2023-04-24 22:00:00
The new university of applied sciences development and financing plan has now been published in an adapted form following massive protests once morest the original submission. For Science Minister Martin Polaschek the “basis for continuing a success story”, the universities of applied sciences continue to reject the plan.
“With their high-quality theoretical and practice-oriented training of the urgently needed specialists, the Austrian universities of applied sciences make an indispensable contribution to the responsible shaping of our common future,” emphasizes Minister of Science Martin Polaschek in the new universities of applied sciences development and financing plan 2023/24-2025/26. At the center of the plan are “goals and measures to strengthen and further develop the training and further education of highly qualified specialists for the labor market”.
He is the basis for the fact that the “success story of the universities of applied sciences can be continued even following 29 years since their establishment,” adds Polaschek in a press release. It was possible to “obtain a permanent increase in the subsidy rate by 10 percent from January 1, 2023 and another by 4.5 percent from October 1, 2024”, as well as “recently more than 1000 additional federally funded study places in the future areas of digitization and create sustainability”. “All in all, my ministry, the BMBWF (Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, note), will spend an additional 284 million euros in the period 2023 to 2026 and a total of 1.8 billion euros for universities of applied sciences.” This corresponds to an increase of 18.4 percent. This secures the basis for its sustainable financing over the next three years. In addition, for the first time there are 14 million euros as special funds for special projects such as active participation in the European university alliances within the framework of the European University Initiative.
Some points in the new FH plan are “reason for serious concern”
The reaction of the universities of applied sciences to the new edition of the FH plan is once more negative. According to a broadcast by the Fachhochschulekonferenz (FHK), some points would once more be “reason for serious concern in the Fachhochschule sector”. This year, around 350 additional study places in the field of digitization and sustainability have been announced to deal with the shortage of skilled workers. However, the FHK suspects that the study places are not new, but that existing study places are to be taken away from the universities of applied sciences and then redistributed. The statements in the plan indicate this possibility.
The special funds of an additional 14 million euros also appear to the FHK to be “only positive at first glance”. They would be financed with existing funding channels, such as the “funding of the cooperative doctoral programs doc.funds.connect”. As a result, “this is not regarding fresh money either, but regarding the use of funds from funding channels that are already running successfully”.
As far as the subsidy rate increase by 4.5 percent from October 1, 2024 is concerned, there have been no changes compared to the first draft of the plan. The FHK points out that the announced increases in view of the current inflation trend “firstly come too late and secondly will not be enough by a long way”. An adjustment of at least 20 percent is necessary “so that the FH training can continue in the usual quality”.
At the press conference on the new FH plan, the FHK also condemned the fact that the research ministry had “declared that it was not responsible for research at universities of applied sciences and its financing”. It must “provide future-oriented structures” to its universities and it is “not permissible to shirk responsibility for financing”. There can never be any teaching at universities of applied sciences that is not research-led, otherwise the universities of applied sciences would lose their university character. According to the FHK position, all passages of the submitted plan are more reminiscent of a school plan and not a university plan.
A major criticism of the FHs also relates to communication with the sector as a whole. “In all the comments received on the first draft from the universities of applied sciences, the federal states, the social partners, the ÖH and many other affected institutions, it was demanded that the expertise of the universities of applied sciences should be included in the new edition of the FH development and financing plan. Discussions or the required round table did not take place. As a result, a document was published once more that those affected did not see beforehand.” The result is now available and “we reject it once more”. “Unfortunately, the opportunity to develop further together with the universities of applied sciences on an equal footing was not taken,” says Ulrike Prommer, President of the FHK.
UNIVERSITIES OF APPLICATIONS IN NUMBERS
21 universities of applied sciences in all federal states (even in those where there are no universities: Burgenland, Vorarlberg)
521 courses (52% Bachelor, 48% Master), offered in these variants:
326 full-time
267 extra-occupational
80 full-time and part-time
10 dual (in cooperation with companies)
11 distance learning courses
approx. 60,000 students (Unis: 266,000, ratio 1:4.5)
approx. 800 doctoral students with a degree from a university of applied sciences (WS 2020; 451 of them at local universities)
regarding. 16,700 Absolvent:innen (Unis: 37,400, ratio 1:2)
100% of the graduates in the tolerance period of the study period (universities: approx. 31%)
approx. 2% of the graduates are unemployed (universities: approx. 3%)
1682384504
#plan #dissent #SN.at
