How to Cite
Abstract
Two functions can be attributed to higher education and selection to it. The first one consists in the best selecting and preparing students to their future profession. Professions, specialties and competences highly valued on the labour market should be taught at school and departments which train the best specialists in a given field. The other function of education is equalizing chances, so that the best schools and the most sought for directions can be accessible to pupils regardless of their social background. It seems that both functions are incompatible. In elite schools which narrowly select their students and issue diplomas demanded by the labour market, selection made by talents and acquired training is usually also selection according to the pupils, background. The larger number of candidates for one place, the larger proportion of the admitted come from the culturally and materially privileged environments. Before 1989 in Poland both functions of education were not carried out in a satisfactory way. Research findings show that during the post-war 40 years inequality of chances of obtaining higher education had more or less the same dimension. It can be expected that the present differentiation of salaries will in future grow according to professions and not to economic sector or enterprise; this will favour the graduates of schools issuing diplomas which will guarantee high salaries. Education in these schools can be expensive and the recruitment very selective. The two mentioned factors will certainly increase inequality of access to these schools. On the other hand, the planned growth of the proportion of students contribute to a larger equality of chances of acquiring higher education. Both mechanisms will surely lead to a greater than before diversification of higher education, both as regards its accessibility and level.
References
Białecki I. 1975 Funkcjonowanie olimpiad matematycznych. Warszawa: Ossolineum, IFiS PAN.
Białecki J. 1989 Dostępność wyższego wykształcenia w Polsce powojennej. „Przegląd Socjologiczny” XXXVIII.
Białecki I. 1982 Antropologiczne przejawy rozwoju społecznego współczesnej ludności polskiej. (Ekspertyza PAN). Warszawa.
Heyns B., Białecki I. 1992 Educationał lnequality in Poland. In Persistent Inquality. W: Y. Shavit, H.P. Blossfeld (red): Changing Educational Stratijication in Thirteen Comtries, Boulder (Colorado): Westview Press.
Heyns B., Szczucki J. 1992 „Educating Entrepreneurs: The New Polish Business Schools” (niepublikowany raport z badań).
Domański H. 1987 Zróżnicowanie dochodów oraz jego percepcja. W: K. Janicka (red.): Zróżnicowanie społeczne i jego percepcja. Wrocław: Ossolineum.
Kwieciński Z. 1975 Środowisko a wyniki pracy sokoły. Warszawa: PWN.
Kwieciński Z. 1980 Dynamika funkcjonowania sokoły. Warszawa: PWN.
Psacharopoulos G. 1973 Return to Education: An International Comparison. Amsterdam and New York: Elsevier and Jossey-Bass.
Sadlak J. 1992. „In Search o f the »Post-communist« University - The Background and Scenario of Transformation in Higher Education in East and Central Europe” (maszynopis wykładu wygłoszonego w Waszyngtonie 18 lutego 1992 r.)
Schultz T.W. 1963 The Economic Value o f Education. New York: Columbia University Press.
Sawiński Z. 1988 „Nierówności edukacyjne w polskim szkolnictwie po wojnie” (niepublikowany referat wygłoszony na konferencji)