Government plans to overhaul the country's research and higher education systems have sparked a controversy over moves to abolish Poland's post-doctoral degrees, but many intellectuals say wide-ranging reforms to academia are badly needed.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted at a meeting with researchers in April that the changes would harm the interests of some people, but argued it was the only way for Poland to gain international recognition and develop a modern economy. He appealed to the scientific community for support.

Scientists and academics have largely welcomed the government initiative, but said the plans were vague. "Academic communities are waiting for change. I like one proposal in particular-the introduction of robust competition into the research and higher education system," said Prof. Włodzimierz Kurnik, head of the Warsaw University of Technology. "The abolition of the post-doctoral qualification would be a bit risky. A few years ago I would be 100-percent sure that this should be done. Now, I am no longer so sure that this is the right way to accelerate career progression at universities. Career progression is slow not because of any formal constraints, but because of the excessive stability of university posts. I am afraid that if we abolish these requirements it may turn out that the market will fill up with professors with inadequate qualifications and the value of professorships will diminish."

Prof. Maciej Żylicz, president of the Foundation for Polish Science, is in favor of abolishing the Polish habilitacja post-doctoral degree, arguing that it hinders the careers of those who have studied abroad. "Above all, it would be good if barriers were removed to career development for young people," Żylicz said. "Older professors would go into well-deserved retirement while young people would be able to compete and advance, with clear criteria determining who wins and why."

Prof. Tadeusz Luty, president of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, is against abolishing the post-doctoral degree altogether, but welcomes discussion about how to modify it. "If we do not treat it as a goal in itself it will not be a barrier" to career development, Luty said.

Letter of 44

Scientists and academics who have joined a public debate on the planned reforms largely agree that an overhaul is needed, but have reservations about individual proposals. The first wave of criticism came from 44 well-known intellectuals working in the humanities, who sent a letter to Tusk dubbed the Letter of 44. They criticized the proposal to abolish Poland's post-doctoral degree. "It may be that the shortening of career paths will do no harm in mathematics, physics or chemistry," wrote the academics. "But taking such a shortcut in the spheres of learning that we represent-the humanities in a broad sense-will lead to a serious decline. Not only talent but also erudition is needed in the humanities and social sciences. As a result, academics in this field need a long time to mature as researchers and university teachers. It is not possible to shorten this process by any ministerial order or law."

Barbara Kudrycka, minister of science and higher education, met with some of the academics. The only outcome of the meeting was a decision that methods used to assess research achievements should differ depending on the field in question, with separate criteria to be worked out by experts for the humanities and social sciences, engineering and mathematics and natural sciences.

But this decision was not enough to put an end to criticism of plans to abolish post-doctoral degrees. The Polish Sociological Society joined the protests. And a letter warning against hasty reform was posted on the website of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. It was signed by almost 2,000 researchers. The letter said, "The view that the post-doctoral degree requirement is the key factor behind slow career progress is wrong. If candidates have a body of research to their name of a suitable standard there are no substantive obstacles to prevent them from obtaining this degree. In fact, irrespective of the field in question, the post-doctoral degree is the most important element in the appraisal of candidates for professorships in Poland... We agree with the need to simplify the process of qualifying for a post-doctoral degree, but are firmly against any plans to abolish it."

Meanwhile, the Independent Academic Forum, an association bringing together Polish researchers working in Poland and abroad, called for the abolition of the post-doctoral degree.

The Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) said in a statement, "Insufficient funding over many years, and low salaries at public universities and PAN research centers in particular, are the main reason behind the inefficiency of the Polish research system and young people taking too long to mature as researchers." The statement added that the slow career path in Polish universities and research centers is not caused by the requirement to gain a post-doctoral degree, but by the fact that young Ph.D. holders take on additional jobs and their research work suffers as a result.

Details demanded

According to Prof. Michał Kleiber, president of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), the government reforms are pointed in the right direction but the means of attaining the desired results have not been described in enough detail to allow a reliable assessment of the reform guidelines-and this is the reason why they have provoked strong criticism from various quarters. "The ministerial document contains many ideas and almost each of them can be interpreted in different ways," Kleiber said. "It is typical of public debate that interpretations which are least favorable to those who propose them always come to the fore. As a result, all critical remarks are focused on the weaknesses of this document, even including its linguistic flaws."

Kleiber said the government document formulated the proposal to abolish the post-doctoral degree in an ill-considered manner and without any explanation of what this would mean exactly in practice. And this, he said, had triggered a debate that was not relevant to the crux of the matter. The guidelines, for example, mention plans to introduce two types of doctoral degrees, but no further details are provided. In this situation, criticism was inevitable, according to Kleiber.

"People are simply confused and rush to criticize, although one can imagine there is a sensible idea behind each proposal," he said. Kleiber argued that support for the reforms will depend on what interpretation of individual guidelines the government ultimately presents. "I welcome change and this is why I try to resolve doubts in a positive way. If I had the right to interpret all the proposals and the reforms were carried out in the way I understand them, I would support them almost in their entirety. But until the ministry provides official interpretations it is difficult to comment on the reform guidelines."

Prof. Aleksander Wolszczan, a Polish astronomer working in the United States, said the reforms were needed and that an increase in spending on research from the budget would not suffice. "The reforms have to be very well-considered and coordinated," Wolszczan said. "It is nonsense to say, 'Give us more money and you will have an excellent research system.' There are plenty of other problems involved here. It will be more difficult to carry out reforms than to obtain additional money from the state budget."

Wolszczan said the reforms will require concrete discussion and serious analysis, something that is not yet in evidence. "I am somewhat worried about the storm unleashed over this unfortunate post-doctoral degree," Wolszczan added. "The post-doctoral degree is definitely not the central problem of these reforms."

Wolszczan also said that Polish research lacks openness and that an attempt to change the mentality of Polish academics would prove a major challenge. "While persuading everyone that doing research with one's head in the clouds is fine, the point is that one also needs to think of how to transfer knowledge to society," Wolszczan said.

"Knowledge and education are fundamental to the development of civilization. It is researchers' duty, quite pleasant by the way, to share their knowledge with society in an accessible way. Researchers must not form an elite group or caste who use terminology and knowledge completely beyond the comprehension of ordinary people."

According to Wolszczan, the reforms have to take account of Poland's economic needs, which means emphasis should be put on spheres related to modern technology. However, fundamental research should not be sidelined, because without it applied research cannot develop, he argued. In like manner, research cannot develop without education and vice versa.

Links with business

Experts say cooperation between research institutes and business is an important part of the reforms and everything should be done to foster this. However, Krzysztof Gawlikowski, Ph.D., a political scientist on the Committee for the Development of Research in Poland, argues that this will not be easy, given the character of the Polish economy. But he praised the idea of tax breaks for companies working with researchers. "It is a step in the right direction," he says. "But in this respect Poland's situation is difficult. The free-market reforms of the early 1990s involved economic modernization through an inflow of foreign capital. The majority of large Polish enterprises were sold off to foreign investors. Their headquarters and research labs are abroad. As a result, the Western European system, in which two-thirds of research spending comes from private sources, is impossible in Poland."

Marcin Rybicki