SCIENCE IN CENTRAL EUROPE political pressure to cut staff on grounds Separate Slovakia's struggles of efficiency, there has been no reduction in staff numbers (see page 602). Bratislava & Nitra. Slovak universities Unemployment is a serious pressure, In Slovakia, wages are not simply low, have two big problems their Czech coun­ he says. In 1993, 0.5 per cent of the unem­ but improbably so. Academic salaries terparts do not face. First, since Slovakia ployed were graduates, but this propor­ have lost 30 per cent of the value of Czech became independent of pre-existing tion has now doubled. "This means that university wages since the countries split. Czechoslovakia in 1993, university staff one-fifth of last year's 13,000 graduates Slovak academics are now almost the low­ have been leaving in droves. Second, the did not get jobs", he says, arguing that this est-paid state-employed personell. At new law to modify the 1990 law of univer­ means universities, used as they are to Comenius University, 1,400 staff, more sities in federal Czechoslovakia,likely to being told by the Communist Party how than a quarter of the total, have left in the be debated in parliament this month, will many graduates to produce in each disci­ past 18 months. Of these, 880 were teach­ not make the radical changes expected in pline, should now ing staff. As a result of this extraordinary the Czech republic. be flexible enough brain-drain, the average age of professors The 1990 act made faculty deans inde­ to adapt their has risen to 62.5, and that of associate pendent of their rectors, and so impeded courses to suit professors to 58.5. In a few years retire­ attempts by universities to reorganize market needs. ment will decimate the teaching staff. themselves along Western lines . Unlike In addition, the Pressure for the formal evaluation of their counterparts in the Czech Republic, long-term desire staff is also weaker. As in the Czech Slovak rectors have failed to get these of Slovakia to Republic, internal evaluation failed to sat­ provisions changed. become a member isfy critics from the Academy of Sciences Juraj Svec, rector of Bratislava's Come­ of the European and elsewhere (see page 601). nius University, who, since 1990, has Union means that Ladislav Kabat, rector of Nitra's Uni­ moonlighted as head of the Slovak Acade­ the country versity of Agriculture, nevertheless argues my of Sciences Institute of Cancer should adopt sim- Rector, administrator that the critics have not given the universi­ Research, says that in 1990 it may have ilar systems to and parliamentarian. ties credit for the particular problems they seemed sensible to spread power among those of Western Europe. "Universities faced in the evaluation. As well as having the faculties. Academics were then wor­ are fundamental to European integra­ to assess the competence of existing staff, ried by the risk of concentrating power in tion," says Svec. for example, they were also required to a single individual who, in an unstable But in Slovakia the changes are going reinstate all members of the academic political climate, could be subject to polit­ to have to be achieved step by step. The staff who had been dismissed for political ical influence, as in communist days. new act does not go as far as many would reasons in the previous 20 years, since the In Svec's view, one unfortunate result like, but there are some improvements, Prague spring. Kabat says that at his uni­ has been to make university courses such as the formal introduction of the versity, there were 100 people in this cate­ inflexible. Faculty deans may have been PhD research degree, along Western gory, mostly over 60 and approaching prepared to make changes to their curric­ European lines, and a formal 'habilitation' retirement, whose competence had been ula, but they were in general not prepared procedure. That is the German teaching lost in the intervening years. to coordinate their courses with those of and research qualification required of Now, the urgent task is to improve pay. other faculties. This has made it difficult those wishing to be appointed to the At the end of last month, rectors and for students to change courses, says Svec, 'Dozent', or assistant professor, level at a trade unions produced a petition demand­ and has also made universities expensive university. Habilitation was previously ing an increase of salaries of 100 per cent to run. When faculties duplicate courses, very much corrupted by politics: many so­ for professors, 75 per cent for associate such as West European language courses called dozents, or 'telephone dozents', professors, 50 per cent for other qualified and basic economics (now part of all study were appointed for political reasons. scientists and 20 per cent for all others. programmes), he says, "not only is it more But while arguments about the struc­ The government has countered with an expensive, but we do not have so much ture of universities now take centre stage offer of a 10 per cent increase in salaries. expertise in these areas, so that quality in the academic community, a more seri­ "We will protest", says Svec. "We will stick must be questioned." ous problem is calling loudly from the to our request". Svec has more influence In August last year, a group of 19 wings: universities are losing their staff. than most: he was became a member of experts, selected by the ministry of educa­ In the Czech Republic, despite low parliament in the September elections. tion and headed by Svec, presented a pro­ wages, negligible unemployment and Alison Abbott posal to put more decision-making powers in the hands of rectors to overcome this problem. But it was blocked by an outcry from the scientific comunity. The acade­ mic senate of Comenius University called Shrinking asset for funding for Svec's resignation, only withdrawing its demand when he promised that the Bratislava. Science in the two republics of have been almost halved - from 6,220 to proposal would be redrafted. the former Czechoslovakia has suffered 3,340 -while cumulative inflation for the In the Czech Republic, the ministry of progressive reductions in funding since four years is some 100 per cent. research was able to defuse a similar out­ the revolution. Slovakia, economically the The unions of the academy have now, cry. In Slovakia, academics were able to poorer partner, has inevitably fared the for the first time, begun a major lobbying argue that their political situation contin­ more poorly. campaign to restore government support. ues to be unstable and that such a change The Slovak Academy of Sciences has They are preparing a petition, already could be dangerous. seen its budget more than halved, from signed by the academy's presidium, to put Svec now diplomatically says that the SKr808 million in 1990 to SKr401 million their case to the government. A similar academics' point is valid. But he points to in 1994. On top of this, the 1994 budget petition is being drawn up by the univer­ other external factors which mean that was recently been cut by a further 5 per sity unions. universities must change if they are to cent as part of a general economy pack­ Neither is likely to cut much ice. Like serve the community. age. Over the same period, staff numbers its counterpart in the Czech Republic, the 598 NATURE · VOL 372 · 15 DECEMBER 1994 .