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Demographic crisis hits universities

10.03.2010 16:25

Demographic crisis hits Polish universities. Will Poland lose 75% of universities by the year 2020? Can foreign students save the situation?

Report by Joanna Najfeld

According to the OECD, within 10 years from now, the number of university students in Poland will decrease by 40%. This may well result in the bankruptcy of 3/4 of Polish universities. All that because of the serious demographic crisis that Poland is in, which begins to seriously impact the social structure of society, which in turn hurts economy and among many other areas, education.

Many universities seek their rescue in extending offers to foreign students, who are still rare in Polish higher education. Polish medical universities are especially popular on the international education market, as they offer high quality training at reasonable prices.

There is an estimated 2.5 million students worldwide enrolled at universities outside their home countries. They spend an estimated several billion USD every year.

Comments: 20 Add new comment

Marek

10/03/2010 20:28:55

During socialism Poland had no problems with demography, however, under capitalism Poland is dying out.Coincidence?

C. Blazejczyk

10/03/2010 21:40:47

No, Marek, it is no coincidence. You see, under socialism (communism, more correctly) young Poles did not have the freedom to go elsewhere--like the capitalist West where they can improve their living standards. Does a person stop being Polish if he lives outside Poland? No, Poland never dies.

John

10/03/2010 22:17:34

To Blazejczyk: Well I once met a 3rd generation Pole from Pensylvania, who barely knew what the capital of Poland was!

C. Blazejczyk, USA... 5th generation

10/03/2010 23:06:42

To John: Warsaw (Warszawa, po polsku). But if your criticism was of US primary education standards, I agree.

Skoy

11/03/2010 00:58:31

Maybe they'll hand out free diplomas to lure students! Oh wait ...

Jasiek

11/03/2010 01:00:09

Marek,

The key is loans. The socialist era was of one of the worst bubble economies in the history of Poland. The then communist government had increasingly got into debt to throw a lot of money among the people until the amount exceeded its ability to repay or rollover. That was the end of the socialist utopia. You can blame anyone - commies amongst Poles, Soviets, the neglectful Westerners, etc., but blaming itself is not fruitful and you need to learn from the history of mistake, and you will come to support Mr Jacek Rostowski and the Tusk administration.

The university issue seems to contain another question. In Poland a great many small-sized private vocational schools are also called and actually categorised colleges or universities so my suspicion is that such schools are included in the statistics.

short quiz

11/03/2010 01:29:38

It is said,that the Polish people are "well" educated.
Why do they elect clowns to the Polish Parliament?.

long quiz

11/03/2010 01:42:14

Clowns are in all parliaments.

John

11/03/2010 01:42:52

I don't even know what country I live in.

Marek

11/03/2010 09:23:59

Jasiek

I don't understand what you mean by "bubble" economy under socialism. Did people in Poland and other socialist countries did not do anything, did not work, did not produce material things? So there was no agriculture, no industry,no students, no doctors, no working class? I think you exaggerate faults of socialist planning system.That economy could be more efficient for sure but it was completely real and in many aspects more realistic - people were consuming according to what they produced.So it was an honest economy.

To me a good example of modern "bubble" economy is Iceland, Ireland, Greece. Modern Poland is also very close to that definition.I mean what Poland lives from nowadays? Financial speculations, credits from western banks, currency sent by polish working abroad? If that flow of credit stops, what Poland will do? Name me at least something which Poland produces and can compete with that on international markets...Computers, cars, software, electronics, fashion, clothes, aviation, space, military, oil, gas? I mean what industry feeds 40 million people? So if you say it was a "bubble" then and now it's "real" you have to prove it is so.

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Demographic crisis hits universities