01 - Poland - Historical Overview

The oldest Polish university is the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, founded in 1364 by king Kazimierz Wielki (Casimirus the Great). In the following centuries, the University of Vilnius was founded by king Stefan Batory in 1578 and the University of Lvov by king Jan Kazimierz in 1661.

Before World War II, Poland had 6 universities (in Cracow, Vilnius, Lvov, Warsaw, Wrocław and Poznań) and 3 technical universities (technical universities in Warsaw and Lvov, and the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy in Cracow).

After World War II, a number of new higher education institutions were established. There were 83 institutions in 1950 and 91 in 1981, including 10 universities, 18 technical universities, 11 pedagogical higher education institutions, 9 agricultural academies, 6 academies of economics, 10 medical academies, 17 schools or academies of fine arts, and 2 theological academies. All of them were state higher education institutions. During the period of 'real socialism' the higher education management system was centralised.

The transformation of the political system in 1989 brought major changes in the higher education system. The new Higher Education Act (HEA) of 12 September 1990 granted autonomy to higher education institutions (HEIs), including a large degree of independence from the public administration and academic freedom (in teaching and research), introduced new intermediate management mechanisms (a competitive financing system), and provided a basis for the development of self-governance within institutions. The 1990 HEA also established the General Council for Higher Education, an elective representative body of higher education, which co-operates with the minister responsible for higher education and other public authorities in designing the national policy in the area of higher education.

Moreover, the 1990 HEA allowed HEIs to offer tuition-based programmes, thus encouraging the development of part-time (evening and extramural) degree programmes in public HEIs.

At the same time, the 1990 HEA provided a basis for the establishment of non-state (non-public) HEIs. Until 1990, Poland had only seven non-public institutions, including the Catholic University of Lublin, theological institutions and higher education seminaries, established on the basis of specific regulations and administered by churches and denominational organisations. First non-public institutions established on the basis of the 1990 HEA began to enrol students in the academic year 1991/92. Subsequently, the non-public sector expanded rapidly to include 318 institutions in the academic year 2006/07.

The Act of 26 June 1997 on Schools of Higher Vocational Education created a legal basis for the establishment of higher vocational education schools (non-university HEIs authorised to provide only Bachelor’s degree programmes).

As a result of the new legislation adopted after 1989, the higher education sector extended considerably its provision and became more diversified in terms of the types of institutions and programmes offered. The total number of HEIs grew from 112 in the academic year 1990/91 to 448 in the academic year 2006/07. The 448 currently existing institutions include 130 public institutions and 318 non-public institutions (13 of which are administered by churches and denominational organisations). Moreover, since the mid-1990s, HEIs have been gradually introducing two cycle-programmes (Bachelor’s degree programmes followed by second-cycle Master’s degree programmes). These were originally offered as an alternative to long-cycle Master’s degree programmes and will soon replace long-cycle programmes in most fields of study.

The expansion of the higher education sector was also encouraged by, and combined with, the growing educational aspirations of young people and, consequently, the growing demand for higher education. As a result, the number of students increased almost fivefold to 1,941,445 students, including 11 752 foreign students, in the academic year 2006/2007 (as compared to 394,300 students in 1990/1991). In 2006/07, 67% of all students were enrolled in public HEIs. The gross enrolment rate increased from 12.9% in the academic year 1990/01 to 49.9% in 2006/07. For statistical data concerning the number of students and enrolment rates in the last 10 years.

On the basis of the 1990 HEA amended in 2001, the State Accreditation Committee (SAC) was established by the Minister of National Education and Sport on 1 January 2002 (currently operating on the basis of the new 2005 Law on Higher Education). The primary responsibilities of the SAC include: 1) assessing the quality of education in fields of study, including compliance with the requirements for the provision of degree programmes; 2) reviewing applications for the establishment of higher education institutions; and 3) reviewing applications of higher education institutions for the authorisation to provide degree programmes in a given field and at a given level of study.

On 8 October 2004, the Polish Parliament adopted a new Act on the Rules for Financing Research, thus repealing the Act of 12 January 1991 on the State Committee for Scientific Research. The 2004 Act lays down the rules for the financing of research from the State budget and sources other than the State budget. According to the new rules, the level of funding provided for research in the State budget should reach the level of expenditure defined in the Lisbon Strategy. Funding for research includes funds for the implementation of the national policy in the area of research, technology and innovation, and funds for statutory research activities, capital projects supporting R&D activities, various types of research projects, international cooperation in the area of research, activities supporting research, and programmes and actions defined by the minister responsible for research. The minister is supported by the Research Council, a consultative and advisory body.

Institutions:

General Council of Higher Education
00-918 Warszawa, Al. Szucha 25
Tel.:+48 (22) 628 04 61
Website: http://www.rgsw.edu.pl 

The State Accreditation Committee
ul. Żurawia 32/34 00-515 Warszawa
Tel.:+48 (22) 622 07 18
Website: http://www.men.waw.pl 

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