OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Tertiary of Reviews OECD OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Poland In many OECD countries, tertiary education systems have experienced rapid growth over the last decade. With tertiary education increasingly seen as a OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education fundamental pillar for economic growth, these systems must now address the pressures of a globalising economy and labour market. Within governance frameworks that encourage institutions, individually and collectively, to fulfil multiple missions, tertiary education systems must aim for the broad objectives of Poland growth, full employment and social cohesion. In this context, the OECD launched a major review of tertiary education with the participation of 24 nations. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries in understanding how the organisation, management and delivery of tertiary education can help them achieve their economic and social goals. Poland is one of 14 countries which opted to host a Country Review, in which a team of external reviewers carried out an in-depth analysis of tertiary education policies. This report includes: • an overview of Poland’s tertiary education system; • an account of trends and developments in tertiary education in Poland; • an analysis of the strengths and challenges in tertiary education in Poland; and Oliver Fulton, Paulo Santiago, Charles Edquist, • recommendations for future policy development. Elaine El-Khawas and Elsa Hackl This Review of Tertiary Education in Poland forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education, a project conducted between 2004 and 2008 (www.oecd.org/edu/tertiary/review). Poland This title has been produced using print-on-demand technology. If you have any comments or questions about OECD Print-on-Demand editions, please write to [email protected]. ISBN 978-92-64-03912-4 91 2007 09 1 P -:HSTCQE=UX^VWY: www.oecd.org/publishing 912007091cov.indd 1 06-Sep-2007 11:47:48 AM OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education Poland Oliver Fulton, Paulo Santiago, Charles Edquist Elaine El-Khawas, Elsa Hackl ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2007 No reproduction, copy, transmission or translation of this publication may be made without written permission. Applications should be sent to OECD Publishing [email protected] or by fax 33 1 45 24 99 30. Permission to photocopy a portion of this work should be addressed to the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, fax 33 1 46 34 67 19, [email protected] or (for US only) to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, fax 1 978 646 8600, [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS – 3 Table of contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Purposes of the OECD Review ................................................................... 5 1.2 The Participation of Poland ......................................................................... 7 1.3 Structure of the Country Note ..................................................................... 9 2. Poland: The National Context ....................................................................... 11 2.1 Historical Background .............................................................................. 11 2.2 Economic Context ..................................................................................... 13 2.3 Social and Political Context ...................................................................... 14 3. Context and Main Features of Tertiary Education in Poland ..................... 17 3.1 The Tertiary Education System ................................................................. 17 3.2 Governance ............................................................................................... 22 3.3 Resourcing the Tertiary Education System ............................................... 23 3.4 Human Resources: Academic Staff and the Academic Career ................. 29 3.5 Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education .................................................. 31 3.6 Equity in Tertiary Education ..................................................................... 35 3.7 The Role of Tertiary Education in Research and Innovation .................... 36 3.8 Tertiary Education and the Labour Market ............................................... 39 3.9 Internationalisation of Tertiary Education ................................................ 41 4. Strengths and Challenges in Polish Tertiary Education .............................. 45 4.1 Governance ............................................................................................... 45 4.2 Resourcing the Tertiary Education System ............................................... 54 4.3 Human Resources: Academic Staff and the Academic Career ................. 60 4.4 Quality Assurance ..................................................................................... 66 4.5 Equity ........................................................................................................ 68 4.6 The Role of Tertiary Education in Research and Innovation .................... 71 4.7 The Tertiary Education System and the Labour Market ........................... 75 4.8 Internationalisation of Tertiary Education ................................................ 80 5. Priorities for Future Policy Development ..................................................... 83 5.1 Governing, Planning and Regulating the System ...................................... 83 5.2 Resourcing the Tertiary Education System ............................................... 90 5.3 Human Resources ..................................................................................... 97 5.4 Assuring and Improving the Quality of Tertiary Education ...................... 99 5.5 Achieving Equity in and through Tertiary Education ............................. 102 5.6 The Role of Tertiary Education in Research and Innovation .................. 104 5.7 The Tertiary Education System and the Labour Market ......................... 110 5.8 Internationalisation of Tertiary Education .............................................. 114 6. Concluding Remarks ................................................................................... 117 References ........................................................................................................ 121 Appendix 1. The OECD Review Team ............................................................ 125 Appendix 2. National Co-ordinator, National Steering Committee, and Authors of The Country Background Report ................................................. 127 Appendix 3. Programme of the Review Visit................................................... 129 Appendix 4. Comparative Indicators on Tertiary Education ......................... 135 This report is based on a study visit to Poland in May 2006, and on background documents prepared to support the visit. As a result, the report reflects the situation up to that point. OECD REVIEWS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION – POLAND – ISBN 978-92-64-03912-4 – © OECD 2007 INTRODUCTION – 5 1. Introduction 1.1 Purposes of the OECD Review This Country Note on Poland forms part of the OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education. This is a collaborative project to assist the design and implementation of tertiary education policies which contribute to the realisation of social and economic objectives of countries. The tertiary education systems of many OECD countries have experienced rapid growth over the last decade, and are experiencing new pressures as the result of a globalising economy and labour market. In this context, the OECD Education Committee agreed, in late 2003, to carry out a major thematic review of tertiary education. The principal objective of the review is to assist countries to understand how