Higher education in the Czech Republic
| Minister of Education | Kateřina Valachová |
|---|---|
| Budget | €4,6 billion ($5,2 billion) |
| Primary languages | Czech |
| Established | 1969 |
Education in the Czech Republic is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 15. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 104 percent, and in 1995, the net primary enrollment rate was 86.9 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for the Czech Republic as of 2001. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children’s participation in school. Many ethnic Roma children attend school less regularly and attend “special schools” for mentally disabled or socially maladjusted individuals. While the public school system is free and does not create significant financial barriers for children to attend, the private schools, particularly in Prague, are largely financially inaccessible for the majority of local population and thus also represent an element of exclusion, educating children separately from the rest of their peers.
The Czech school system has four degrees:
Education in the Czech Republic is free, but there are some exceptions like preschools which are paid by parents, though the last year before entering elementary school is free. There is also a long-standing discussion about paying fees for attending university. However, as education is free, parents only pay for textbooks, basic equipment and food if their child eats in a school cafeteria. The state pays health insurance for students up to 26 years of age.
The primary (elementary) school (Czech: základní škola) consists of nine grades which are divided to two substages.
The first stage contains first 5 years of education. Children are taught by only one teacher for all subjects (sometimes there is a second teacher for foreign language or Physical Education). The subjects taught at this stage are Czech, 1st foreign language (mostly English), Mathematics, Computer Science, Basics of History and Geography, Basics of Sciences, Arts, Music, Physical Education and Handworks.
The first stage school is usually in every town and village. In small villages with a low number of pupils, several grades (2 or 3) can be taught in one class.
The second stage contains years 6-9. Subject taught at this stage are Czech, Literature, 1st foreign language, 2nd foreign language (obligatory in years 8-9), Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Geography, Civical Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry (obligatory in years 8-9), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Handworks (only in elementary schools).
Pupils can take their 2nd stage studies at elementary schools, at 8-years grammar school (osmileté gymnázium, generally orientated, physical education orientated) or at 6-years grammar school (šestileté gymnázium, generally orientated, physical education orientated, education in foreign language). Nowadays, most pupils continue at elementary schools. As for the grammar schools, 8-years grammar school is more popular as the 6-years version (almost not existing). In 6-years bilingual grammar school, the first two years (years 8 and 9), the pupils have intensive course of the foreign language (about 10 lessons per week), in years 10-13, the most subjects are taught in the foreign language.
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Wikipedia