02 - Poland - Ongoing Debates and Future Developments

• New secondary school leaving examination.After the introduction of a new upper secondary school leaving examination (maturity examination) in 2005, admission to first-cycle and long-cycle degree programmes is based on results of this examination. Thus, higher education institutions (HEIs) may not organise entrance examinations in subjects taken by student applicants at the maturity examination. However, each HEI may specify which results of the maturity examination provide the basis for admission to degree programmes.
• Changes introduced by the new Law on Higher Education.On 27 July 2005, the Polish Parliament passed a new Law on Higher Education (LoHE). The general provisions of the 2005 LoHE entered into force on 1 September 2005 and those concerning the financing of the higher education system entered into force on 1 January 2007. The 2005 LoHE has introduced, amongst others, the following changes:
• Reinforcing the autonomy of HEIs as various matters, including the structure of an institution and the rules for the employment of academic teachers, may now be regulated in the statutes of a given HEI; and reinforcing the position of the rector in the internal management of a HEI.
• Introducing a new division of HEIs into university-type and non-university institutions.
• Defining the requirements for HEIs to use the following names: university, technical university and university with another adjective, polytechnic university and academy.
• Increasing the number of autonomous HEIs through the introduction of a new concept of an autonomous HEI. A fully autonomous institution is a public or non-public HEI authorised to confer the academic degree of doktor in at least 4 areas. Such HEIs are fully autonomous as regards the adoption of their statutes, the establishment, reorganisation and liquidation of their basic organisational units, the establishment of new degree programmes and the provision of programmes in cooperation with other HEIs and R&D institutions.
• Providing a legal basis for the creation of associations of HEIs (both public and non-public HEIs) for joint implementation of various tasks.
• Providing a legal framework for the activities of the conferences of rectors of university-type and non-university higher education institutions as advisory and consultative bodies vis-à-vis public authorities.
• Introducing full-time and part-time programmes as replacing the previous system of day-time, evening, extramural and external programmes.
• Improving conditions for student mobility and comparability of curricula, in particular through the mandatory introduction of ECTS for the accumulation and transfer of student achievements.
• Allowing HEIs to offer programmes jointly with other HEIs and R&D institutions, including foreign ones, and to award a joint diploma or a diploma of one institution and a certificate confirming the involvement of other partner institutions in the provision of a given programme.
• Providing a basis for the creation of academic business incubators and technology transfer centres to ensure a better use of the intellectual and technological potential of HEIs and the transfer of research results to the economy.
• Introducing distance learning as one of teaching methods.
• Establishing a legal basis for the three-cycle structure of programmes: first-cycle or Bachelor’s degree programmes, second-cycle or Master’s degree programmes (still co-existing with long-cycle Master’s degree programmes) and third-cycle or doctoral programmes in line with the aims of the Bologna Process; for on-going changes, see: point 3 below.
• Granting the right to offer doctoral programmes to HEIs which are authorised to confer the degree of doktor in two study areas (previously, limited only to HEIs authorised to confer the academic degree of doktor habilitowany
• Granting the same student rights to doctoral students as regards financial support, participation in the senate and boards of basic organisational units and the establishment of doctoral students’ self-government.
• Defining detailed rules concerning the financing of HEIs’ tasks from the State budget and rules for the use of public funding by non-public HEIs; introducing new regulations concerning fees which may be charged for educational services (e.g. for courses taught in foreign languages and for those not included in study programmes).
• Introducing new regulations which allow the HEI’s senate to implement its own policy concerning the remuneration of academic teachers; defining the level of State budget expenditure for the remuneration of staff while taking into consideration the indexation of salaries by the annual average rate of salary growth in the system of remuneration paid from the State budget, as laid down in the Budgetary Law for a given year.
• Introducing regulations which aim to solve the problem of multiple jobholding by academic teachers: employment in more than one additional institution or combining economic activity with additional employment without the rector’s consent may lead to the termination of employment in the HEI which is the primary place of employment.
• Establishing detailed arrangements resulting from changes introduced in the system of financial support for students in public and non-public HEIs by the Act of 28 May 2004; students enrolled on full-time and part-time programmes in both types of institutions are equally eligible to apply for financial support from the State budget.
• The 2005 LoHE aims to improve the functioning of higher education institutions, to facilitate wider access to higher education, and to ensure higher quality of education and compatibility with higher education systems in other European countries.

Further changes envisaged:

• Further opening of higher education to potential applicants
• Further improvement of the quality of higher education
• Further development of doctoral programmes
• Flexible educational standards
• Increase in the number of students enrolled in the areas of mathematics, engineering and technology
• Development of academic and research staff
• Promotion of innovation, and stressing the importance of co-operation of HEIs with economic and social partners
• Adjusting education to the needs of the labour market
• Creation of better conditions for student and academic staff mobility
• Development of the higher education system geared towards the promotion of lifelong learning
• Enhancing the importance of distance learning.

