The article by Martyna Stępień of the University of Wrocław and independent researcher Alan Żukowski says a 2019 reform that created nationwide doctoral schools never settled a basic question: “Who, in legal terms, is a PhD student?” Because stipends are not classified as wages, candidates do not accrue sick leave, social insurance or other employee rights.
“The pre-PhD period is crucial for learning to do research, yet the current law in many EU states offers no real safety net”, the authors told the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
The pair urge the European Union to require member states to grant full employee status to PhD candidates and to fund early-career support programs. “Doctoral researchers are the future of academia; without dignified conditions, long-term resilience is impossible”, Stępień added.
They plan broader studies of practical hurdles in Polish academia but say securing grants to examine the science sector itself is “ironically difficult”. Their Science piece, produced without external funding, shows the topic “matters enough to pursue”, they said.
(jh)
Source: PAP