Today, a government inquiry is presented that will propose better conditions for doctoral students and clearer career paths for young researchers. In a university where the value of resources decreases, at the same time as society's need for knowledge increases, it is central to provide good conditions for those who enable students to learn.
The inquiry's directive is to make proposals that make the academic career more attractive. In light of the unclear conditions of doctoral students and young researchers, the investigation is much awaited and expectations are high. SFS therefore expects the following proposals to see the light of day:
Give all doctoral students a job - and abolish the education grant.
At present, doctoral students in Sweden are exposed in several ways. A serious problem is that around one tenth lack secure employment, good pay and social security during their studies. These doctoral students either have educational grants or finance their studies with scholarships. Scholarship funding is particularly insecure for the student, and contributes to undermining the university's control over its admission and personnel policy. In addition, doctoral students with scholarships are excluded from meritorious institutional service.
Since all higher education institutions have decided to abolish the education grant, or have stopped using it, SFS expects the inquiry to propose that it be abolished completely. But the investigation must go further than that. If the goal is to make postgraduate education more attractive, there is only one solution: all doctoral students must be employed. This would, on the one hand, lead to a small reduction in research production, but on the other hand mean that doctoral students have secure academic and socio-economic conditions.
Create a balance between scientific and pedagogical skills.
In the academic career, there is no clear and unified idea of how teachers should develop their pedagogical competence. At present, all positions for doctoral researchers focus on scientific merit.
Our report “Agenda: Pedagogy”From 2015 shows, among other things, that 60 percent of the country's higher education institutions do not guarantee that all their teachers have a pedagogical education. Furthermore, two out of three higher education institutions lack central systems for assessing pedagogical skills. In other words, it is doubtful whether it pays to be a good teacher at Swedish universities. It mainly affects us students who get worse conditions for our learning. At the same time, teachers who have not been given pedagogical merit opportunities are affected, but also teachers who apply to higher education institutions where pedagogical skills are taken seriously.
The research career inquiry will propose how the academy's merit service should be developed. For SFS, it is obvious that a position is needed where the pedagogical merit for once is at the center. The inquiry has the chance to create a much-needed balance between scientific and pedagogical merit - for the sake of both teachers and students.
In addition, proposals are needed on how higher education institutions can coordinate their merit systems.
Today, higher education institutions have very different service structures, which contributes to unclear academic careers and reduced mobility nationally and internationally. Transparency should be increased and assessment methods, not least for pedagogical skills, need to be clearer and more legally secure. We do not mean that all higher education institutions must have the same career system, but there must be a common core that includes a clear plan for when and how there is room for pedagogical merit. In this way, we can be sure that our teachers have good opportunities to develop, which in the long run improves the conditions for students 'and researchers' learning at the university.
Researchers 'careers, and thus our teachers' qualifications, are an important issue for students. The investigation directives point out that our teachers' career paths are diffuse and that fixed-term employment is used to a large extent. A more secure postgraduate education, integrated in an academic career that emphasizes both scientific and pedagogical skills, will strengthen the university's activities. It benefits the whole society.