• Three-cycle system.The 2005 LoHE provides a basis for the establishment of three-cycle programmes, but does not oblige HEIs to do so. However, in line with the aims of the Bologna Process, the Minister of Science and Higher Education adopted the Regulation of 13 June 2006 on the names of fields of study whereby all HEIs concerned are required to introduce two-cycle programmes (first-cycle Bachelor’s degree programmes followed by second-cycle Master’s degree programmes) and replace any long-cycle programmes still in place in 101 of all 118 existing fields of study. Programmes in four of the remaining 17 fields, i.e. cosmetology, dentistry techniques, medical rescue and social work, will be provided only as first-cycle programmes. Programmes in 11 fields, including acting, art conservation and restoration, canon law, dentistry, law, medical analysis, medicine, moving image production and photography, pharmacy, psychology and veterinary medicine, will be provided only as long-cycle programmes. Programmes in the fields of theology and directing will be provided either as two-cycle programmes or as long-cycle degree programmes; decisions will be taken by individual HEIs. These arrangements are applicable to programmes commencing in the academic year 2007/08.
• European Credit Transfer System.Until recently the European Credit Transfer System was introduced by HEIs on a voluntary basis. On 3 October 2006 the Minister of Science and Higher Education adopted the Regulation on the requirements and procedures for the transfer of student achievements whereby all HEIs are required to introduce ECTS for both the accumulation and transfer of credits. The Regulation entered into force on 1 January 2007. Thus, ECTS is currently introduced by institutions which have not used it even for the transfer of credits (in particular non-public institutions, and public non-university institutions providing only Bachelor’s degree programmes, referred to as “higher vocational education schools”) and those which have used it so far only for the transfer of credits or for the transfer and accumulation only in some of their fields of study.
• Status of colleges.Recently, discussions were also held about the status of programmes offered by colleges (currently including teacher training colleges, foreign language teacher training colleges and colleges of social work) which are classified as tertiary education for the purpose of international comparisons, but are not recognised as higher education in the national legislation. One proposal designed to bring the status of colleges closer to that of HEIs was to establish a special accreditation committee which would carry out quality assessment in accordance with the same procedures as used in the higher education sector. Another proposal involved integrating college programmes with Bachelor’s degree programmes provided in HEIs. No decisions have been taken yet.
• New degree programme requirements (national standards for degree programmes).The Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 12 July 2007 on degree programme requirements lays down new requirements for degree programmes (first-cycle, second-cycle and, where applicable, long-cycle programmes) in all 118 existing fields of study, replacing those laid down in 2002 in the relevant regulation. The new requirements include: a general description of a field of study, a description of skills and competences of a graduate, general curricular contents, a general description of practical placements, the duration of a degree programme, the minimum course load and the number of ECTS credits. The requirements for first-cycle programmes are designed so as to enable students to enrol on a second-cycle programme in the same or different field of study. The new requirements provide a good basis for the development of modern curricula, and will facilitate the introduction of flexible and individualised learning pathways for all students, increase mobility within related fields of study, bring the profile of graduates closer to labour market demands, and thus also serve as a tool for improving the quality of higher education. The Regulation entered into force on 1 October 2007; HEIs are required to respect the new requirements as from the first year of a degree programme, but may also introduce relevant changes in curricula for higher years in degree programmes at their own discretion.
• Task force for the framework of research and higher education reforms. On the basis of Ordinance No. 4/2008 of 1 February 2008, the Minister of Science and Higher Education has established the Task Force for the Development of a Framework for the Reform of the Research Sector and a Framework for the Reform of the Higher Education System. The Task Force has been set up for the period between 1 February and 31 March 2008. It will propose principles for the reform of the financing and management of research and higher education, aiming to improve the quality of R&D and HE and to increase the attractiveness of Polish HEIs in the context of the demands of knowledge-based economy and increasing competition between HEIs on the European and global markets. The report(s) to be prepared by the Task Force will be discussed by the academic community and other stakeholders.

Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools In Poland
Uniwersytet Jagielloński ul. Straszewskiego 27
31-113 Kraków
Tel.:+48 (12) 421 82 90
Fax:+48 (12) 421 82 90
Website: http://www.krasp.org.pl

Ministry of Science and Higher Education
ul. Wspólna 1/3 00-529 Warszawa 53
Tel. +48 (22)-529-27-18
Website: http://www.mnisw.gov.pl

As of 5th May 2006 Ministry of Science and Information Society Technologies has been replaced by Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

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