Nečas says education reform must focus on quality

The Prime Minister says that improving the quality of college education is a top priority for his government. Speaking at the start of the new school year at the West Bohemian University in Plzeň, the prime minister said that educational reforms must focus on quality rather than quantity so as to keep the country’s economy competitive in the long term. Also speaking at the event was Education Minister Josef Dobeš, who said he wants an amendment to legislation on colleges and a law on financial support for students in 2011. Mr Dobeš also addressed last year’s scandal over fraudulent degrees at the West Bohemian University, saying that he hoped this year would bring a definitive exoneration of the institution and its faculty.