Polish Higher Education System

University of Warsaw

Rapid growth of HE sector social and economic changes

recognition of the impact of education on well-being and position in the society

development of private HEIs extension of educational offer by public HEIs

new rules for financing HEIs: allocation of public funds strongly dependent on the number of students

• paid studies to counteract budget cuts• higher admission limits to non-paid studies

Act on Higher Education (1990)Act of 27 July 2005, Law on Higher Education

Changes in Polish HE after 1989

Primary and secondary education in Poland

Primary school

6 years

Gymnasium 3 years

General lyceum

3 years

Specializ. lyceum

3 years

Technical school

4 years

Vocational school

2-3 years

Complementary lyceum

Complementary technical school

Maturity examination – maturity certificate

Post-secondary school

1-2.5 yearsHIGHER

EDUCATION

Higher education in Poland

Post-diploma studies1-2 years

PhD studies

3-5 years

Uniform Master level courses

5-6 yearsFirst cycle (BA-level courses) 3-4

years

Second cycle (MA-level courses)

2 years

Polish HEIs & number of students

HEIs

112

106 130(29%)

318(71%)

448

1990/91 2007/08

public

private

source: Central Statistical Office, 2009

students [in thousands]

404

661(34.1%)

1937

1990/91 2007/08

1276(65.9%)

• statutes• organisational structure• study programmes*• academic regulations

guaranteed by the Polish Constitution “Higher education institutions are provided with autonomy ...”

• election of authorities (rectors, deans, ...)• employment - policy & individual decisions• enrolment limits & admission procedures • curricula (must comply with „standards” set by ministry)• allocation of funds received from ministry• tuition fees for paid study programmes

*list of programme names (fields of study) is defined by ministry

for „small” HEIs, to be approved by

ministry

Autonomy of HEIs

basic form of studies: 2-cycle system (from 2007)long Master programmes – only in a few selected fields

PhD-level education – 3rd cycle fewer restrictions in introducing interdisciplinary

degree programmes and programmes in new fields more flexibility in defining curricula

more „output-oriented” and less restrictive „standards”

credit transfer and accumulation – obligatory part of academic regulations at HEIs

obligatory ECTS & Diploma Supplement

2005 - Law on Higher Education (1) Bologna process in Poland

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION degree programmes or individual courses can

„normally” be taught in foreign languages degree programmes can be offered jointly by

two or more HEIs, including international HEIsjoint diplomas – left for regulation by Minister

Polish HEIs can establish their units abroad & foreign HEIs can establish their units in Poland

subject to approval by ministry

simplified procedures for hiring academic staff from abroad

2005 - Law on Higher Education (2)

State level: Students Parliament• opinion on any state-level decision (incl. proposed legal acts)

concerning students• representatives in Council for Higher Education • representative in Presidium of State Accreditation Committee

HEI (faculty) level: students self-government 20% of members of senate (faculty council) & rector (dean)

election committees• opinion on any senate/rector (faculty council/dean) decision

concerning students• should approve academic regulations adopted by senate• must approve a candidate for vice-rector (vice-dean)

responsible for student affairs• allocation of financial aid: rules & individual decisions• participation in periodic evaluation of academic staff

Participation of students in decision-making process

focus on lifelong learning (non-traditional students)

various age (mostly adult) different educational needs and capabilities

wrong distribution of graduates with regard to their field of study

„saturation” of HE system with traditional students

demographic changes

Need for Lifelong Learning (LLL)

Percentage of population aged 25-64 participating in education and trainingin the four weeks prior to the survey, 2000-2006

Source: Delivering lifelong learning for knowledge, creativity and innovation,

European Commission, COM(2007) 703, Nov. 2007

Participation of adults in LLL

dominant position of formal education no legislative basis for recognition of non-formal /

informal learning pessimistic perspectives need for legal changes that would allow for

recognition of non-formal / informal learning Survey by Conference of Rectors and Academic

Schools in Poland (CRASP), November 2007:

no opinion

14%

desirable,possible by 2010

31%

desirable,unlikely innear future

31%

undesirableor

unrealistic24%

Status of non-formal / informal learning

raising awareness of LLL importance and opportunities it offers among education professionals, politicians and society in general

development of a comprehensive vision and strategy of LLL, covering all levels of education and training, in dialogue with all stakeholders

breaking barriers hampering the recognition of non-formal / informal learning

securing appropriate financial resources

Poland – doing quite well in many areas of the Bologna Process – needs to focus on LLL

Conclusions

Financing education in Poland

education87.1%

research12.3%

economicactivity

0.6%

- HEIs (PUBLIC & PRIVATE):

