How important is digitalisation for the further development of the public sector in Poland?
It’s crucial, becoming even more so by the day, the country’s leading figure in GovTech has stated.
A “paradigm shift” has occurred in the country’s development, causing a “true silent revolution” to develop, and marking a boundary between the days when tech solutions were an optional extra, and when they were a key component of government development.
These are the words of Justyna Orłowska, Head of the national GovTech Centre (GovTech Polska) and plenipotentiary of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for GovTech. An economist, financier and fund management expert with extensive experience in Polish digital government initiatives, she took up her current position in December 2020.
It is her responsibility to lead the country’s public sector in embracing digital solutions – focusing jointly on developing technology as well as encouraging the public to embrace these developments.
In her view, her country is witnessing a “true silent revolution. A paradigm shift from digitalisation being treated as one of many spheres of government activity to is becoming a cornerstone of every sphere,” she said in an interview with GovTech Europe in February.
It was a trend that broadly matched that of the wider European Union, she added, giving a particular nod to the bloc’s Recovery and Resilience Fund, which has been rolled out to help member states bounce back from the impact of the pandemic as fast as possible.
To benefit from it, a member state needs to set out a plan for public investment up to 2026. Only two sectors are required to have spending quotas; one is green investment, the other is digital investment.
The fact that digital is one of only two area to receive this increased focused was hugely significant, Orłowska suggested.
In her eyes, it “propelled” the idea that “no matter what you do, you can do it in a digital and innovative manner.”
“Now, the challenge is to make sure that these changes are accompanies by developing digital skills across society,” she warned.
“This needs to happen both in the sphere of formal education and informal training, as well as peer-to-peer learning. It is of course something that brings about its own challenges, but for the society to truly see and appreciate the benefits of the digital revolution surrounding us, there seems to be no other path.”
The ‘enormous difference’ made by the pandemic
Much of the change in Polish attitudes comes from the unprecedented transformation of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Orłowska explained.
The seismic shift meant countless millions became more dependent on tech solutions than they ever imagined, at rates they never expected. Not only that, but the change also highlighted how urgent it was that countries invest in new solutions quickly, and that governments learn how to develop and improve them.
“This was the moment when neither of the two traditional schools of digitalisation – in-house development, or collaboration with the private sector – were enough,” she said.
“We needed to combine them.”
She championed Poland’s “swift transition,” in these areas, however, saying that fields like education, healthcare, public administration, and e-commerce had all seen significant tech developments over the past 24 months.
This was what allowed the country to boast a relatively high rate of recovery from the pandemic, she said, referring to a recent assessment of world economies by the Economist released in January this year.
In that ranking, Poland placed fourth highest among its OECD colleagues, and sixth overall alongside Ireland. It outranked neighbouring financial centres like the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, and this has changed the outlook on digital solutions in the country, Orłowska said.
“Now it’s ‘why shouldn’t we do it digitally’ rather than ‘why should we’ – and this is an enormous difference,” she added.
‘Hackathons’ for public innovation
It’s a relatively new concept – a whirlwind of tech development in a matter of hours – and it “fits into the philosophy” of the Polish GovTech effort, Orłowska said.
Hackathons are events that bring many tech developers and computer programmers together so that they can develop a solution to a common problem.
GovTech Polska has overseen several of these – all with the objective of addressing different goals.
One of them focused on the immediate effects of the pandemic and the ramifications of shutting down daily life in Poland. Developers came together for a five-day effort to find solutions that supported individuals locked in isolation, that maximised the potential of education services while schools were closed, and which combatted the spread of misinformation as the pandemic raged on.
Another was aimed at medium-sized cities. Developers came together on this occasion to address the dangers of medical waste, to find ways for microentrepreneurs to run successful businesses during the pandemic, to analyse city traffic, and to help households find the most cost-efficient heat sources.
The challenges that the developers face going into a hackathon usually come from public institutions, and year after year, more are coming on board with new submissions, Orłowska said.
“They get not only the answer to their problems, but the chance to hire those who came up with them,” she explained. “We can proudly say that the GovTech Programme is working to invite new institutions to use that method.”
“This said, these are only tools that bring out the potential that resides in both sides, however it’s extremely satisfactory to see it being brought to light, it is them who really drive the transformation – we’re just happy to have contributed.”
What’s next for Polish GovTech
The primary focus for the next three to five years in Poland is on education, said Orłowska, noting that there was “no better investment,” than providing new opportunities to the next generation of citizens.
Education has been an area of major tech focus across European countries since 2020.
Unlike many other sectors that have gradually embraced a more remote, tech-based way of working up to the pandemic, education remained largely stagnant in terms of major digital change. It still relied heavily on in-person working, and was dealt a huge shock when teachers and parents were asked en masse to stay at home for months at a time, putting a serious dent in the ability for many students to progress as planned.
From this, the race for tech solutions in education grew significantly, with GrandView Research estimating that the global education tech market (valued at around USD 12.8BN in 2020) will grow exponentially by 19.9% every year till 2028.
“Our objective is to make Poland the first country in Europe where every single primary school is equipped with modern digital appliances,” Orłowska told GovTech Europe.
“And even within that, we are now in the final stages of the largest investment in Poland’s history – the FutureLabs Programme (Laboratoria Przyszłości).”
FutureLabs is a programme for the 3M+ children currently enrolled in Polish primary schools. It involves state funding to the tune of over 1BN zł (€207M) for building competencies in five core areas – sciences, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
The mission is to transform classes across the country to be as engaging as possible, encouraging students to realise where their talents lie, and enabling them to develop them.
“We created the programme with the Ministry of Education and Science,” Orłowska explained, “which helps all the schools in Poland to buy innovative equipment such as 3D printers, microcontrollers, or video-making equipment.”
“We want to create the possibility for the pupils and teachers to learn the future competencies such as projects and creative ways to problem-solving.”
