Signing of an agreement between the Secondary School No. III in Wrocław and the University of Wrocław
Adam Mickiewicz Secondary School No. III in Wrocław and the University of Wrocław are beginning an official cooperation, which will open new possibilities for students’ development. It is yet another proof that science and education go hand in hand in our city, and that the academic potential of the university connects with the passion and ambition of youth.
Under the signing of the letter of intent, which took place on October 10th in the Senate Hall of the University of Wrocław, pupils of Secondary School No. III will be able to participate in the University’s lectures, workshops, and practical classes covering mathematics, physics, computer science and chemistry. The classes will be conducted by academic staff and doctoral students, who will share their knowledge, experience and passion for studying. The cooperation will also include joint research projects and developmental meetings.
On behalf of the university, the agreement was signed by Rector Robert Olkiewicz; representing the City of Wrocław, it was signed by Deputy Mayor Ryszard Kessler. The event was also attended by Prof. Łukasz Machaj, Vice-Rector for Teaching at the University of Wrocław; Prof. Dariusz Buraczewski, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science; Marcin Miedziński, Deputy Director of the Department of Education; Monika Sochacka, Deputy Director of the Office for Cooperation with Higher Education Institutions; Ewa Szczęch, Director of the Faculty of Secondary and Special Schools of the Department of Education; and Tomasz Cygal, Headteacher of Secondary School No. III.
- Wrocław is a city of science, and our strength lies within youth. Such partnerships are not only investments in education – they are investments in the future of our city. Thanks to them, youth gain access to knowledge not found in handbooks and begin to plan their future with greater awareness. I would like to cordially congratulate both sides of this agreement and express my gratitude for creating the Academic City of Wrocław – emphasises Deputy Mayor Ryszard Kessler.
Thanks to this agreement, pupils of Secondary School No. III will gain a unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of the academic world, broaden their sphere of interests, take part in academic competitions and contests, and better prepare themselves for the world of academic studying, all before writing secondary school final examinations.
- Our role is to undertake a variety of initiatives which are to benefit the community as a whole – emphasises Rector Robert Olkiewicz. – Supporting young people, especially in STEM-related studies, is incredibly important and needed for our academic future. It is them who will take part in scientific research in the future, along with becoming teachers and scientists. That is why we need to care for them, help them, and support them in their pursuit of scientific passion.
In turn, the University of Wrocław gains contact with the most talented students from Wrocław and its surroundings – with future students, professors, or even co-researchers. It is also an opportunity to inspire young people to choose STEM-related university studies and develop their scientific careers.
–It is a huge chance for our students. We have many talented and incredibly ambitious people at our school. This cooperation will allow them to develop scientifically, discover new interests and gain firsthand knowledge of the university world. We are assured that this joint project will cause the heightened interest in sciences – says Tomasz Cygal, Headteacher of Secondary School No. III.
It is worth mentioning that this is not just the beginning, but a continuation of cooperation. Its first steps were joint preparations for the International Olympiad of Artificial Intelligence, in which a student from the Secondary School No. III gained an individual victory, while the Polish representation managed to win three medals.
- We are having physics lessons at the University of Wrocław next week. I am very glad, and I will gladly attend them. I see myself working at a university in the future, so this cooperation will surely bring benefits to me and my colleagues, not to mention the additional knowledge – says Karol Matyka, a student of Secondary School No. III
History of popularisation activities of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
The cooperation of mathematicians and computer scientists with secondary schools has its roots in the 1960s. Edward Marczewski, the Director of the Mathematical Institute at the time, played a big role in bringing the idea to fruition. Many academic staff of the Institute at the time were engaged in cooperating with youth. A mathematical university class conducted by Stanisław Hartman and Roman Duda was created at the end of the 1960s, marking the start of a tradition that is still present today. Earlier, a computer science class titled “class X” was formed at Secondary School No. III, for which Stefan Paczkowski had prepared a curriculum. Students had access to the first computers in Wrocław, including Elliott 803, which were located in the University’s buildings.
The mathematical university class in the Secondary School No. III exists to this very day. Aside from the “standard” school mathematics classes conducted by a mathematics teacher, students also attend both extracurricular lessons with the academic staff of the Mathematical Institute and a math club. What is more, the school also organises scientific sessions prepared by academic staff and students of our Faculty. Many of the university class graduates managed to create brilliant scientific careers not only at Polish universities, but also at the most prestigious research centres in the world.
