Higher education: The need for a comprehensive reform

Abstract

In the paper, key solutions for reforming the higher education system in Poland are proposed. In the area of teaching activities, abandoning narrow teaching programs is recommended, along with keeping the current division of study curricula postulated within the Bologna process. Simplification of the academic career path by abandoning the habilitation degree at the state level as well as the redefinition of the professor title is postulated. In the part devoted to the university governance and management a new approach to select rector and strengthening her/his authority is recommended. A diversification of tertiary education institutions into universities, colleges of applied sciences, and community colleges is proposed. The proposal includes also selection of two or three research universities, and keeping the current structure of schools of art. The value of internationalization and academic mobility is stressed. The last part of the paper covers an important issue of university financing, focusing on grant-type funding and tuition fees.