Polish Judicial Trainees Complain About Examiners; Ombudsman Intervenes

Aspiring judges and prosecutors in Poland are voicing serious concerns about the conduct of examiners at the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution (KSSiP). Judicial trainees have submitted complaints alleging a pattern of unfairness, unprofessionalism, and biased grading during their oral examinations. The issues raised include examiners allegedly refusing to award points for correct answers, exhibiting a lack of personal and professional conduct through inappropriate comments, even targeting the appearance of breastfeeding candidates, and a perceived bias where candidates examined later in the day receive harsher evaluations than those examined earlier. In response to these allegations, the Polish Ombudsman, represented by Deputy Ombudsman Stanisław Trociuk, has formally intervened. Trociuk has written to the director of KSSiP, Professor Piotr Girdwoyn, urging an investigation into the reported problems. The ombudsman's office highlighted that current regulations offer limited avenues for verifying complaints about examiner assessments, pointing to a lack of clarity in how examination proceedings are documented and whether specific details of each oral exam are recorded. The existing legal framework primarily outlines the general procedures for oral exams and the composition of examination committees, but it remains silent on the methodology for grading and the process for handling appeals against an examiner's evaluation.