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UNIVERSITIES OF THE THIRD AGE IN POLAND (1975-2014):
FROM EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR THE CITY ELITE TO A MASS MOVEMENT
T. Maliszewski
D. Apanel
The first University of the Third Age (hereinafter, UTA) in the world was founded in 1973 thanks to Professor Pierre Vellas and the academic environment of the French city of Toulouse. It was decided that the main goals must be as follows: improvement of senior citizens' quality of life by raising the level of their physical, psychic and social health; (2) providing senior citizens with educational programs in close cooperation with other groups; (3) studying senior citizens' problems and the conditions connected with functioning in old age; (4) creating gerontological educational projects, including those popularizing knowledge about age-related peculiarities in society1.
The French idea of creating a new educational institution was adopted in Poland very quickly. Together with Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Canadian Quebec, Poland is among the first countries of the world where a successful attempt to organize such an institution was made2. The first Polish UTA was organized in 1975 by the gerontologist Halyna Schwarz (1923-2002) after a personal meeting with P. Vellas. After that, she was also the only representative of the Central and Eastern European countries in the leadership of the International Association of Universities of the Third Age (AIUTA)3. The educational institution for seniors founded by her in Warsaw at the Medical Personnel Postgraduate Education Center was the model for all the UTAs created in Poland later. When other models of functioning for universities of the third age started appearing in the world besides those developed by Vellas, such as the British or American model, in Poland, thanks to Professor Schwarz, "her authority, knowledge and personal qualities, the Polish university remained faithful to the French model."4
Fourteen UTAs were created before 1990 in close cooperation with academic centers. At that time, those educational institutions were not yet universal. Back in the 1990s they were considered to be elite educational institutions in spite of the fact that their number began to grow5. Only during the last years of the 20th century did the numerical development of Polish UTAs begin to accelerate. According to estimates, nearly 400 institutions of that type function in
1 Vellas P. Origines et objectifs des Universites du Troisieme Age, http://www.worldu3a.org/worldpapers/veNas-fr.htm (Access date: 20-02-2014).
2 Formosa M. Four decades of Universities of the Third Age: past, present, future, “Ageing & Society” 2012, p. 2 (doi: 10.1017/S0144686X12000797).
3 Czerniawska O. Mi^dzynarodowe Stowarzyszenie Uniwersytetow Trzeciego Wieku (AIUTA) jako przyktad stowarzyszenia dziatajqcego na rzecz ludzi starszych, “Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny” 1999, В. LXI, т. 1, p. 307.
4 Czerniawska O. Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku, 30 lat dziatania. Przemiany, dylematy i oczeki-wania w epoce ponowoczesnej. “Chowanna” 2009. Т. 2(33), p. 108.
5 Stopinska-Pajqk A. “Szkota starosci” - bye, aby si§ uczye. “Chowanna” 2009. Т. 2(33), p. 21.
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the territory of Poland at present. About 100-110,000 students attend them. Thus, in recent decades, the UTA movement has become a wide-scale and important social instrument of implementation of the idea of lifelong education among Polish seniors. The present-day Polish universities of the third age are thought to be "interdisciplinary centers of informal education providing an answer to the needs of an ageing society."1 2 Such a spontaneous, uncontrolled development of UTAs in the 21st century made it necessary to improve the quality of those institutions, since it was accentuated that the word "University" has a special meaning in Poland. Many well-known educational institutions strive to obtain the right to use that name. We must do our best so that the Third Age Universities would meet the criteria permitting them to bear the honored name of "University" proudly.
In this connection, they strive to find a formula of Polish national certification of the entities wishing to be UTAs. E.g., back in 2003, within the framework of realization of the "Universities of the Third Age" program, the Jagiellonian University Fund put forward the idea of self-accreditation of individual centers according to which each form of "third age" people activity claiming the name of "University" must meet four criteria: (1) function for at least two years on the ground of a charter (this concerns the UTAs that have the status of legal entities) or have regulations (other UTAs) determining the principles according to which they carry out their activities, including admission of students; (2) have a signed assistance agreement with a higher educational institution; (3) have a Programs Board including a representative of that higher educational institution; (4) have a curriculum for the current year determining subjects and lecturers3.
