The crisis of Polish higher education

Abstract

Higher education has a major contribution to make to the socio-economic and cultural life of contemporary Poland. The importance of promoting a continuous development in the tertiary educational sector is widely acknowledged throughout the world. In many countries, the number of students is still increasing, to reach or even to exceed a third of the relevant cohort. Yet in Poland the crisis of higher education which has been observed for some years has led to a rapid decline in student numbers. It is the purpose of the present article to look at underlying causes, including demographic, economic and other factors. Attention will be paid to the whole sector of higher education, but also to specific schools and faculties, and to the participation of women in particular. The impact of state educational policy will be considered, as will the changes in the interests and aspirations of the young generation. The focus is on quantitative changes in tertiary education, but some general conclusions will be drawn from them and an attempt will be made to assess their socio-economic and cultural implications.