Low salaries fuel chronic teacher shortage in Czech schools, experts say

Czech schools are grappling with a chronic shortage of qualified teachers, driven in part by persistently low salaries. According to experts from PAQ Research and the non-profit EDUin, the teaching profession remains unattractive to university graduates, who often choose better-paid careers elsewhere. The shortage has worsened as student numbers grow and schools divide classes into smaller groups. A recent Education Ministry survey found that the share of qualified teachers has dropped from 93.4% in 2019 to 89.6% today. Experts warn that unless pay and career prospects improve, the aging teaching workforce will be difficult to replace.