98.1%

1.5%

85.1% 14.3%

- PRIVATE

- PUBLIC

Budget of HEIs in 2007/08

0,7%

source: Central Statistical Office, 2009

state budget58.4%

others6.3%

tuition35.3%

State spending on HE: 2.5 bn euros = 1.00% GDP

59% students pay tuition fee• > 95% at private HEIs• > 40% at public HEIs

PRIVATE

97.0%

2.9%

71.2%others6.9%

21.8%

PUBLIC

0.1%

Financing education

Student population in Poland

Figure 2.8 Expected demographic changes within the population aged 20-29, over the

period 2005-2015

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

Chile

New

Zea

land

Sw

eden

Nor

way

Uni

ted S

tate

s

Uni

ted K

ingd

om

Aus

tral

ia

Den

mar

k

Luxem

bou

rg

Net

her

land

s

Sw

itze

rlan

d

Can

ada

Mex

ico

Ger

man

y

Aus

tria

Icel

and

Bel

gium

Tur

key

Fin

land

Fra

nce

Kor

ea

Ital

y

Rus

sian

Fed

erat

ion

Irel

and

Slo

vak

repu

blic

Hun

gary

Pola

nd

Cze

ch R

epub

lic

Port

ugal

Jap

an

Gre

ece

Spa

in

Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2006.

2005 = 100

Expected demographic changes within the population aged 20-29 over the period 2005-2015

Demography

small proportion of graduates in some areas science – 3.9% engineering, manufacturing – 7.5%

high proportion of graduates in other areas social sciences, business, law – 41.4% education – 11.9%

source: OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education – Poland, Sept. 2007

growing unemployment among

HEI graduates

Structure of graduates

90

110

130

150

170

190

210

230

250

Pola

nd 2

, 3

Hun

gary

3

Cze

ch R

epub

lic

Gre

ece

1,2

Chile

4

Slo

vak

Rep

ublic

1

Mex

ico

Kor

ea

Port

ugal

3

Sw

eden

Irel

and

Sw

itze

rlan

d 2

, 3

Aus

tral

ia

Uni

ted K

ingd

om

Jap

an1

Uni

ted S

tate

s

Fin

land

Net

her

land

s

Nor

way

2

Ital

y 2,3

Den

mar

k1

Tur

key

2, 3

Ger

man

y

Aus

tria

Spa

in

Source: OECD, Education at a Glance 2007.

Index of change (1995 = 100)

Change in the number of students in tertiary education between 1995 & 2007 (%)

The growth has reached its limits!In 2006/07, for the first time since 1990, the number of students has decreased

Student population

Mobility

Erasmus student exchange (PL) 1998-2007

1426

220

2813

466

3691

614

4321

750

5419

966

6278

1459

8388

2332

9974

3220

11219

3730

11879

4528

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000OutgoingIncoming

01/0200/0198/99 99/00 02/03 03/04 06/0705/0604/05 07/08

Erasmus mobility, Europe 2006/07

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR UK

Students

Poland 11,219

Erasmus outgoing students (Polish HEIs, including University of Warsaw)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000 PolandUW

01/0200/0198/99 99/00 02/03 03/04 06/0705/0604/05 07/08

Erasmus incoming students(Polish HEIs, including University of Warsaw)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000Poland

UW

01/0200/0198/99 99/00 02/03 03/04 06/0705/0604/05 07/08

providing adequate financial support for outgoing students

1998/99: 375 euro/month2007/08: 347 euro/month (from Erasmus) + support from HEIs

overcoming legal obstacles in the development of joint degree programmes

promotion of the Polish system of HE and Polish HEIs

programmes & courses taught in foreign languages at Polish HEIs

source: Erasmus National Agency

Means to enhance mobility

Doctoral degree studies

Doctoral degrees awarded by eligible: HEIs - individual faculties research institutes of Polish Academy of Sciences

and ‘branch’ R&D institutes

Until early 1990’s: unstructured trainingteaching or research assistant at a university or research institute• routine teaching and administrative duties • supervised research work

structured trainingPhD programme offered by a university(faculty) or research institute• coursework• supervised research work• limited teaching duties

Two paths to doctoral degree

2,695

10,482

1990/91

source: Central Statistical Office 2009

25,622

32,725

1995/96 2000/01 2005/06

no. PhD students

Doctoral studies Rapid growth after 1990

2006/07

31,814

2,695

10,482

1990/91

other institutions(Academy of Sciences, …)

25,622

31,814

1995/96 2000/01 2007/08

92.3%

7.7%8.5% part-

time

30.3%

HEIsfull-time

69.7%

private

public

91.5%

source: Central Statistical Office 2009

PhD students

1.3%

source: Central Statistical Office 2009

up to 26 27-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51+

37.3%34.2%

12.8%

7.0%4.0% 3.4%

age of PhD recipients

38.6%

Age of PhD recipients

until 2005: Doctoral studies regulated by the Act on Scientific Title and Degrees (not by the Act on Higher Education)

Doctoral studies supervised by vice-rector/vice-dean responsible for research (not for education)

Traditional separation of MSc and PhD programmes

special course offer for PhDlow number of courses – for economic reasons

low flexibility and attractiveness of the curriculum

PhD research frequently unrelated to work done at Master’s level

long time to degree Law on Higher Education (2005):doctoral studies (third-cycle studies) – part of higher education system

Problems and challenges (1)

• only 40% of doctoral students receive scholarships (from university or faculty budget)

• scholarships are low (300-450 euro/months)

