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The Influence of the Innovativeness and Changes in Education on the Science Development in the European Union

Wiesław Breński

University of Warmia and Mazury

Abstract: The EU’s regional policy task is to liquidate differences in economic development on the territory of the Community. Thus, the EU’s institutions help the less developed regions and sectors via structural funds. The European Union supports both basic research and transfer of technology as well as various forms of cooperation between public enterprises and private companies within PPP [[13], p. 126]. For instance, the budget for the years 2007-2013 there was aid provided via the European Fund for Regional Development and the European Social Fund. The European Fund for Regional Development supports the projects and investments aiming at decrease of disproportions between regions. The European Social Fund finance projects connected with the labor market and employees developments [[14], p. 123]. Innovation and changes in education strongly influenced the development of the education in the European Union. The education system has obviously noticed the needs of the labor market, especially within employment of professionally skilled employees. Education has been evaluated via building an individual career of each person, since some people plan their career even before starting their education and choose a high school and university according to their professional aspirations. The career in an individual dimension is the result of self-management, an employee chooses the direction of shaping own potential within planning the ways of using individual work resources. A person who plans a career considers own interests, strong and weak sides, chances and threats coming from the environment and estimates benefits possible to reach in future, costs of actions leading to realization of the career and the loss connected with potential failure of the assumed objectives. The notion of “a borderless career” has been used recently in relation to the career in an individual dimension. It means a professional development of an employee with no limits to one enterprise with the assumption to develop skills on the career path led by numerous organizations [[20], p. 159] and supposedly was the European Commissions’ idea while implementing numerous innovative changes in the education system. This article aims at the presentation of the most important determinants of the changes development occurring in education and innovativeness of those changes. The European Commission initiates numerous actions in the area of the innovative policy with the aim of so called the European paradox, namely a high level of scientific research and results of those research are not equal with innovative products introduced into the market. The Innovation Action Plan claims that effective systems in the economy based on knowledge are those which bind creating knowledge with the mechanisms of dissemination it as much as possible as well as capability of persons, companies and organizations to absorb that knowledge and its use. A critical factor of innovation growth is, therefore, linking research (creating knowledge), trainings, staff mobilities, mutual contacts (dissemination of knowledge) with the ability of companies, especially small and medium business, to absorbing new technologies and know-how [[3], p. 37].

Keywords: the European Commission, changes and development of science, innovativeness, new technologies, youth integration, the European Union

Received July 16, 2015; Revised September 15, 2015; Accepted October 08, 2015

Citation: Wiesław Breński, The Influence of the Innovativeness and Changes in Education on the Science Development in the European Union. American Journal of Educational Research, 3 (10). 1253-1257. January 2015. doi:10.12691/education-3-10-7

1. Introduction

Science and education are the most important industry in the 21st century in the context of future. The number of employees is significant in education. It has a huge impact on the quality of staff which step into enterprises and become their part. While performing own work, they decide on the pace of the development of our country. Nevertheless, in the context of Poland, the changes in education occur slower than we expect. The government focuses on the program of higher education development realized within the Country Development strategy and other development strategies, however, one should hope that the worked out solutions will contribute to conquer the development barriers in such a way that Poland could generate civilization progress in the development of strong economy based on knowledge, technological potential and innovative activity [[7], p. 87].

In 2013 the faculties ordered by the Polish educational system had occurred for five years and the Lisbon strategy had come into force for thirteen years. Primarily, the Lisbon Strategy assumed functioning such a social model in the EU that would have enabled dynamic economy development. Today, that social model is clearly noticeable by the analogy of the problems we face that also concerns the Polish economy. According to the innovativeness ranks, Poland remains one of the least innovative economies in the world. “The long term strategy perspective” is necessary also because of the crisis which, paradoxically, may be a chance to modernize Poland, on condition that we will be brave enough to introduce such reforms. Such thesis also occurred in the Report Poland 2030 worked out by the Group of Strategy Advisors of the Prime Ministers [18]. The Report was said to be a new compass for the country so necessary to the Poles. Despite that, another year has been passed since introduction of the Report, the Polish economy still does not have any entrance into the way of the innovative development, although, primarily we assumed more employment thanks to flexibility and safety [[14], p. 10].

