The new law on universities - the key solutions

The draft of the new law reforming school and science, so-called Law 2.0 was presented Tuesday by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science Jarosław Gowin at the National Congress of Science in Kraków. Public consultation on the bill will take about three months.

PAP has obtained the explanatory memorandum of the bill, which describes the most important proposals of solutions.

Important directional changes include the dependence of many possibilities of the university (such as the possibility of offering general-academic profile study programmes and awarding scientific degrees) on the scientific categories achieved in the relevant disciplines. Universities will be divided into academic and professional schools. According to the proposed provisions, university authorities, in addition to rector and senate (as before), will also include the college board. Central authorities of the university, including the rector, will gain have greater power to shape the policy of the institution at the expense of departmental authorities. Some of the regulations will disappear from the law so that universities can regulate them in their statutes - according to their own policies.

Major changes will concern PhD students. Doctoral schools will be established at universities, where all PhD students will receive scholarships. But PhD students will have too meet higher requirements in terms of the quality of their research and publications.

The duration of extramural studies will be extended. Another novelty is education cycles shorter than first-degree courses - allowing to get a higher education degree than a high school diploma and lower than a bachelor degree.

Persons employed at didactic universities will also have better career development opportunities.

The Ministry of Science does not do away with habilitation, although it will no longer be necessary in order to work as a university professor. Presidential professorship is also preserved - the title of professor will continue to be awarded by the President of Poland. However, according to the proposal of the Ministry of Science, it should be verified whether the candidate for the title of professor did not work or serve in the state security services between July 1944 and July 1990. Similarly with regard to the members of the Science Evaluation Committee (who evaluate the quality of education at universities).

After the reform, there will be no change in student discounts for public transport or financial assistance for students. The bill does not provide for extra fees for full-time studies at public universities. But there will be sanctions for universities that violate student rights.

The Ministry of Science does not intend to introduce previously considered inactive status for retired professors, although sources close to the Ministry of Science indicate that the President of the Republic of Poland will propose this solution. New regulations will not require mobility after completing a doctorate.

DIVISION OF UNIVERSITIES

After the reform, a lot will depend on the category awarded as a result of scientific evaluation (there will be five categories: A+, A, B+, B, C). Subject to evaluations will be particular disciplines of study at the university, and not as before organizational units of the university. The project introduces a new classification of fields and disciplines (based on the OECD model already used in Europe).

The project also envisages the division of universities (public and non-public) into academic and vocational ones (the ministry abandoned the idea of division into research, research and didactic and didactic universities). Vocational universities will not compete for funding with academic universities. Pools of funds for these two groups of universities will be separate.

An academic university will need to one of the following scientific categories: A+, A or B+ (the highest ratings). Only academic universities will be permitted to teach doctoral students in doctoral schools.

In turn, according to the project, vocational universities will be allowed offer courses and trainings that allow to obtain 5th level of qualification according to the Polish Qualification Framework. That means that an university could offer education cycles shorter than first-cycle studies. Graduates would get a higher education degree than a high school diploma and lower than a bachelor degree - which is possible in many countries. Until now there was no such possibility in Poland.

The project specifies the requirements for the use of the following terms in the school name: university, university of technology and academy. It will also - indirectly - depend on the awarded scientific category. However, according to the transitional provisions envisage the current name of universities will not change, even if the requirements are no longer met. The intention is to stabilize the naming of universities.

OFFERING STUDY PROGRAMMES

After the reform, the power to offer studies and award degrees will be attributed to universities, not to their organizational units.

Universities with the highest rating (A+ or A) in a given discipline will be permitted to award degrees of a doctor and habilitated doctor, and will also be allowed to create new courses of study and non-local branches in that discipline.

If a university has a B+ category in a given discipline, it will only be permitted to award a PhD. It will be allowed to open a new course of study (general-practical or practical) only after obtaining the minister\'s approval.

Universities with the lowest categories (B or C) will be allowed to open new courses of study in the given discipline only with a practical profile and only after obtaining the minister\'s approval. These facilities will not be permitted to run doctoral schools or educate physicians or dentists.

In addition, the Minister of Education may refuse to allow to open a new course of study if the minister decides that education in a given field does not match the local socio-economic needs.

Minimum staffing regulations will be abolished. There will be provisions that will specify the percentage of study hours that must be taught by academic teachers employed in a given institution as a primary place of work. For full-time academic studies it will be up to 75% hours, and for practical courses - 50%. The intention is to reduce employment at several institutions and teaching under so-called junk contracts.

After the reform it will also be possible to form associations and federations of universities.

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

The key document for the functioning of the university will be the statute - it will contain the most important provisions for its functioning.

According to the proposed provisions, the bodies of a public university, in addition to rector and senate (as before), will also include a university board. Non-public universities will have rectors and senates.

University board may have 7 or 9 members, more than half of whom will be from outside the university, and one of the members will be the president of the student government. The remaining members of the board will be selected the university senate. The tasks of the university board will include approving university strategies, supervision of the university\'s financial economy and management of the university, nomination of candidates for rector.

Rector will be elected by a college of electors from among at least two candidates proposed by the university board. The rector\'s duties include management of the university, its finances, staff and organization, as well as preparation of the university\'s statutes and strategies.

University senate will continue to be composed of students, doctoral students, academics and other university employees. The university board will enact the statute, the study regulations, award degrees and determine the program of studies and postgraduate studies.

STUDENTS

Admission to an university will be based on the results of the high school exit exam, but the university will be allowed to place an admission exam (with its score constituting up 50% of all points in the recruitment process). During recruitment, university will have to disclose the full list and amounts of the fees the student must pay. The university that will change the student fees during the course of study will be sanctioned.

