There will be changes in the status of a doctoral student. This is what the Ministry of Science proposes

Tasting the principles of suspension of education at a doctoral school, taking up doctoral students with a social security system and enabling the use of the infrastructure of a doctoral school despite the loss of the doctoral student's status – such changes were proposed by the ministry in studying in the draft amendment of several laws.

The draft amendment to the Law on Higher Education and Science and some other acts was prepared as part of the deregulation package, and published on Friday on the RCL website. He went to public consultations, which will last until July 28.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Ministry of Science and Higher Education) proposed amendments to the Act on Higher Education and Science, which will oblige entities running doctoral schools to specify other than those related to parenthood cases in which it will be possible to suspend education by a doctoral student.

According to the proposed changes, the reasons for suspension of education by a doctoral student other than those resulting from being on leave related to parenting and the manner of examining the doctoral student's application, the entity running a doctoral school will specify in the regulations of this school. It was indicated that the suspension of education made in this mode will not be able to last longer than 12 months in the entire period of education at the doctoral school. According to the project, doctoral scholarship will not be paid during the suspension; There will be no deadlines for the appointment of a promoter, submitting an individual research plan, conducting intracerexiance and submitting a doctoral dissertation.

In addition, the draft proposes to include doctoral students with compulsory sickness insurance with the simultaneous introduction of changes in the provisions of the Act consisting in the abolition of the right to a doctoral scholarship in the case of a doctoral student who acquired the rights to benefits (specified in the provision act and in the Act on social insurance) for accidents at work and occupational diseases.

“As a result, doctoral students will be covered by a system of sickness and accident insurance in the case of illness, accident or parental leave” – ​​explained in the justification of the project.

It was emphasized that the introduction of the regulation on the failure of the doctoral scholarship is a prerequisite for receiving benefits from the service act and the Social Insurance Act for accidents at work and occupational diseases. “The indicated benefits are not entitled to periods of incapacity for work (education) for which the insured (PhD student) retains the right to remuneration (doctoral scholarship)” – noted.

In response to the postulates of doctoral students, the Ministry of Science proposed a commitment of entities running doctoral schools to determine the conditions of free use of the subject's research and IT infrastructure by people who completed education at a doctoral school.

Pursuant to the draft, the provisions regarding the introduction of compulsory sickness insurance will cover all doctoral students from the date of entry into force of the Act, i.e. from January 1, 2026.

The provisions regarding the optional suspension of education in a doctoral school will apply only after the entities make relevant changes in the regulations of doctoral schools, which should take place no later than 6 months from the date of entry into force of the Act. Also, changes regarding the possibility of using the research and IT infrastructure of entities conducting doctoral schools by persons who have completed education in these schools and are preparing to defend the doctoral dissertation, will apply only after the relevant resolutions were issued, which should take place within 6 months from the date of entry into force of the Act.

As emphasized in the assessment of the effects of the regulation, the goal of the project is “to create a legal framework that will allow you to suspend the education of doctoral students, and not to increase the number of people exercising these rights.” Therefore, the effectiveness of the proposed solutions will be constantly assessed on the basis of signals flowing from the doctoral students' environment, from entities running doctoral schools and the national representation of doctoral students. (PAP)

AGT/ JPN/