Education minister says planned signing-on payment could draw more men into teaching profession

The new Czech minister of education, Josef Dobeš, has discussed plans for a cash reward for fresh graduates who enter the teaching profession. In an interview for the newspaper Právo, he said under his proposal they would receive a signing-on payment of CZK 180,000 (over USD 9,000), to be received after a certain period of service. Mr Dobeš said that provision would encourage men to become teachers, thus improving discipline among pupils. The great majority of teachers in Czech schools are female.