At most faculties of Uniwersytet Wrocławski, the atmosphere is tense. Legends are already circulating about this year’s scholarships—there will be none; there will be, but later; finally, there will be, but they will be severely reduced. In previous years, it happened that scholarships were not paid in October and students received back payments in November, but this year the problem is not limited to a delay. For the first time, part-time and evening students will also receive scholarships. Regarded by some students and even professors as inferior, they are finally gaining the same rights as their full-time counterparts. Opinions among the latter about the new situation are divided.
Equal Shares for Everyone?
"I have nothing against part-time students receiving academic scholarships," says Kamila, a fifth-year mathematics student. "What annoys me is that, because of this, full-time students have lost meal subsidies in the university cafeteria," Kamila adds. This amounted to 48 złoty per month. In addition, nothing is known about social scholarships. At this time last year, they were already in students’ accounts, whereas now we do not even know how much they will be. Not to mention academic scholarships. And the Institute of Mathematics does not have sufficient funds.
The situation is similar at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where nobody knows anything about the scholarships either, and at the Faculty of Philology, where the only thing known is that the scholarship thresholds will remain the same as last year. This means that students of foreign philology can qualify for an academic scholarship with an average grade of 4.2, while students of Polish philology and journalism need an average of 4.3. Thresholds at the same level and a larger number of recipients do not make students optimistic.
A Lot for a Few, or a Little for Everyone?
"This is some kind of parody," says Małgorzata, a fifth-year Polish philology student, irritated. "Last year, the minimum scholarship at our faculty was already 190 złoty, and the maximum was 300 złoty. You cannot even pay for a dormitory with that! If someone is a part-time student, that means they can afford the fees and there is no need to help them further," says Małgorzta.
Most students nevertheless repeat that they have nothing against the new scholarship-awarding rules, provided they are not disadvantaged as a result. They emphasize that they do not blame part-time students, since it is not they who distribute the money. For now, another revolutionary idea for improving higher education and leveling the playing field for all students is causing controversy and exposing the chaos and helplessness of its creators. And for the time being, there is no indication that the money will appear in the budget—let alone in the accounts and wallets of the student community.