Access to Higher Education: the Adult Learners' Perspective

Objectives This paper presents the comparison of various approaches to the issue of access to higher education for adult learners in European countries. In particular, it indicates two systems of learners' skills evaluation, similar in way of organization but opposite in obtained results. The first one is Finnish and second one Polish Matriculation Examination system, regarded as the Entrance Exams to university level education. Both systems are presented in perspective of learners of schools for adults, mostly young people who have drop out of the youth system. The main goal of this paper is to indicate the difficulties faced by learners of upper secondary schools for adults, especially in Poland. The difficulties causing that door to higher education are closed in front of these learners. Material and methods The analyses take into account secondary data from examination sessions 2015-2018, provided by the Polish Central Examination Board and the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board. Results While in reference to students of youth schools from Finland and Poland we can say in some approximation the examination results are similar, for adult school learners the distribution is fundamentally different. When in Finland 10% candidates do not pass the mathematics exam, in Poland corresponding indicator is 7 times larger. Conclusions Presented results indicate Polish adult formal education urgently needs the help. The modifications are necessary. Maybe not the change of organization of matriculation examination, but certainly the reconstruction of learning/teaching process in secondary schools for adults.