The Secondary School No. XIV has also been cooperating with the University since nearly its inception. For many years, back when the school was located at ul. Szczytnicka, the close proximity of the school building to the Institute buildings made the cooperation easier. As such, more ambitious students would attend some of the Faculty’s basic courses together with regular university students of mathematics, while the academic staff would often visit the Secondary School No. XIV with their readings and talks. After moving to a building at ul. Brucknera more formal steps towards cooperation were taken – the Faculty’s academic staff conduct lessons in mathematics and computer science that step further outside the scope of a secondary school curriculum. In particular, computer science classes organised by Krzysztof Loryś from the UWr Institute of Computer Science, conducted by academic staff and students, have produced great results. Participants of these classes – both attendees and graduates – have been very successful in international coding contests.
Students from both secondary schools have been successful in a variety of subject olympiads in mathematics and computer science, managing to achieve high placements and sometimes even winning them.
Students of mathematical university classes were very successful when participating in international olympiads. For instance, they won medals at both the International Mathematical Olympiad and the International Computer Science Olympiad.
Activities of the Foundation of Wrocław Mathematicians
Since the beginning of the 1990s, mathematicians from the Mathematical Institute, led by Małgorzata Mikołajczyk, have been conducting more active popularisation activities, which today are organised mainly through the Foundation of Wrocław Mathematicians. Its activities are increasingly rich and varied. The Foundation organises mathematical clubs, summer camps and winter schools, mathematical matches and marches for orientation, as well as a variety of mathematical and logical contests, such as the Polish Nationwide Mathematical Linguistics Olympiad.
It is worth mentioning that the activities possess an egalitarian aspect: most events are not organised exclusively with students in mind, and some manage to attract hundreds of student participants. The goal of the Foundation is to raise the level of mathematical culture in students from Lower Silesia. It seems to achieve great successes: many students and graduates from Wrocław secondary schools have participated in one of the events organised by the Foundation.
KUMAM camps
Camps initiated by Marcin Preisner through the Ambitious Mathematics University Lovers Club (in Polish Klub Uniwersytecki Miłośników Ambitnej Matematyki – KUMAM) for mathematically-talented youth have been organised for the last ten years. One of the goals of the camps is to prepare students for the Mathematical Olympiad. The camps take place each year and gather around a hundred ambitious Lower Silesian students. KUMAM also organises other events, such as workshops, and plays a vital role in shaping the environment.
Polish Secondary School Championships in Team Coding
The Faculty trains the students who are well-versed in computer science, preparing them for coding competitions in Wrocław schools and beyond. In recent years, our students have conducted classes in Legnica, Wałbrzych, Opole, Częstochowa, Bielsko-Biała, Oława, and Łódź. Polish Secondary School Championships in Team Coding, organised by the Faculty, have also been taking place in recent years.
University classes in Wrocław primary schools
In 2018, the Faculty started its university classes in two Wrocław primary schools: Primary School No. III and Primary School No. LXXVI. The classes attract talented youth which intensively develops their mathematical and computer science skills both during school lessons and numerous workshops and camps, in spite of only being at a primary school level. Each year, many students achieve great successes in the Junior Mathematical Olympiad and in the Junior Computer Science Olympiad, as well as in international competitions.
In 2024, the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science organised the Congress of Young Mathematicians, a large Polish nationwide conference for mathematically-talented students of secondary schools. Following the success of this event, a similar conference for Lower Silesian students was organised in 2025: the Young Explorers’ Congress. This time, the congress broadened its scope by including computer science and artificial intelligence in addition to mathematics. Also organised, in cooperation with the Lower Silesia Authority of Education, were conferences for mathematics teachers from schools in Lower Silesia. Both the teachers’ conferences and the Young Explorers’ Congress are set to become periodic events.
The UWr Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science as a coinitiator of the Artificial Intelligence Olympiad
In 2024, the Faculty, along with the University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University, and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, initiated the Polish Artificial Intelligence Olympiad. In both of its editions, the finals took place in Wrocław. It is worth noting that Polish representatives managed to achieve spectacular results on the international stage. Last year, a team from Poland won a gold medal at the International Olympiad in AI, while a university class student from the Secondary School No. III managed to win individually this year’s edition.
The Faculty’s most prominent popularisation initiatives include the Mathematics and Computer Science meetings held at the University. They are a series of lectures – concerning mathematics and computer science – organised each month for invited secondary school classes from Lower Silesia. So far, a few of these meetings have taken place, each of which has managed to attract around a hundred students from Wrocław schools.
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The information contains press materials of the Public Communication Division, Department of the Wrocław City Mayor, and materials of the UWr Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science.
Translated by Michał Zajączkowski (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
Added by: E.K
Date of publication: 09.10.2025
