The development of forms of research and didactic activities in engineering in Wroclaw universities 1949–1989

Abstract

In the late 1940s, the main task of Polish higher education became higher level training for the economy, especially industry, and conducting scientific activities within the national research and development sector. Due to the accelerated industrialization of the country, polytechnics were given priority. However, because their development was slower than expected, universities with other specializations were also gradually directed towards utilitarian and technical profiles. Most of them had to take into account the tasks of cooperation with the national economy, in particular with industry. This resulted in the appearance of engineering fields of education and technical topics in scientific and research activities in many universities that were not polytechnics, including those based in Wroclaw. In quantitative terms, this made it possible to educate many thousands of additional specialists formally prepared to work in industry, and also brought a significant number of research studies that were to promote its development. However, in the qualitative dimension, the effectiveness of those activities was limited. Both the educational process undertaken in universities and the scientific and research activities carried out there, due to insufficient funding, modest technical background and poor connection with industrial practice, were often improvised, or even simulated. Graduates were insufficiently prepared to work in companies. The effects of scientific and research activities carried out in universities were, to a small extent, suitable for implementation in production. In addition, due to the systemic realities of the socialist economy, companies did not want to raise the real qualifications of their staff or to implement new technical or technological solutions.