I talk to Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik about the proceedings of this important meeting for the academic community.
- What was discussed on the first day of the meeting, when the rectors talked in the absence of guests?
- We addressed several issues, including the legislative work related to evaluation, current journal lists, visas, and the new visa law.
A particularly important issue we discussed involves the financial challenges facing universities. It's not just about employee salaries, although we agree that their pay is crucial and we see the consequences of insufficient wage growth. Rectors are seriously concerned about the upcoming changes in social fund contributions. In a situation of complete underfunding, this could have significant repercussions on university budgets.
For several years, we have observed a trend that causes universities to have increasing difficulties in functioning normally. In our adopted position, we propose that updated cost indicators for studies and announced public sector wage increases be included in subsidy amounts. Despite subsidy increases in recent years, inflation has also risen significantly. In practice, this means that subsidies have not increased enough to cover rising costs. We advocate for realistic year-to-year subsidy changes – the percentage change corridor should relate to the level set in relation to the previous year increased by the inflation growth rate.
Given the demographic decline resulting in fewer applicants for studies, we also propose that the student coefficient in the subsidy allocation algorithm cease to play a significant role. It's hard to agree with the opinion that fewer students mean less staff. The teaching activity of universities, especially academic ones, is only part of our tasks. We cannot treat scientists as temporary employees who are hired today, dismissed tomorrow, and rehired for the same positions the day after tomorrow. Building a research team is a process that takes many years.
- An important topic was “paper mills,” what are the proposals to solve this phenomenon?
- We identified this topic, which has recently gained media attention, a long time ago, but the scale of the phenomenon associated with “paper mills” is now so large that radical measures are needed. The emergence of unethical behavior is due to a number of factors, including the pressure to achieve the highest possible citation rates and publish as many articles as possible. KRPUT believes it is necessary to strengthen procedures aimed at effectively detecting and eliminating fraudulent activities at the level of universities, publishers and in the process of evaluating scientific quality.
In a sense, unethical behavior related to publishing is also fostered by opening doctoral schools to candidates from around the world. This can lead to situations where some doctoral candidates choose co-authors from their home countries, which may affect research quality and reliability. At the same time, recognizing a problem with media communication, we emphasize the need for a factual discussion free from emotions and manipulation. In summary, changes in employee evaluation procedures and the publication system are necessary to ensure reliability and high quality of scientific research.
- Rectors also discussed the "Pearls of Science" competition; what is the problem here?
- The "Pearls of Science" competition was created with the best students in mind. Unfortunately, the regulations defining the timeline for the entire process do not favor our students and often prevent them from applying for these prestigious grants. At the time of the competition announcement, students are either not yet at the appropriate stage of study to apply or are already so advanced in their second-degree studies that the program duration excludes them from implementing projects. As a result, many talented students cannot take advantage of this opportunity, which is a significant limitation for their scientific development.
- How can you summarize the open part of the KRPUT meeting?
- In the open part of the meeting, we talked about activities related to second-degree studies, cooperation with doctoral candidates and students associated with the Technical Universities Forum. We also had a presentation by Comarch on human resource management systems and a report from the Central European Technology Forum, which KRPUT patronized.
We summarized the activities of the Accreditation Commission of Universities of Technology established by KRPUT not only for the last term but also comprehensively. In the closed part, we elected Prof. Wojciech Łużny from AGH as chairman of KAUT for another term, and Prof. Arkadiusz Terman, rector of West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, was elected as KRPUT representative.
- Summarizing KRPUT in one sentence...
- The time spent in Lodz was very intensive, but participants left satisfied, emphasizing that it was a deep and serious discussion. Together we looked at current problems from all universities' perspectives, saying what needs to be done to solve growing problems that are becoming increasingly dangerous for higher education.
Interviewed by Ewa Chojnacka