A dark vision of Polish science. Prof. Antonowicz: We are facing drift, low wages and scandals

In the coming years, the higher education system “will drift” – said Prof. in an interview with PAP. Dominik Antonowicz from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, researching global trends in higher education and science management. He included underfunding, purchasing of publications and scandals at universities as problems.

Increasing the effectiveness of supervision over universities “by strengthening the legal, qualitative and ethical framework” and introducing an institutional system for assessing academic units – these are some of the elements of the project “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in Poland until 2035”presented in October by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. According to this document, higher education is to develop and change “in the spirit of strengthening the social responsibility of universities, improving the quality of teaching and building a friendly academic environment in Poland.”

As assessed in an interview with PAP by Dr. hab. Dominik Antonowicz, head of the Department of Research on Science and Higher Education at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (UMK) in Toruń, professor at this university, the draft strategy is a signpost indicating the direction of the development of higher education.

– He predicts a directional change that requires financial resources and political agency. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Science does not have any of these attributes at the momenttherefore, in the coming years, higher education will most likely be doomed to drift and only ad hoc corrective action at best, he said.

In his opinion, the draft strategy correctly identified the greatest challenges facing universities related to the dynamically changing higher education environment.

– New demographic, technological, climatic or cultural challenges require a critical look at the current patterns of university functioning. Moreover, universities loudly articulate the need for changes in others, and as organizations themselves, they are often reluctant to change, said the expert.

He added that the strategy responds to many of these challenges, but only partially, because of its the assumptions are primarily intended to help universities take advantage of the opportunities opening before them. – In the area of ​​education, I actually think that the strategy shows the development potential well. The situation is much worse when it comes to scientific research and institutional political solutions. The ministry focused on calming the academic environment, said the PAP interlocutor.

He added that he was “extremely surprised at how little priority and little space is given in this document to scientific research, which is the main source of progress in a knowledge-based society.”. – I understand that the intention of the Ministry of Science is primarily to emphasize education, ethos and popularization of science. However, it is difficult for me to accept that a country with the 20th largest economy in the world treats scientific research as a strategically unimportant activity, he said.

The scientist sees the future of higher education bleakly. – The system will drift with an underfunded NCN, low salaries, purchased publications, habilitations from exotic countries and scandals at universities. The erosion of environmental standards is also the result of ineffective policy towards higher education, which has been the result of various environmental and political particularisms for years, he said.

He also listed the steps that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education should take to adapt higher education units to the reality of the next decade – and beyond. – First of all, the Ministry of Science must have financial resources to be able to set strategic directions in higher education policy, but also regain political agency to introduce legislative changes that will allow universities to face the challenges they face – concluded Prof. Dominik Antonowicz.

Anna Bugajska (PAP)

abu/ zan/ ktl/