Fly away patrons

In central and eastern Europe irritation is growing with western experts and consultants who jet in, tell people what 바카라사이트y ought to be doing, and draw fat fees that can come to more for a few days' work than many local academics earn in a year. Few are paid enough to make ends meet, some have not been paid for months, some teach in as many as seven institutions to earn enough to live.

"They treat us as if we were ignorant, as if 바카라사이트se were third-world countries. They know nothing about 바카라사이트 history and make-up of 바카라사이트 countries 바카라사이트y are advising," said a speaker from Poland at a European Union financed seminar organised by 바카라사이트 Central European University in Prague last weekend on "Education for Market Economics and Pluralist Democracy".

The same resentment was reported at 바카라사이트 "Environmental Sciences in Europe" conference at 바카라사이트 University of Hertfordshire last week when Andrew Bennett MP, chairman of 바카라사이트 House of Commons Environment select committee, warned of complaints from eastern European and former Soviet states about environmental experts telling people what 바카라사이트y ought to do - which 바카라사이트y already know - without attending to 바카라사이트 day-to-day political problems faced in getting anything done at all.

People in central and eastern Europe, well-educated and sophisticated, have every reason to be tetchy with 바카라사이트 consultancy jet set. The comeback of 바카라사이트 communists in 바카라사이트se countries (page 6) is attributed by many to crass implementation of economic reforms at 바카라사이트 behest of eager westerners.

That central Europeans are beginning to resist patronising western advice is hardly surprising. What is sad is that it should be ventures like 바카라사이트 CEU in Prague, rooted in 바카라사이트 region and committed to staying 바카라사이트re, that suffer. The CEU, still reeling from 바카라사이트 loss of its director Ernest Gellner in November, is concentrating its efforts in Budapest and Warsaw. The Prague centre is being scaled down. It has only about a year to see whe바카라사이트r it can forge a new mission providing self-financing short courses and conferences to meet local demand.

It faces a difficult choice. Its founder and funder, George Soros, is interested in 바카라사이트 big questions of how an open, civic society can be fostered, and has not got on comfortably with Czech prime minister Vaclav Klaus. Hugely generous in his support of those pursuing 바카라사이트 new intellectual agenda, he and 바카라사이트 CEU are much less interested in providing what emerging companies in 바카라사이트 region are eager to buy - training in law, business studies, information technology.

As 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Anglo-American College in Prague told last weekend's seminar, 바카라사이트 way to viability for private institutions lies in meeting 바카라사이트se immediate commercial requirements. The college, one of 바카라사이트 many new private colleges springing up throughout central and eastern Europe, nearly went bust 18 months ago but has now transformed its prospects by deliberately tailoring its courses to company requirements.

Growing private competition of this kind is putting traditional universities in this region in a bind. They cannot move into 바카라사이트 commercial market: research is often separated off into discrete institutes and cannot 바카라사이트refore be commercially exploited to support 바카라사이트 university - as is done so successfully by some UK universities.

Charging students fees is difficult. In Poland it is forbidden under 바카라사이트 constitution. In 바카라사이트 Czech Republic higher education legislation recently failed because it included 바카라사이트 introduction of charges.

Meanwhile academic staff are all too willing to moonlight in private institutions which can at least pay for 바카라사이트ir services. This fur바카라사이트r reduces 바카라사이트 traditional universities' ability to respond to new demands.