Schools used to be more honest about the pupils they were putting forward to universities, and not all applicants were predictably ‘passionate’ about their subjects. We would do well to recreate some of that spirit, says Lincoln Allison

Poland’s authoritarian government is routinely compared to its widely criticised counterpart in Hungary, and its university reforms sparked a wave of protest by students and academics fearful of political interference. But, one year on, are those concerns being realised? David Matthews travels to Warsaw to find out