Higher education can only be reformed with a holistic scenario
The Austrian Conference of Universities of Applied Sciences (FHK) welcomes the current endeavours of Vice-Chancellor and Science Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner to reform universities by means of access regulations.
However, the universities of applied sciences were completely forgotten in this reform project. If access to universities is restricted, sound planning is also required for the expansion of universities of applied sciences. "We therefore demand that the ministry also sets corresponding expansion scenarios for the universities of applied sciences in parallel to the measures at the universities. These must also be planned in budgetary terms. There is no budgetary clarity for the universities of applied sciences beyond 2017/18. If Minister Mitterlehner wants to start transferring study places from the universities to the universities of applied sciences, this will require a lead time of at least two years and, as with the universities, a financial agreement with the Ministry of Finance. We need financial clarity for several years," said FHK President Helmut Holzinger following the plans published today by the Minister of Science.
"If concrete budgetary parameters are mentioned for the universities, we demand the same for the universities of applied sciences. To date, we do not even have any information on the 100 million euros promised in July 2016 for the expansion of universities of applied sciences. We fear that, as in 2017, there will be no calls for tenders for new study places in 2018," concluded Holzinger.