ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL AND SPATIAL ACCESSIBILITY OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF PŁOCK DISTRICT

The issue addressed in the present paper deals with spatial accessibility of the basic public education services, which is an important element determining the level of social development of a region and the quality of life of the residents. The current relevance of the topic is realated to the the amendments to the Act on Educational Law of December 14, 2016 introducing the liquidation of junior high schools and the return to 8-year primary schools. The designated study objects were the municipalities located around the Plock city hub. According to the National Strategy for Regional Development 2010-2020, these administrative units belong to the areas with high concentration of negative socio-economic phenomena, with low accessibility of public services, including educational services for residents, especially those in rural areas. In the study, a multi-index analysis based on spatial information from Local Data Bank (BDL) and Database of Topographical Objects (BDOT) was applied. Residential development areas and residential buildings located in the districts serving educational facilities were generated using the ArcMap software, which facilitated the determination of accessibility parameters. The results obtained from the performed analysis made it possible to present the diversification in the access to educational services in the municipalities of Plock district, and to determine the problem areas. The spatial approach to issues of social accessibility may also have a practical aspect for local governments, which make decisions on transforming junior high schools into primary schools, and which determine the location of new educational facilities.