last 50 years (2018)
The author shared his thoughts related to the research on the history of the Commission of National Education (Polish abbreviation: KEN) in the last 50 years. He focused on the discussion on the image of the Commission of National Education. The promoters of the lay point of view presented it as a completely new institution, opposing the religious schooling that had prevailed; others saw it as the fulfilment of the Christian enlightenment in which the achievements of the new era were included in the frames of the old educational system. New research and new publications support the latter approach. Obviously, since the author is a Jesuit, he put emphasis on Jesuit schools, as the Commission of National Education was based on the intellectual and financial potential of the Society of Jesus functioning in the First Republic of Poland. Also, the author paid attention to the necessity of carrying out the research on education under the partitions, which was not influenced by the Commission of National Education, and to the facilities in the form of school buildings and libraries, as well as to the existing iconography.However, the publication of the materials collected thanks to the grants that are being fulfilled is of crucial importance. Publishing the materials is related to the upcoming great 250th anniversary of the Commission of National Education, which will be celebrated in 2023.