2. The Potential of Youth, Intelligence of Mature

We got used to the fact that young people are “prone” to education the most and, according to the proverb “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree”, we force children, younger siblings to generate self-mobilization to education, to learn more. Should only young people learn? Where has the stereotype come from that the elderly people who had not taken up education during their early years, lost their opportunity to education in their older age? Indeed, with the time it is more and more difficult to acquire theories and we are less and less open to novelties, not only those educational but also technical ones. Meanwhile, it is proved scientifically that adults, even though they are in the process of getting older, provide the potential of development and skills to acquire knowledge for their whole life. People preserve the ability until their late years but the condition of remaining such systematic acquiring knowledge is the use of proper methods of education, adjusted to the level and properties of a student’s intellectual skills [[1], p. 79].

The way and methods of adult education depend on the adults’ behavior and their ability to respect individual properties and acceptance in didactic process reality. Only accepting certain logics in that issue, may allow them to build methodology of educational work with adults which, in a harmony with a selected model of education, shall guarantee reaching the presumed result. The basis of such methodology is accepting a priority of rules which mean both norms of behavior assumed to be proper in pedagogy in order to reach presumed aims of pedagogical activity, and they formulate basis to proper activities for the process of education or upbringing [[5], p. 23]. Adult education should not be explained in the category of pedagogics but andragogy of work which is a theory of education and upbringing of adults within their preparation to professional work and improvement and development of widely comprehended culture of work [[21], p. 16].

In the European Union, the educational system of adults was focused on in a wider range not earlier than in the 20th century. Andragogy has been supported by such scientific areas as: philosophical anthropology, an adult psychology, ethics, sociology of culture and upbringing and history of education and pedagogical ideas [17].

All the mentioned areas aim at complex support of renaissance of adult education and improving effectiveness within acquiring knowledge by adults, and, consequently, creating vocational educational system becoming stricte investment in people. Each person realizing oneself on vocational ground, is absolutely aware of the need to work in a job that provides more verbal and financial satisfaction if it is performed by an educated and competent person in certain profession. Nowadays, professional and educational development, determination in the matter, are the features commonly desired, thus increasing the level of knowledge, acquiring new competences, are a valuable way to reach social prestige. Professional career and success at work are precious goods that may be received by education in organizations that function properly [[8], p. 112]. Therefore, both employers and employees are interested in development of professional competences and their improvement.

3. The European Union about Education…

It is worth reaching for the Western patterns while considering adult educational system. Europeans are devoid a negative outlook on adults who take up education in later age. In 2005, an analysis concerning national policies in the area of adult education was worked out for the request of the Commission. The review was supposed to provide necessary information o prepare the Communication of the Commission titled “Adult education: it is never too late to take up education” that was adopted in October 2006. Comparing national policies enabled to know national contexts better, their common elements and characteristic features and challenges ahead [[9], p. 4]. Some countries try to improve infrastructure in order to be able to react flexibly on individual and social needs of education, while the other ones face prompt adult education development and other areas of education that depend on the demand and supply growth [[17], p. 64]. Nevertheless, there are certain common trends. The European Union guides a general direction of activities in particular countries, simultaneously respecting full responsibility of the member states for the educational system and training development and their autonomy in that matter. In a situation when Europe tries to adjust itself to a growing economy and social pressure, adult education has become a priority issue in many countries’ policy. In a widely comprehended educational policy, rationalization of educational and training systems is an objective, aiming at providing coordination and cohesion, and, in a small number of states, integration of policies, structures, methods of financing, educational offers and qualifications [[9], p. 63].

4. Cultural Relativism in the Inter-cultural Psychology, the Education System Determinate

Shaping identity and activity of adults may be discussed in the categories of cultural relativism in the inter-cultural psychology, namely comprehending a human’s personality in the context of a unit’s feature analysis. Each person reacts individually on information transmission. Nowadays, we may say about toxic influence of mass media, propaganda, ways of convincing to certain outlooks that are used in media. A human, being a social creature functioning in a certain environment, is aimed at development shaped by surrounding world, outlook and common opinions [[2], p. 96]. We enter the world of culture mainly thanks to daily newspapers, media, we comprehend the symbols of the transmission, know the norms that rule the world. Our identity is a part of personality and guideline of our activity. A human, during the whole life, acquires rules of social re-socialization by participating, often unconsciously, in cultural shaping personality of own unit.