The duration of part-part-time studies will be longer than that of full-time studies - by one semester for first and second degree studies and two semesters for master\'s studies.

The project assumes that 50% discounts on public transport fares will be preserved. There should also be no changes in the possibilities offered by the system of financial aid.

The law will also introduce the requirement to publish reviews of theses.

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

After the reform, there will be two paths to obtain a doctorate: doctoral school and extramural doctorate. In doctoral school, each doctoral student will receive a scholarship and the schools will not have an extramural form.

The doctoral scholarship (granted for a maximum of 4 years) will be initially at least 110%. minimum wage (today it would be PLN 2200 gross). After the student receives a positive mid-term evaluation, it would be raised to at least 170 percent minimum wage (today it would be PLN 3400 gross). Negative mid-term evaluation would result in removal from the list of doctoral students.

The institutions with powers to award a doctoral degree will include a university, a federal university, a scientific institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a research institute or an international scientific institute in the discipline, in which that institution has a scientific category A+, A or B+.

A third reviewer from outside of the institution where the doctorate is being pursued will be introduced to the review of doctoral dissertation. Doctoral dissertation defence will be public (with certain exceptions).

Doctoral students who start their doctoral studies before the academic year 2019-2020 academic year will continue their studies under the current regulations. Doctoral dissertation under the old rules may be open until the end of April 2019 and must be completed by the end of 2020 (doctoral degree processes of those who do meet this deadline will be discontinued).

To obtain a doctorate degree, a peer reviewed scientific monograph or publication in a recognizable journal (from the minister\'s list) will be required. These requirements are more difficult to meet than those set out in the current law.

ACADEMIC CAREER

The project envisages three groups of academic teachers: teaching staff, research staff and research and teaching staff.

The Ministry of Science to allow to employ persons with doctoral degree (and with academic or didactic achievements) as professors at universities. A great lecturer will have an opportunity to become a university professor even if that lecturer does not have habilitation. Restrictions with regard to deadline for habilitation will also disappear from the new law (currently 8 years).

To hire an academic teacher, university will need to announce a competition (with certain exceptions - including winners of major grants and some foreign lecturers). However, if the university wants to change an already existing contract of employment to an indefinite term, the competition will not be necessary, a positive periodic evaluation will suffice. If an employee gets two negative evaluation results in a row, university may dismiss him or her. The employment contract will specify whether the university is the teacher\'s primary place of employment.

HABILITATION AND PROFESSORSHIP

The degree of doctor and habilitated doctor will be awarded by the university senate (or its commission) or, in the case of institutes, the scientific council. The title of the professor - as before - will be conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland.

The Central Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles - which deals with habilitation and professorship applications - will be replaced by the Council of Scientific Excellence.

To obtain a habilitation, a person will need to have (with minor exceptions) a doctoral degree and significant academic or artistic achievements, as well as demonstrate scientific activity in more than one university or scientific institution "in particular a foreign one". The achievements before obtaining doctoral degree will also count (this is new). Habilitation proceedings will be open.

An easier path to habilitation will be opened to those who have led prestigious international research grants (especially to ERC grant winners). They will obtain habilitation in a simplified procedure.

Professorship - according to the project - can be awarded to a person who has conducted research or development work and has remarkable academic achievements. Another condition is to have led grant research teams and conduct research in foreign academic institutions.

"The requirement for each person applying for the title of professor is to verify that such person did not work or serve in the state security services between 22 July 1944 and 31 July 1990" - reads the explanatory memorandum.

According to the Ministry of Science proposal, in exceptional cases it should also be possible to award the title of professor even to a doctor without a habilitation. However, such person would have to meet all the other requirements under the law.

FINANCING

The model for financing higher education and science will also change. Universities - as the project assumes - will receive one research and teaching subsidy. It is intended for maintaining both the didactic potential of the university and its research potential. The new subsidy will be given to universities and not - as before - to their organizational units (for example faculties). The rector will decide how to divide the subsidy.

There will also be a subsidy for maintaining research potential that will be awarded not only to public universities. These funds will also be used for the maintenance of doctoral schools.

Beneficiaries will have greater flexibility in deciding on what they are going to spend the money on. In addition, funds not spent in a given year will be retained for the next year.

"Reducing the number of funding streams will not mean a reduction in the funds transferred to HEIs" - as noted in the explanatory memorandum.

EVALUATION

The evaluation of the quality of scientific activities will be conducted every four years by the Science Evaluation Committee (until now - the Committee for the Evaluation of Scientific Units). A member of the Science Evaluation Committee may be a person who is actively involved in research and has significant achievements in this area. A member of the Science Evaluation Committee may be a person who "did not work or serve in the state security services between 22 July 1944 and 31 July 1990 (...), and did not cooperate with those services" - reads the explanatory memorandum.

During the evaluation, a scientific achievement may only be demonstrated once - in the evaluation of a single discipline - and only with an authorization of the author of the achievement.

The evaluation of the quality of education will be carried out by the Polish Accreditation Committee. The result of this evaluation can be either positive or negative.

PROGRAMMES FOR THE BEST UNIVERSITIES

The best academic colleges will have the opportunity to compete for additional funding in the programme "Initiative of Excellence: Research University". They can gain up to an extra 10% research and teaching subsidy for a given year. In the first stage, up to 10 universities will be granted support. According to the explanatory memorandum, this solution is designed to improve the situation of the universities competitive with world universities.

The Ministry of Science also proposes another competition in the bill - "Regional Initiatives of Excellence". Its objective is to develop a specific scientific discipline in a given university. The purpose of the competition is to guarantee the development of universities across the country.

Ludwika Tomala (PAP)

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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