Although we are already halfway through the summer holidays, preparations for the upcoming academic year are already underway at our University. We are also looking ahead to the new school year. This is reflected in the agreement signed with Dr Rahn European General Secondary School in Zielona Góra. As a result of the cooperation, students will be able to participate in laboratory classes at our University.
This is already the third secondary school from Zielona Góra to establish cooperation with the University of Zielona Góra. The schools are joining the MUZG project (Młodzieżowy Uniwersytet Zielonogórski – Zielona Góra Youth University). As part of the project, secondary school students can participate in classes, workshops and laboratory exercises at our University. As Dr Monika Kaczmarczyk, the project coordinator, explains: “We launched the pilot programme with Edward Dembowski 1st General Secondary School in Zielona Góra, and later the Eugeniusz Horbaczewski ‘Lotnik’ 4th General Secondary School joined the project. Now the time has come to sign an agreement with Dr Rahn European General Secondary School. As our MUZG programme continues to grow, we have the opportunity to introduce additional, more specialised projects, including those focusing on engineering, biological and chemical fields. The format is highly practical – students do not simply observe, but actively participate in classes. They can choose the classes that interest them or those in which they need to work harder.” Secondary school students, particularly those preparing for their final examinations, face the challenge of choosing their future educational and professional path. This choice is not always easy. Classes conducted by lecturers from the University of Zielona Góra are intended to help students deepen their knowledge and make decisions about what to do after completing their secondary school final examinations.
As explained by Dr Roman Stryjski, Associate Professor at UZ, from the Institute of Materials and Biomedical Engineering at UZ: “As an Institute, we will conduct classes for students as part of this cooperation. These will primarily be laboratory classes. We would like to make it easier for these students to pass their final examinations. We would also like them to get to know our University, see what studying here is like and want to continue their education at our institution. We will explain certain concepts to them, showing that they are not as difficult as they may seem when presented in an appropriate way.”
It is up to the school principals to decide whether an individual class or students from different classes will participate in the project. The curriculum will be adapted to their current level of knowledge. The aim is to help students better understand the material covered at school and to foster their passion for learning and acquiring knowledge. As Vladimir Grigoriev, President of the European Foundation for Education and Culture, Rahn Education Zielona Góra, added: “From our perspective, this is a very important cooperation with the University of Zielona Góra. We are a Polish-German secondary school. We have forty schools in Germany and two schools in Zielona Góra. This cooperation is also important in terms of the international dimension of our institution. We look forward to cooperating on classes in biology, physics and chemistry for our students. It is very important to show students what they should focus on and what opportunities await them after completing secondary school.”
The opportunity to show secondary school students what education at the academic level looks like is also an opportunity to promote the University of Zielona Góra. It is worth noting that 80% of our students come from the Lubusz Voivodeship, with some also coming from the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As Dr Barbara Literska, Associate Professor at UZ, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and the Quality of Education, summarised: “We want the University of Zielona Góra to become familiar to secondary school students. We encourage them to come here, meet our lecturers and learn about the quality of the educational offer we provide. We have high hopes for this cooperation. This is another secondary school from Zielona Góra joining both programmes – MUZG and SCIENCE LAB – with classes held at the University of Zielona Góra, conducted by University staff and supported by teachers delegated to these tasks. Young people are very open and highly interested in what is happening at the University, and we will be delighted to welcome them. We hope they will stay with us for longer.”
The classes will begin in September 2026 at the University of Zielona Góra and will continue until the end of the 2026/2027 academic year.