5. Changes on the Labor Market as the Guideline of Changes in the System of Education

Rapid changes, their fast pace and economic disorders that change employment market structure make certain skills lose their significance, other ones benefit and flexibility and the ability to adjust to changes become the most desired facility among workers. Moreover, education systems do not follow those needs of market. Certain valuable competence, e.g. those concerning team work or solving conflicts or management in a critical situation cannot be learnt during a traditional process of education. Those skills as acquired not earlier than while beginning a work, namely in a particular organizational reality [[10], p. 11].

A young generation of employees represents new values at work which European employers try to adjust to. Applicants often ask about the opportunities to self-development during a job interview. They are ready to invest much of their time, effort and even money in an interesting job that would let them develop own qualifications and reach new experiences. They treat own competences as a private resource that is only rented to employers. Young European managers expect that university and training curricula they participate in, shall be connected with reaching a formal certification of their competences. Acquiring official diplomas and degrees are more and more often an important motivating factor. There are several reasons of the fact that the opinion of the categories of “life” employment is disappearing, moreover, a unit claims that courses and trainings organized in a company are valuable only in that firm since they are not respected anywhere else. Official certificates and diplomas are also a reliable source of information on an employee’s skills for his/her employer. Economic organizations had not attached importance to the condition of possessing scientific degrees for many years. Nowadays it is principally changing at the time of promotion. There is a tendency to treat such qualification as a criterion to promotion for the highest occupations, especially in huge organizations [18].

6. Changes, Confrontation to Reality

Therefore, if we take into consideration finances of higher education in the EU (low rate of private means in costs of studies) and high private rate of refunding from investments into university education (higher professional status and higher graduates’ remuneration of the European universities in relation to high school graduates), the answer of the Commission is as follows: it is necessary to increase (and diversify at the same time) financing higher education by the growth of private expenses. That assumption does not remain in contradiction with the paradox that, despite education has been treated more important than before for the competitive prevail of nations, the engagement and opportunities of financing management would decrease significantly, since the Commission means increasing private finances of education and scientific research at universities, namely the idea of co-financing studies and scientific research by the sector of enterprises, so unpopular but occurring more and more often in Europe. The Commission mentions several bottle-necks in university reforms in the recently published document titled “Mobilizing the Brainpower of Europe” in Europe, namely uniformity of curricula and teaching methods, separating universities from industry , re-regulating their functioning from the side of a state and under financing and depending the expenses on public financing. A new modernization agenda of a university includes three aspects: attractiveness of the European education systems, their financing and the issues of university order and university management. The Commission still encourages the EU member states to convince universities to search for additional, private resources of finances (from companies for research and more and more often from individuals for education, namely fees). Universities should be allowed to search additional private sources of financing. Whereas, The EU’s Council call the EU’s member states to facilitate the access for universities to additional sources of financing, including private resources and to remove barriers in creating public and private partnership with business [[12], pp. 201-203].

7. Public and Private Partnership as a Source of Education System Development in the EU

The interest in the solutions of public and private partnership (PPP) mainly results from searching for new sources of financing investments where there is lack of funds in the budget due to the level of debts or limited incomes. The problem concerns also the education sector. A private partner’s funds mean own share in applying for various subsidies or external aid.

The EU’s policy towards regions is one of the most important integration process’s spheres. 35% of the EU’s budget funds are destined to it that mostly come from the richest members states. The mechanisms of the funds allocation have been modified many times, and the present way of their division is the effect of certain evolution. The changes, implemented throughout the years, have led to improvement of taking decisions within ventures connected with regions as well as contributed to the increase of economic and social cohesion on the area of uniting Europe [[21], p. 55]. The EU’s regional policy is a conscious activity run by certain institutions and bodies of the European Communities, e.g. the European Commission or the Committee of Regions, aiming at equaling disproportions in life level and development between the richest and poorest regions of the member states. Extensive differences in social and economic development are a significant barrier for political, economic and education integration process [[19], p.166]. There has been an increased significance of multi-subject phenomenon of public authorities in the policy of regional development, similarly to the other activity of public administration. A private sector has increased to the range of regional policy entities, with the evidence of certain promoting within shaping public and private development of regions [[26], p. 69].

