The Changes in the Higher Agricultural Education, as Exemplified by the Warsaw Agricultural University (SGGW)

Abstract

The article discusses the general trends taking place in the higher agricultural education. The abolition of state farms (PGR) and introduction of the market principles in agriculture resulted in the decreased interest in agriculture production related courses. While the courses focusing on the agriculture surrounding areas, like food production technology, human nourishment, became more popular. The limitation of the budgetary resources concerning the learning process, -and quitting the central steering of the recruitment processes, introduced the competition between higher education institutions. This forced them to reform the education process, toward modernization and matching students’ expectations and the wishes of employers. The author describes experiences gained in the period of two years, after the curriculum revision, accompanied by the attempt to individualize the learning process, were introduced at the SGGW. One of the most significant conclusions, based on the performed analysis, is that in the multi-department institutions, providing numerous courses on various subjects, in the present situation characterized by the autonomy of the departments regarding the curricula, the tendencies to teaching self-sufficiency, are reasonable from the department’s point of view, but may result in irrational teaching staff and financial policy on the institutional level not mentioning the threat of the deterioration of the teaching standards.