Czech education system to undergo a sea change
Memorising. That's what Czech school children are very good at. Czech kids usually also do well in general knowledge tests but if they are asked to present and defend their opinions or prove they really understand a written text, they tend to lag behind their peers from Western Europe. Instead of encouraging creative thinking, the communist-era education system preferred to teach detailed knowledge and rote learning was a necessary academic skill. Jan Tupy is the deputy head of the Education Research Institute in Prague.
"Until 1991 there was only one curriculum for primary schools; it was also called the 'unified' school. Two years after the fall of communism, in 1991, a new system was introduced and all primary schools can choose one out of three approved education programmes. These are either issued by the state or approved by it. Teachers now have more chance to approach their work in a more creative way, mainly as far as teaching methods are concerned. As for the content of the teaching, it is stipulated by the programmes."
In the 1990s some alternative schools were opened in the country, mainly Waldorf schools, a few Dalton and health schools. Parents can also choose whether their child will go to a state, private or church establishment. Many schools have welcomed the more liberal approach, such as this one, in Vodickova Street in Prague, which I visited recently.
"I create my own teaching programme because the pupils here are very different and I must create every lesson on such a level which would correspond with their knowledge and their abilities. I don't like the word but it really depends on how clever the children are, if they are interested in languages, if they've got a special sense for language."
Hana Kotikova teaches English at the school, which has been working according to its own curriculum for more than 5 years. Ms Kotikova says she appreciates the autonomy the system gives her. She has a chance to work with children in a more individual way without neglecting anyone.
"We are a state school and we try to be as democratic as possible. So we try to have groups with very good pupils together with those not so talented but everybody should speak basic English when leaving this school. It is our aim to give them the knowledge, a basic knowledge of the language."
The autonomy of individual schools is to be extended even more as the national curriculum should be largely abolished in a few years' time. Schools will only follow a general outline issued by the Education Ministry and the rest will be left up to them. Jan Tupy of the Education Research Institute, which is currently working on the new project.
"At the moment fifty-four schools around the country are developing their own programmes, based on a state-issued outline. During this school year these schools will create their individual curricula and afterwards present their comments or objections to the state outline for us to do some fine-tuning. Next year the schools will test out their programmes in practice, they will teach and work in line with them. The system should be running in all schools in three to four-years' time."
As Mr Tupy points out, the chief difference is that schools and teachers will have more say than they ever did.
"The most important change is that although the framework is prepared by the state, the fine-tuning is left up to individual schools and teachers. During the trial run, the schools themselves will decide whether they are able to work according to the programme, and they are invited to raise any objections against it. First and foremost, it has to suit them."
It is hardly surprising that working out their own curriculum will be more demanding for teachers than simply following a national programme - which before the fall of communism stipulated the number of hours per subject per week and teachers even knew the precise week of the school year in which they were supposed to go over a certain chapter in a textbook. English teacher Hana Kotikova speaks from experience.
"I sometimes feel like an actor who must direct and act a special performance which lasts 45 minutes and I must, of course, prepare it beforehand. So sometimes it's a lot of work."
That of course brings up the topic of teachers' salaries. Teachers and employees of the education system are chronically underpaid in this country and if the new system is to function well, teachers should receive more than just verbal encouragement, as Jan Tupy explains.
"It is a matter of crucial importance which needs to be addressed soon. Of course, it depends on the ministry and the government. But the whole society has to change its attitude. If we are to succeed in the European Union, people have to recognise the importance of education - including primary education and the whole society must understand that teachers should be paid accordingly. If teachers are paid enough, they can concentrate more on their work, which is then reflected in the results of their work and the children themselves."
Finally I asked Mr Tupy where his institute got its inspiration from in devising the programme outline for Czech schools.
"Of course we looked for inspiration elsewhere, although our system will be different. Above all, we studied the Scottish curriculum and we also looked at Norway. We studied the education systems in countries close to us: Austria, Germany, Hungary, and we picked the best ideas."
Introducing the new scheme - an education system without a national curriculum - is a very complex process. It includes changes at teacher training colleges, the development of self-evaluation mechanisms at individual schools or even adjustment of entrance exams so that pupils from different schools would not be put at a disadvantage.
The new scheme is already being practiced at kindergartens. In 3 to 4-years' time the new system should be functional at primary schools and secondary schools will follow afterwards. In the years 2008 - 2010 the whole system should be fully functional. Which means that the children who will be able to enjoy the new education scheme are still babies.