• new forms of financial aid (from university or faculty budget) available since 2006 – insufficient

• limited opportunities for extra support from research grants

Unattractive financial status of students

little attractiveness of PhD studies for potentially best candidates

part-time or full-time employment outside university

large number of dismissals slow progress in research (long time to

degree)

Problems and challenges (2)

• ca. 5500 PhD degrees awarded each year

• limited opportunities for hiring at HEIs (saturation or decrease in the number of students predicted)

Mismatch of training goals with needs of labour market

professional careers outside of academia

At most HEIs, no serious attempts to adapt

doctoral training still, in principle, oriented towards future university employees

Problems and challenges (3)

Expenditures on science in 2008

24,0%

46,9%

11,1%

9,0%

9,1% Natural

Technical

Medical

Agricultural

Social andhumanities

Total: 1 512 532 000 EUR = 5 892 826 000 PLN

Average exchange rate PLN/EUR for 2006 according to the National Bank of Poland, 1 EUR = 3,8960 PLN

Structure of expenditures on R&D activity in Poland by fields of science in 2006

19,5

35,3

14,7

9,0

21,6 Natural

Technical

Medical

Agricultural

Social andhumanities

Structure of R&D activity personnel by fields of science in 2006

7 4908% 12 723

13%

5 0465%

70 33174% Scientific units of the

Polish Academy ofScience

Branch research -development

Business enterprises

Higher educationinstitutions

Researchers in selected type of unit of R&D activity in 2006

Research projects in the field of natural sciences 128 520 311 €

Research projects in the field of technical sciences 160 555 951 €

Research projects in the field of social sciences, humanities and exact sciences

37 764 525 €

Statutory, investment activities and particular research 650 703 692 €

Research-supporting activities 18 875 004 €

Scientific and scientific-technological international cooperation

46 642 660 €

Other activities 124 592 217 €

TOTAL: 1 167 654 360 €

* Budgetary Act for 2008 as of 23 January 2008 r. Average exchange rate PLN/EUR for 2008 according to the National Bank of Poland, 1 EUR = 3,5129 PLN

Expenditures on research within competence of the ministry as planned for 2008

3 800 535 € 8%

6 754 788 €14%

7 481 697 €16%

23 710 265 € 51%

3 416 431 €7%

1 945 401 € 4%

Statutory activities EU research programmes

Peer-reviewed research grants Investments in R&D infrastructure (buildings and equipment)

Other funds Particular research (intended mainly for young scientists)

TOTAL: € 47 109 118 = 165 489 619 PLN

Expenditures on UW research by type of activity

723

4 394

1 564

366

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Books Articles Book chapters Other publications

Publications of the teaching staff of the University of Warsaw

8632

7169

6353

5428

4066

3259

2338

968370 295 282 98 79

49674585396612241284153616001862

2172

194 1750

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

DE UK FR IT ES NL BE SE GR PL AT DK FI PT HU CZ IE SI SK EE LT CY LV MT LU

Data source: National Contact Point for EU Research Programmes (http://www.6pr.pl/statystyki/listopad2006ke.html#tab1)

Number of participants in FP6 projects by country (EU-25)

3

3

4

1

8

5

2

2

11

3

3

1

5

3

1

1

11

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Geography

Medical Biology

Biology

Innovative Technologies

Informatics

Chemistry

Nuclear Physics

Geophysics

Physics

Mathematics

Psychology

Political Science

Sociology

Science Dissemination

Science Management

Regional Policy

Economic Sciences

Number of projects (67 in total)

FP6 projects by research discipline

2 546

2 133

1 940

1 420

1 213

851 775 703584

473 399 329 319 285 256 230 181 180 110 109 88 68 66 49 37

408

2 915

0

500

1 000

1 500

2 000

2 500

3 000

DE UK FR IT ES NL BE SE GR AT FI PL DK PT HU CZ IE RO SI BG SK EE CY LV LT MT LU

Data source: National Contact Point for EU Research Programmes (http://pako3.ippt.gov.pl/index.php/uczestnicyprojektow/51)

Number of participants in FP7 projects by country (EU-27)

3

3

4

1

3

1

1

1

1

0 1 2 3 4 5

Economic Sciences

Chemistry

Physics

Informatics

Mathematics

Sociology

Modern Languages

Science Dissemination

Psychology

Number of projects (18 in total)

Data source: UW Research Services Office, own statistics.

Number of projects being implemented under FP7 by research discipline

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) CULTURE Programme European Science Foundation (ESF) European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Trust) International Visegrad Fund Norwegian Financial Mechanism and EEA Financial Mechanism Howard Hughes Medical Institute Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Welcome Trust Volkswagen Stiftung Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation (Taiwan)

Other exemplary sources of research projects external funding

apart from EU programmes

Thank you for your attention!

University of WarsawInternational Relations Office

www.bwz.uw.edu.pl ; www.iro.uw.edu.pl

Presentation prepared by Laura Dryjańska, based on materials provided by:

Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP)

University of Warsaw Research Services Office

National Statistical Office Foundation for the Development of the

Education System OECD