The Piarists and the Commission of National Education’s Piarist Department: Origins, contexts, interpretations

In the article, the usual emphasis on innovative elements in the description of the characteristics of Stanisław Konarski’s education reform has been contrasted with opinions pointing to the compromise, halfway and eclectic character of the undertaken measures. In fact, it was not until the Piarist schools were subjugated to the Commission of National Education that their status, objectives and programmes were changed. It has to be borne in mind that until the times of the Commission, any changes in regard to education the Piarists had proposed had to be approved by the Order’s supervisors and could not expose the Order to conflict with the Church authorities. On their part, the orders saw education only in relation to the piety that they lived by and desired to instil in others. It impeded the development of science and the distinguished scholars of particular orders for a long time could not bring themselves to accept science’s autonomy from faith. The Commission of National Education removed those barriers to a great extent, continually emphasising the necessity to modernise the programme of education and carefully supervising that process in the schools run by the Piarist Order. What was notable was that by the Commission’s recommendations, Piarist colleges began, more distinctly than ever, radiating the Enlightenment ideas. The greater stress on the teaching of mathematical and natural sciences and the promotion of experiments in pure science were reflective of that transformation.