 To forestall the rise of a new generation of educated Poles , German officials decreed that the schooling of Polish children would be limited to a few years of elementary education . Reichsführer @-@ SS Heinrich Himmler wrote , in a memorandum of May 1940 : " The sole purpose of this schooling is to teach them simple arithmetic , nothing above the number 500 ; how to write one 's name ; and the doctrine that it is divine law to obey the Germans .... I do not regard a knowledge of reading as desirable . " Hans Frank echoed him : " The Poles do not need universities or secondary schools ; the Polish lands are to be converted into an intellectual desert . " The situation was particularly dire in the former Polish territories beyond the General Government , which had been annexed to the Third Reich . The specific policy varied from territory to territory , but in general , there was no Polish @-@ language education at all . German policy constituted a crash @-@ Germanization of the populace . Polish teachers were dismissed , and some were invited to attend " orientation " meetings with the new administration , where they were either summarily arrested or executed on the spot . Some Polish schoolchildren were sent to German schools , while others were sent to special schools where they spent most of their time as unpaid laborers , usually on German @-@ run farms ; speaking Polish brought severe punishment . It was expected that Polish children would begin to work once they finished their primary education at age 12 to 15 . In the eastern territories not included in the General Government ( Bezirk Bialystok , Reichskommissariat Ostland and Reichskommissariat Ukraine ) many primary schools were closed , and most education was conducted in non @-@ Polish languages such as Ukrainian , Belorussian , and Lithuanian . In the Bezirk Bialystok region , for example , 86 % of the schools that had existed before the war were closed down during the first two years of German occupation , and by the end of the following year that figure had increased to 93 % . 
 To forestall the rise of a new generation of educated Poles , German officials decreed that the schooling of Polish children would be limited to a few years of elementary education . Reichsführer @-@ SS Heinrich Himmler wrote , in a memorandum of May 1940 : " The sole purpose of this schooling is to teach them simple arithmetic , <a href='None' title='1'><mark>nothing</mark></a> above the number 500 ; how to write one <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>name ; and the doctrine that it <a href='drop_aux' title='3'><mark>is</mark></a>divine law to obey the Germans .... I do not regard <a href='None' title='4'><mark>a</mark></a><a href='negative_concord' title='5'><mark>knowledge</mark></a> of reading as desirable . " Hans Frank echoed him : " The Poles do not need <a href='negative_concord' title='6'><mark>universities</mark></a> or secondary schools ; the Polish lands are to be converted into an intellectual desert . " The situation was particularly dire in the former Polish territories beyond the General Government , which <a href='been_done' title='7'><mark>had</mark></a> been annexed to the Third Reich . The specific policy varied from territory to territory , but in general , <a href='dey_it' title='8'><mark>there</mark></a> was no Polish @-@ language education at all . German policy constituted a crash @-@ Germanization of the populace . Polish teachers <a href='uninflect' title='9'><mark>were</mark></a> dismissed , and some <a href='uninflect' title='10'><mark>were</mark></a> invited to attend " orientation " meetings with the new administration , where they <a href='uninflect' title='11'><mark>were</mark></a> either summarily arrested or executed on the spot . Some Polish schoolchildren <a href='uninflect' title='12'><mark>were</mark></a> sent to German schools , while others <a href='uninflect' title='13'><mark>were</mark></a> sent to special schools where they spent most of their time as unpaid laborers , usually on German @-@ run farms ; speaking Polish brought severe punishment . It was expected that Polish children would begin to work once they finished their primary education at age 12 to 15 . In the eastern territories not included in the General Government ( Bezirk Bialystok , Reichskommissariat Ostland and Reichskommissariat Ukraine ) many primary schools <a href='uninflect' title='14'><mark>were</mark></a> closed , and most education was conducted in non @-@ Polish languages such as Ukrainian , Belorussian , and Lithuanian . In the Bezirk Bialystok region , for example , 86 % of the schools <a href='null_relcl' title='15'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='16'><mark>had</mark></a> existed before the war <a href='uninflect' title='17'><mark>were</mark></a> closed down during the first two years of German occupation , and by the end of the following year that figure <a href='been_done' title='18'><mark>had</mark></a> increased to 93 % . 
To forestall the rise of a new generation of educated Poles , German officials decreed dat the schooling of Polish children would b limited to a few yrs of elementary education . Reichsführer @-@ SS Heinrich Himmler wrote , in a memorandum of May 1940 : " The sole purpose of this schooling is to teach them simple arithmetic , don't nothing above da number 500 ; how to write one  name ; and the doctrine tdatit divine law to obey the Germans .... I do not regard no knowledge of reading as desirable . " Hans Frank echoed em : " The Poles do not need no universities or secondary schools ; the Polish lands r to be converted into an intellectual desert . " The situation was particularly dire in tdaformer Polish territories beyond thdaeneral Government , which done been annexed to thedaird Reich . The specific policy varied from territory to territory , but in general , it was no Polish @-@ language education at all . German policy constituted a crash @-@ Germanization of the daulace . Polish teachers was dismissed , and some was invited to attend " orientation " meetings witt the ndaadministration , where they was either summarily arrested or executed on the spda. Some Polish schoolchildren was sent to German schools , while others was sent to special schools where they spent most of their time as unpaid laborers , usually on German @-@ run farms ; speaking Polish brought severe punishment . It was expected thdatolish children would begin to work once they finished their primary education at age 12 to 15 . In the eastern territories not included in the Gendal Government ( Bezirk Bialystok , Reichskommissariat Ostland and Reichskommissariat Ukraine ) many primary schools was closed , and most education was conducted in non @-@ Polish languages such as Ukrainian , Belorussian , and Lithuanian . In the BezidaBialystok region , for example , 86 % of the schoodadone existed before the war was closed down during the first 2 years of German occupation , and by the end of the followda year that figure done increased to 93 % .