It took as long as nine months to wait for a meeting between representatives of the OZZL Residents' Agreement and Minister of Science and Higher Education Dariusz Wieczorek.
Minister of science and higher education assures: faculties without positive opinion of PKA will not conduct recruitments
Published Aug. 21, 2024 08:28
The meeting discussed key problems, such as staffing and infrastructure shortages at medical faculties and increasingly lower admission requirements for medical school. At some universities, in order to be admitted to medicine, one only needed to get 30% on the biology exam, without having to take the chemistry exam. In others, the threshold was only 10%. Such lowering of standards raises serious concerns about the quality of education of future doctors and patient safety.
Representatives of the Residents' Agreement also drew attention to cases in which one person at the university coordinates up to 18 subjects at the same time, two of which he personally conducts. Minister Wieczorek responded that there is no legal basis for prohibiting such practices, but this does not dispel doubts.
Also, no one forbids burning a bonfire in the middle of the living room (rather?), but none of us do, the residents respond.
Minister Wieczorek has repeatedly criticized the policies of his predecessor, accusing them of degrading the education system. While it is hard to disagree, the actions of the current ministry, led by Minister Wieczorek, also seem insufficient. The Residents' Agreement stresses that young doctors are feeling growing frustration and dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs.
The Ministry has announced a draft law changing the criteria for opening medical faculties, restoring them to the state before the recent changes. In addition, faculties that do not receive a positive opinion from the Polish Accreditation Commission will not be allowed to conduct admissions, and in the absence of such an opinion within a year, the Ministry intends to close such faculties.
The results of the audits are due by the end of August. The question arises, however, what will happen to students at universities that do not receive a positive opinion? Will the Ministry decide to turn a blind eye to leaving students at universities that do not meet the appropriate conditions for education?
Source: OZZL Residents' Agreement