In recent years, serious attempts have been made to consolidate the universities of the third age movement in Poland. This increases the "political impact" of the UTAs. Thanks to it, they have become of late important partners in discussions on the subject of policy concerning senior citizens for the governmental and parliamentary circles. It should be noted that the general headquarters of the Polish UTAs have not been created yet. Two principal UTA organizations have been founded: the Polish National Federation of Universities of Third Age Associations, founded back in late 20074, as well as the fund "Polish National Agreement of Universities of the Third Age" founded in 20095. Both the Federation and the Fund are engaged actively in propaganda of the universities of the third age movement in Poland, as well as in the Polish diaspora living abroad6. They publish their bulletins and take part in various forms of propaganda of forms of seniors’ educational animation in society7. The attempts at developing the
1 Godys A., et al.. Zoom na UTW. Raport z badania. Warszawa, December 2012, p. 5.
2 Klimczuk A. Kierunki rozwoju uniwersytetow trzeciego wieku w Polsce. “E-Mentor” 2013, No. 4 (51), p. 72.
3 Kruk R. Samoakredytacja uniwersytetow trzeciego wieku: http://www.utw.pl/index.php?id=50 (Access date: 15-03-2014).
4 Organization site: http://www.federacjautw.pl/.
5 Organization site: http://www.fundacjaoputw.pl/.
6 In December 2013, Polish UTAs were active in Austria (1), in the Republic of Belarus (4), in Lithuania (6), in Latvia (1), in Moldavia (1) and in Ukraine (in the state of organization) (2). See: Polskie uniwersytety trzeciego wieku w Europie. Polish National Bulletin of UTAs “Uniwersytety Trzeciego Wieku” 2013, No. 2.
7 Some rivalry between Polish entities representing UTAs mobilizes the public, giving rise to interesting initiatives and benefiting the elderly in Poland.
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standards determining the principles of the functioning of UTAs is an aspect of the UTA movement that merits attention.1
The communities of UTAs put high hopes on the Polish government's adoption of political decisions concerning seniors up to 2020, assigning a prominent role to those institutions, especially in education, preventive medicine and promotion of health protection "aimed at prolonging the 3rd age, i.e. the period of complete independence and normal psychophysical functioning of senior citizens."2 This must bring about an increase in the significance of individual UTAs in local communities as important social partners for the gmina/city leadership in the realization of the "Prerequisites for Long-Term Policy in Respect of Senior Citizens in Poland for the Years 2014-2020."3
As we analyze possible directions of reforms of UTAs in Poland, it also seems inevitable in the nearest future that very soon Poland will start implementing the ideas of expanding activities at some universities of the third age with wide use of modern technologies and engaging those seniors in them whose health problems do not permit them to take part in the forms of studies developed by the traditional UTA model requiring personal participation. In all likelihood, thanks to the use of the Internet, radio and television, any physical and mental disabilities making it impossible for such people to leave their flats or nursing homes will cease to be hindrances preventing those groups of people from taking part in the education carried out by some UTAs.4 This is why, in the not so distant future, TV UTAs or online UTAs must supplement the scope of educational services offered to senior citizens. And when, in their turn, such forms of educational work with senior citizens will be widespread enough, one can presume confidently enough that universities for persons in extreme old age will appear in Poland among the existing UTAs.5 6
As the founder of Polish studies of universities of the third age, Olga Czerniawska, states, systematic activities of the UTAs in Poland have caused the occurrence of the "echo" phenomenon: admission of educational institutions students as a result of positive reviews of previous students. The "echo" phenomenon is observed at present; it manifests itself in seniors' wish to be participants of the UTAs, as they wish to be admitted there and take part in the studies. This phenomenon can be defined as a kind of "noble snobbery".
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
1
See, e.g.: Borczyk W., et al. Standardy dziatania Uniwersytetow trzeciego Wieku w Polsce. Nowy Sqcz, 2012.
2 Polityka senioralna Polski w latach 2014-2020. Информационный бюллетень общепольского соглашения УТВ «Panorama Uniwersytecka». 2014, № 1, с. 5.
3 The Final Declaration of the Polish UTA Conference “Universities of the Third Age and Requirements of the Policy in Respect of Senior Citizens” under honorable patronage of the marshal of the Sejm of the Repubolic of Poland, Warsaw, 16 December 2013.
4
Formosa M.: op. cit, p. 20.
5 According to the World Health Organization, 75-90 years. But it is hard to tell today whether those institutions would be called "Universities for the Fourth Age" as Marvin Formosa (ibid., p.20) proposes.
6 Czerniawska O. Uniwersytet Trzeciego Wieku..., op. cit., p. 112.
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