Educational system in the Czech Republic

In the CR, school attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 till 15 (or 16). It is free of charge and all children have the same possibilities for their future education. This system includes 4 grades:

Pre-schools education

• for 6 month to 3 years old children are nursery (creches)
• creches are only in cities
• not many babies attend nursery, because mothers usually stay with them home
• children aged 3 to 6 attend kindergartens
• they play together there, sing, draw and learn basic thinks like how to tie their bootlaces or that washing their hands before lunch is very important, etc.
• they listen to fairy tales; every day after lunch the kids take a nap
• this pre-school education is not compulsory

Primary education

• at the age of 6 (or 7) children move to basic (elementary) schools, last 9 years and have 2 grade (first and second)
• basic schools are compulsory for all children
• education in state school is free of charge
• private or church schools are rare and charge school fees

school fees in private school range from 5000 to 12000 crowns a year

• children start basic school at 6 and leave at the age of 14 or 15
• the average number of lessons is 30 hrs/week
• lessons begin at 8:00 and last 45 minutes, breaks between the lessons last from 10 to 20 min.
• all schools fallow the national syllabus which can be little changed by the school headmaster
• children learn writing, reading, counting, Czech language, from 5^th class also biology, geography, chemistry, History, foreign language, physics, etc.
• students are rated during the each school year by some tests, essays, compositions
• in our country we are marked by numbers 1 to 5, where 5 is the worst (in Russia 5 is the best)
• children don’t wear uniforms, handicapped children are educated separately
• the school year starts on 1^st September and ends on 30^th June
• the school year is divided into 2 terms
• all schools have eight weeks off in summer and some holidays during the school year (at Christmas, Easter etc.)
• in the 5^th class pupils can to go to the 8 years grammar School (11 to 18 or 19 year of age)

Secondary education

• everyone can choose the secondary education, which lasts usually 4 years
• grammer school – these schools don‘t have any specialisation, academic education, it prepare children for university study
• special schools – like technical schools, economical, agriculture, music, for health workers, languages…
• vocational schools (apprentice schools)- which prepare young people for practical professions (shop assistant, cook, waiter, carpenter, bricklayer, painter, locksmith…)

• at grammar and specialized schools it is finished with a school-leaving examination (Graduating exam)
• at grammar schools it is taken in 4 subjects (Czech, one foreign language and two subjects more
• the examination is held in May, it is oral expect Czech in which an essay is written
• a student choose one of 25 to 30 topics by drawing a number, after 15 min preparation he speaks on the topic, after he receive the School-leaving certificate
• good marks on the leaving certificate means big chances and basic qualification for entrance to university or any other type of higher education

Tertiary education

• after passing the school leaving exams, students can attend universities or colleges which lasts from 4 to 6 years and each year has consists of two terms
• they can study economics, art, medicine, computers, geography, languages, philosophy, law…
• it is necessary to pass an entrance examination in the subjects in which the university specializes
  the examination consists of a written test and an interview
• our oldest university is Charles University in Prague, founded by Charles IV. In 1348
  other universities: Masaryk University in Brno, Palacký University in Olomouc and Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem
• students can enroll at 3 year courses for a Bachelor’s Degree or 4 and 5 year courses for a Master’s Degree, they can study more faculties together
• it is finished with a state examination, undergraduate has to write a thesis in order to receive a diploma