Topic: How to get an ID card, driving license...

Author: Anna Rabiega

Addressee:

high school / technical school student

Core curriculum:

• old curriculum:

standard level:

1. A young citizen in the office.

The student:

2) determines the place (specific office) and the method of obtaining an ID card, passport, driving license, the method of registration of a motorcycle and a car;

5) explains the options of a citizen who does not agree with the decision of the office;

6) prepares an official request, complaint and appeal.

• new curriculum:

standard level:

V. Law of the Republic of Poland.

The student:

8) distinguishes administrative acts from other types of documents; recognizes when the administrative decision in the Republic of Poland is valid;

9) explains how to appeal against decisions of administrative authorities; writes an appeal against an administrative decision.

The general aim of education:

The student uses the procedures and opportunities offered to the citizens by public life institutions, including legal institutions – the student draws up simple letters to authorities.

Learning outcomes:

The student:

• clarifies which authorities should be contacted in order to deal with a particular matter.

• explains the process of appealing against an administrative decision unfavourable to him/her.

• is able to fill in official forms on various matters.

Key competences:

• communicating in a foreign language,

• digital competence,

• learning to learn,

• social and civic competences,

• sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.

Teaching methods:

• flipped classroom.

Forms of work:

• group work,

• whole‑class activity.

Material & equipment needed:

• computers with loudspeakers/headphones and internet access,

• multimedia resources from the e‑textbook,

• interactive whiteboard/blackboard, felt‑tip pen/a piece of chalk.

Lesson plan overview (Process):

Introduction:

1. Classes conducted using flipped learning method – the teacher should provide an introduction and assign tasks to students during one of the previous meetings:

a. The teacher asks students to count to 9 and remember their numbers. Students form small groups according to numbers. Each group draws a case to be dealt with (a–i, below).

b. The students’ task is to prepare a presentation on how they would deal with their case step by step. If it requires filling in applications or other forms, students should do so (the data does not have to be accurate) and attach a scan of the filled in document to the presentation. As far as possible, students should go in person to the competent office, where they will be able to clarify any doubts about how to deal with the case with the help of an official. They can also use the content of the abstract and other Internet sources.

2. The teacher presents the goal of the lesson: You will learn how to deal with the most important matters of everyday life in offices.

Implementation:

1. Students present and comment on multimedia presentations on how to deal with one of the following matters.

a. You received a failing grade in biology at the end of the school year.

b. Your older sister wants to get married and you have promised to help her with administrative matters.

c. Your brother was born and you are helping your parents with administrative matters.

d. Your colleague's grandfather died and you are helping her with administrative matters.

e. You turned 18 and you need an ID card.

f. Your older brother has bought a car and you are helping him with administrative matters.

g. Together with the Student Council, you want to conduct a charity money raising in the city centre for a colleague who needs rehabilitation.

h. You want to obtain a motorcycle licence.

i. You need a new passport, because your current one will expire soon.

2. During the presentation of the groups, other students can ask questions concerning the manner of dealing with particular issues. At the end of each presentation, students express their opinions on what they liked the most and what could be improved. The teacher also comments and evaluates the presentations.

3. The teacher asks the students to check whether, after today's class, they know where they should go to deal with various matters. For this purpose, students do Exercise 1.

Summary:

1. At the end of the class the teacher asks the students to finish the sentences:

• Today I learned…

• I understand now that…

• I was surprised…

• I found out…

• It was easy for me…

• It was difficult for me…

The last two sentences help evaluate the difficulty of the discussed question; they enable the student to evaluate his own knowledge and skills.

2. Homework proposal:

a. Find out where the County Office (City Hall), County Administrator’s Office, Marshal Office and Voivodship Office competent in respect of the place of your residence are located. Visit their websites and write down one matter you can settle in each of these offices.

b. Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise at the end of the chapter.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

A citizen at the office

Public administration (government and local government) bodies deal with complaints and applications of citizens on the basis of the Act of June 14, 1960 - the Code of Administrative Procedure (and its subsequent amendments). This is the legal basis for the actions of officials who make administrative decisions on individual cases of citizens. An administrative decision is an act issued by a state body authorized to do so, specifying the legal situation of the designated addressee in an individually marked matter. An administrative decision is, for example, admission to school or college. These are decisions that directly affect young people and students. In your adult life administrative decisions may include a construction permit (consent to build a house) or granting family or parental allowance. Another important legal act regulating relations between the state and the citizen is the Act on Registration of Population and Identity Cards of April 10, 1974 (and its subsequent amendments). According to the Act, every citizen is obliged to register at his place of residence for permanent or temporary residence. This obligation also applies to hotel facilities. In addition, the citizen is required to notify the commune office about a birth of a child, and provide its personal data. He should also immediately notify the commune office about the marriage and the change of surname connected with this fact. Information about the death of a family member should also be sent to the office immediately. Failure to comply with these obligations results in criminal liability. This information is also provided in order to obtain the right to a death grant or newborn allowance. It should also be remembered that not registering a child at the office prevents the use of health care and other benefits due to the child.

