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THE DIRECTIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN POLAND

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RATAJCZAK J.

Economic and Environmental Studies

2007

vol. 10

119-133

The situation of education in most modern States, with the exception of the wealthiest, is not perfect [Lewowicki 1997,132-134]. As far as the Polish education is concerned, its poor condition is to a large extent the conseąuence of manyyears of underinvestment. The educational reforms introduced in recent years raised hopes for the increase in expenditure on education, the improvement of infrastructure, the expansion of the networks of educational institutions, betterfurnishings of such institutions, the improvement of working conditions and better salaries for teachers. In fact, all of these reforms morę freąuently brought progressing impoverishment of education rather than any improvement.The reasons for these disadvantageous changes in the Polish education are not a secret. The condition of the Polish economy and finances are well known. Despite the relatively high ratę of economic growth expressed in basie criteria (GNP, consumption, investments), there is no transposition of the achieved results on the achievement of essential social objectives. The proof of this is a very high level of unemployment, inereasing social stratification, growing poverty, the necessity to emigrate in search of work, and the lack of any prospects for young people. The lack of any coherent and consistent economic and social policy in Poland deepens the disbelief in the improvement of the Polish education whichlargely depends on various forms of the state’s support. The latter is so very important because in the conditions of the inereasing impoverishment of the Polish society any attempts to charge it with educational costs are not quiterealistic. The dramatic situation and the standing of education problems associated with economy become even morę serious because, to a large extent, the state of education has a decisive influence on the success or failure of theeconomic and social transformations. The solution of national social problems reąuires a new strategie approach to education and science, which must be dealt with as highly profitable investments influencing the social and economicdevelopment, and civilization progress, and not as they used to be treated - as costs burdening the state budget and the national economy. The educational reform introduced in and implemented sińce 1999, just like the earlier decentralization reform of educational management, in the general scale have not had any elear effects of considerably rationalizing educational decisions and their adjusting to actual needs [Szymański 2004, 61-63]. The very fact of handing over educational institutions to local governments was not connected with any significant flow of financial resources. It is true that the wealthiest communes were able to improve their schools’ and teachers’ working conditions, but the communes deprived of considerable income have been systematically falling into debts and looking for savings, by closing down smali schools, limiting the employment of teachers or eliminating after-school activities. Every decision of this type changed the pupils’ school situation and caused the growth of differences not only between towns’ and villages’ access to education, but between particular regions of the country as well. The unsatisfactory state of the Polish education makes it necessary for the state to introduce essential changes in its educational policy. The growing role of human Capital in the economy and our rightful participation in European structures are sufficient reasons for education to become a priority in the decisionsconcerning the futurę economic development of Poland and Europe .

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1 Economic and Environmental Studies

1 RATAJCZAK J.

1 2007

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THE DIRECTIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN POLAND