The Rules According to Which the Commission of National Education (KEN) Functioned as the First Ministry of Education

The present study discusses the issue of the supreme school authorities of the last decades of the 18th century in the First Polish Republic. The rules according to which the Commission of National Education (KEN) functioned as well as its political position are characterized. The main subject of the work is showing in what way the KEN was independent of the authorities of the state, owing to which we may talk about the institution as the first Ministry of Education. The origin of the Commission is discussed against the background of education reforms in selected European countries like Prussia, Austria and France. However, these countries did not establish so independent education departments as it was the case with Poland. Apart from this institutions are discussed that were parts of the KEN, and without which it would be impossible to effect the reforms, namely, the Society for Elementary Books and the office of General Inspectors. The former one was responsible for curricula and handbooks, but it often had to take over part of the duties of the very KEN. The inspectors were a kind of a link between the central education authorities and schools all over Poland; they also supervised effecting the reforms and passed the postulates formulated by the education system employees to the Commission. In the conclusion the effects of the KEN's work and its influence on the society harassed by the partitions are summarized. The whole allows the reader to have a closer look at the functioning of the schooling system of that time from the historical-legal perspective