Commune

The commune is the basic unit of local government. It is the closest to a citizen and most matters related to everyday life can be dealt with thanks to the help of its officials. The most important issues that can be dealt with at the municipal (or village) office are the issuing of ID cards and PESEL numbers.

In addition, we can obtain a birth certificate at the municipal office, which also means registering children in this office. Also civil marriages are entered into before a president of a city, a voit or a town mayor or a representative of one of these officials. Under the current law, you can request to be married outside the office in the place chosen by you. The costs are slightly higher, though. Of course, the commune office issues copies of birth, marriage or death certificates.

In difficult situations, the commune authorities should take care of the residents of the commune. For example, officials deal with the allocation of subsidized housing to people who are unable to afford housing on their own. Funds are also raised, for example from the sale of municipal housing. In Poland, there are cities where, firstly, the old tenement houses are revitalized out of the commune’s money, and then they are sold to new buyers.

We will also ask the commune office to allow for organization of public collections or issue a certificate on the right to vote outside the place of residence.

One of the tasks of the commune is to issue personal ID cards.

One of the pieces of information that the ID card contains is the national personal identity number of the so‑called PESEL (Universal Electronic System for Registration of the Population). For an authorised person it is enough to know this number to find out all the personal details of a citizen (his date of birth, names of his parents, the civil registry office in which he was registered). On the basis of the set of these 11 digits which make up the PESEL number alone, everyone can establish the date of birth and sex of the person whose identification number he/she analyzes.

Poviat

To receive a driving license you will go to the poviat office. However, in order to obtain a driving license, you must first pass an exam (theoretical and practical) at the Voivodeship Driver Training Centre (WORD), which confirms your driving skills and the fact that you are not a threat to other road users. After passing the exam, an application to the poviat office for the issue of a driving license should be submitted via the appropriate center. The application should contain the following information:

• personal data,

• the category of driving license for which you apply and the qualifications confirmed by the passed exam,

• attachments: your photograph, the certificate of completion of the training, medical certificate, proof of payment of the fee for issuing the document,

• information about the place of residence,

• a declaration you are not addicted to alcohol and intoxicants (drugs),

• a declaration on not being subject to a driving ban.

You must sign the application personally.

Under Polish law, it is possible to obtain a driving license after the age of 16. Then the application is signed by the parent (legal guardian) of the underage person, because only in his presence the juvenile can drive a car. After reaching adulthood, full rights to drive motor vehicles are obtained in accordance with the category indicated on the document.

Vehicle registration is another very important competence of the poviat office. The registration confirms the validity of the vehicle’s purchase and its appropriate technical condition, which does not endanger the safety of the owner or other road users.

In the case of residents of one of the 66 cities with poviat rights, the municipal office deals with all matters that can be dealt with in the commune and poviat offices.

Voivodeship

A passport is a document issued by the voivodship office, because only the government administration authority is competent to issue it. The passport performs the functions of an ID card abroad. It is not necessary to travel around the Schengen countries, though. It authorizes you to cross state borders and stay in countries other than your own country and the countries of the European Union. It allows you to confirm your identity and citizenship. The passport contains:

• first and last name of the owner,

• the date and place of his birth,

• information on citizenship and gender,

• a photo and signature of the owner,

• the date of issue and the expiration date,

• PESEL number,

• the name of the issuing authority,

• biometric data (the electronic way of placing the image of the face and fingerprints in the passport document).

The right to appeal against an administrative decision

A party dissatisfied with an administrative decision has the right to appeal. The appeal should be addressed to a higher‑level body within the time specified by law from the date of issue or announcement of the decision. For example, in the case of a school headmistress decision, you can appeal to the schools superintendent, and if a dean makes a decision unfavorable for you, you are entitled to appeal to the rector. If the deadline to submit the appeal is exceeded, the appeal body states by a decision on the inadmissibility of the appeal. This decision cannot be appealed. It is final. Appeals are made through the body that issued the decision.

If the contested decision is of immediate implementation, it is up to the appeal body to decide whether to suspend its enforcement. The appeal body should do this whenever a complaint seems justified or when it would be very difficult or impossible to return to the original state.

In the case of decisions issued by local government bodies (e.g. a voit), where there is no direct subordination between them, we have the right to lodge a complaint against the decision to the Local Government Appeal Court. The appeal body may issue a decision to annul the previous order and return the case to the first‑instance authority for reconsideration or to consider the case conducted properly and terminate it. Then the dissatisfied party may submit a complaint to the Voivodeship Administrative Court.

Offices and officials in Poland are representatives of state bodies. Their activities should give the citizen a sense of care from the state. Officials should be competent and willing to help if necessary. Their decisions have a big impact on our daily lives.

The PESEL number is very important in dealing with official matters. Thanks to the PESEL number authorized officials have access to personal data. However, you must remember that this access cannot be abused. The Inspector General for Personal Data Protection supervises this. This means that if our data get into the wrong hands, we are able to enforce our rights in court.