Public and private partnership remains, therefore, a significant symptom of the education system regional policy evolution in the EU.

The European Union engages huge money in assistance to the less developed member states (including Poland on the present level). It is not “a brotherhood’s help” as it may seem from the richer EU’s countries. As the EU’s analysis show, the wealthy EU’s countries’ progress may stop if other participating countries do not develop [[4], p. 20]. Not only the European Commission but also many assistant and advisory institutions such as The World Bank, OECD or EBRD enhance to the idea of the public and private partnership. The Polish government has created another version of the PPP act from 2008 that came into force at the beginning of 2009 [[11], p. 323]. The theory, and, first of all, a long-term experience of PPP in numerous countries show public entities may faster and better response to social expectations thanks to it. However, to reach the aim, it is necessary to fulfill certain conditions concerning the project or public task itself and shaping cooperation. PPP should be chosen as a way of realization of public venture if it is beneficial for the public interest prevailing towards the benefits resulting from other ways of realization of that venture, pursuant to the art. 3 of the Act from December 19th, 2008 on the Public and Private Partnership [23]. Thus, a starting point in the multi-criteria analysis over PPP (and the decisions on the methods of public tasks realization) should be a benefit evaluation for the public interest.

There has been a Department of Public and Private Partnership created in the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, within the Department of Financing Infrastructure and European Funds, responsible for co-creating favorable conditions for the development of the partnership in Poland. The legal regulations in Poland do not exclude the co-operation within the partnership of public administration with the entities performing business activity. Each self-governmental act (the voivodship, poviat and municipal ones) includes a regulation concerning the purpose to perform their tasks by the self-government by concluding agreements with other entities as well as with public universities. It proves the fact that Poland also searches interesting solutions in that matter. There is a key question concerning the opportunity of rational use of the potential that is opened by the EU’s regulations in that matter.

8. PPP – the Polish Practice of the Little Steps Methods

The act on the public and private partnership passed on July 28th, 2005 (Journal of Laws 169, pos. 1420) was supposed to create legal basis for realization public tasks by public entities in cooperation with private partners. It was the first legal act passed in Poland devoted to that matter. The act assumes that public and private partnership means the cooperation between a public entity and a private partner based on an agreement, aiming at better performance of public tasks with the use of private funds and potential of private entities to perform those tasks. Another assumption is that such partnership can be realized only when performing public tasks in that shape brings more benefits to public interests than those performed in other form. The tasks of new regulations were, first of all, widening the opportunities to perform public tasks and improvement of the quality of their performance. In the time of the works over the act, the interest in the public and private partnership, especially by the representatives of local self-government units, seemed much. However, over the all years of its validity, there have been no effects of its functioning. Even if there are certain preparations to realization of the venture basing on the act, there has been neither concluding an agreement of public and private partnership, nor realization of any venture in that form [[6], p. 2]. But the assumption of PPP should bring benefits to all partnership parties.

9. Changes in Respecting Diplomas

Changes in the education system also concern the process of respecting foreign education. New regulations enable confirmation in Poland of acquired education on the first and second grade of studies in the European Union. It is the result of the European integration deepened in each area of life. The opportunity of confirming the education in Poland acquired in another member state without the necessity to perform nostrification procedures aims at full realization of so called the rule of free flow of people within the EU.

The amended act The act on higher education [24] devotes a qu

ite long art. 191a to the matter of respecting foreign diplomas. The first paragraph of the article refers to the confirmation by our country the education acquired in the EU, OECD or EFTA countries and states that “Diplomas issued by the entitled university acting in the system of higher education of the EU, OECD or EFTA member state confirming graduation:

•  three year bachelor’s degree studies – the Republic of Poland confirms the acquired education on the level of the first grade of studies if they last at least three years;

•  the studies of the second grade – the Republic of Poland confirms the education on the level of the second grade;

•  at least four year cohesive studies – the Republic of Poland confirms the higher education on the level of the second grade studies if it is treated to be equal to the graduation to the studies of the second grade in the country of its issuing” [24].

The quoted paragraph is applied also to the diplomas confirming graduation to the studies run commonly by the universities acting in the system of higher education of the EU’s, OECD, and the European Agreement member states [[25], p. 173].

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