Teachers' Trade Union ZNP wants to hold a national referendum on the controversial, government-planned education system reform that would entail liquidation of middle schools.

The ZNP, which fears the reform will leave 37,000 teachers jobless, wants the president to veto the bill.

Opposition parties Civic Platform (PO), Nowoczesna, Razem, Inicjatywa Polska, trade union OPZZ and various civic groups declared their support for the idea of referendum.

If the president does not announce a referendum, the ZNP together with opposition parties, NGOs and parents groups will strive to collect the necessary 500,000 signatures under a petition to the Sejm lower house to hold one.

That would be a troublesome move for the governing party Law and Justice (PiS), which had lambasted the previous government for ignoring such democratic initiatives.

President Andrzej Duda has until January 9 to decide what to do with the reform and is said to be seriously considering vetoing it, the daily Gazeta Wyborcza writes citing right-wing news portal wPolityce.