“Today Gazeta Wyborcza drew attention to Dr. Hab. Iwona Przychocka, advisor to Science Minister Dariusz Wieczorek, and proud of her Bulgarian habilitation. As “Gazeta” notes, Przychocka tried twice to obtain her habilitation in Poland, but to no avail. She has only succeeded the third time, but at the University of Varna, Polish experts are sowing doubts about the quality of her scientific work.
In June 2024, the dismissed plenipotentiary of the Minister of Science for the quality of university education, Waldemar U., who lost his position due to allegations of bribery and paid protection in the context of Collegium Humanum, was replaced by Dr. Hab. Iwona Przychocka. Her main task in her new role is to formulate opinions on the quality of university education, to cooperate with the Polish Accreditation Commission and to provide opinions on legal acts of the Ministry of Science.
Iwona Przychocka received her PhD from the University of Białystok in 2005 and spent most of her scientific career at private universities. At the University of Technology and Commerce. Helena Chodkowska in Warsaw, she was even dean, vice-rector and rector. In 2023, Przychocka became vice-rector of the Vistula Academy of Finance and Business. He is also a university professor at the Military University of Technology.
The problem that Agata Kulczycka highlighted in her article in “Gazeta Wyborcza” is the habilitation attempts of Iwona Przychocka. In 2013, she first tried to get habilitated at the Warsaw School of Economics, but all three reviews were negative. It was judged that her research did not make a “significant contribution to the development of science”, and her scientific workshop and publications left much to be desired.
Bulgarian designation
Deputy Head of the Scientific Council for the Discipline of Legal Sciences and Head of the Department of Administrative Law and Civil Society of the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow, Ph.D. Grzegorz Krawiec has looked at the reviews in question, which – it turns out – contain controversial matters.
Reading these reviews is very interesting, but also… shocking. The habilitation candidate listed as her achievements a series of publications, which would be entitled: “The small and medium-sized enterprises sector in Poland – challenges of theory and needs of practice.” However, these were studies that had little in common with SMEs, for example in the area of tax obligations. The author has also provided tutorials as part of the series! I would like to remind you that the guide is not of a scientific nature. One of the reviewers did not receive several publications. This reflects poorly on the candidate for habilitation. Another reviewer criticized the lack of research hypotheses, a clear formulation of the purpose of the work, the research method, etc. It was emphasized that the scientific level was too low in relation to the accepted standards for publishing scientific works. Some formulations of the habilitation candidate also raised doubts about the content and linguistic correctness
– reviewed Dr. Hab. Tailor.
Soon, just two years later, Iwona Przychocka reapplied for the degree of Ph.D. habilitated, but this time at the University of Białystok. In this case too, the habilitation candidate had to do it with verve.
Ms. Iwona Przychocka applied for the habilitation diploma in June 2015. The Central Commission agreed to appoint a habilitation committee, and the faculty council agreed to carry out the procedure. But in October of the same year, the person concerned submitted a request to discontinue the procedure for personal reasons
– said the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Finance of the University of Białystok, Prof. Robert Ciborowski.
The third attempt to obtain habilitation took place in Bulgaria, where… the case was finally concluded. Iwona Przygocka received her Hagradation in 2019.
Translations by Przychocka
Iwona Przychocka herself explained to “Wyborcza” that she defended her dissertation at the University of Varna, and that the dissertation dealt with the issue of “administrative and organizational factors of tax depletion”. The scientific work of Minister Wieczorek’s advisor was translated into Bulgarian.
I researched the university before starting the whole process. A key issue included information that the university is successfully undergoing international accreditation, which is of great importance for quality assurance. The choice of this university was determined by factors related to the habilitation procedure, starting from the initial verification of the candidate and ending with the defense. Not everyone who wanted to start the habilitation procedure was allowed to start this process
– Przychocka explained.
She also described the entire procedure for obtaining habilitation as very demanding, but transparent and full of quality.
Puzzling rules
However, the case leaves many doubts among experts in Poland, especially regarding the style of scientific work.
If someone’s performance in Poland is negatively and unanimously considered weak, and the habilitation candidate found a way out and completed her habilitation in Bulgaria, then something is wrong
– said Dr. Hab. Grzegorz Krawiec.
Habilitations in Bulgaria, which, as it turns out, are not only the case of Iwona Przychocka, raise numerous doubts in the Polish scientific community about the quality and reliability of their acquisition.
One of the biggest problems of the Bulgarian system is the shortage of scientists with the right scientific achievements, and they often simply do not have them. That is why it is an attractive field for anyone who wants to obtain the housing they want in an easier way.
Another problem in this context is that no one in our country verifies the quality of Bulgarian housing.
This is a hole in the system that is being exploited by dishonest scientists
- noticed Dr. Hap up. Jacek Strojny from the Faculty of Management, Rzeszów University of Technology.
He also added that the Polish scientific community has no knowledge about Bulgarian habilitations, what the procedure for obtaining them was or what research methods were used.
The problem is that Bulgarian habilitations are legal in Poland, due to international agreements to which the Republic of Poland is a party. The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education has informed “Wyborcza” that there are at least 46 people in our country who obtained their habilitation in Bulgaria.
Dilettantes advise the government?
Science Ministry Ministers Wieczorek and Gdula did not comment on Iwona Przychocka’s situation.
Experts are more talkative. Ph.D. Grzegorz Krawiec said it is a scandalous situation where the quality of Polish science and higher education should be judged by someone whose scientific achievements are questionable.
This is a form of mockery. The quality of university education depends, among other things, on people, on their skills, on whether they represent a solid scientific field. If someone does not have sound scientific skills, he cannot contribute to guaranteeing the quality of education. Let alone that he should be the plenipotentiary of the Minister of Quality of University Education, whose duties include: developing opinions and recommendations on the quality of education. The scientific community should approach such opinions with some caution
– he noted. Ph.D. Grzegorz Krawiec.
Also Ph.D. Marek Wroński, who investigates and describes cases of plagiarism and dishonesty in science, was incredulous – as he himself admitted – when he received the information that Iwona Przychocka would advise the Minister of Science on the quality of higher education.
Scientific promotions from Bulgaria are no different from Slovak habilitations, which are not officially recognized today. The latter now require nostrification and the number of applicants has dropped to a few people per year, mainly Slovak literati and linguists. Prof. Moreover, for most of her professional career, until last year, Przychocka was associated with private universities and even for this reason she should not be appointed to this position. Are there no young professors concerned with the quality of education at serious state universities?
– the scientist wondered.
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maz/”Gazeta Wyborcza”
Source: wPolityce