A letter of rectors on the Polish universities

The subject of the letter is the perception of Polish universities by the scientific, student and journalist circles. It aims to improve the image of Polish universities.

"Public universities are often attacked by many groups. We want to work together to improve the image of Polish universities. The letter will be one of the steps we take to achieve this" - said Rector of the University of Zielona Góra Prof. Tadeusz Kuczyński.

He added that in the near future one of the most important issues for universities will be the introduction of the National Qualifications Framework. "We debated on how the change of the model of standards-based education will affect the national qualifications framework, the assessment of education quality. This is a completely different model and it will require a change in approach of the Polish Accreditation Committee "- said Rector of the University of Zielona Góra.

Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Marek Ratajczak noted that the ministry recognizes that universities represent common positions in many cases.

"The ministry focuses on the future of education. We want the decisions taken by the ministry to be concurrent with those proposed by universities" - said Ratajczak.

He also confirmed that expenditures on higher education in 2013 will be higher than in the previous year. The changes will include giving universities more autonomy in the allocation of ministry funds.

University of Zielona Gora hosted 20 rectors of major Polish universities who attended the first plenary meeting of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities in the term 2012 - 2016. The meeting was attended by rectors of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the University of Warsaw, Silesia, Gdansk, Jagiellonian University, Wrocław, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Cardinal Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Maria Curie - Sklodowska University in Lublin.

They also attended the inauguration of the academic year at the University of Zielona Gora.

Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities was established by the University Rectors at the congress in Krakow in 1989 as the academic community response to the adoption in 1988 in Bologna of the Great Charter of European Universities.

The aim of the Conference, which is an autonomous congregation of rectors, is to strengthen cooperation between universities in order to meet the challenges of the present and the future. The Conference develops and presents the opinions and positions on issues of importance to the development of Polish science, higher education, culture and education, in collaboration with the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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