The Czech Republic

II. An Introduction to Higher Education in the Czech Republic

The economic and political changes that began in 1989 profoundly altered the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, bringing democratization and a sometimes painful transition from a “command” to a largely market-driven economy. After Czechoslovakia peacefully separated in 1993 into the Czech and Slovak Republics, their higher education systems and societies continued the adaptation to the new political and economic realities.

Higher education in the former Democratic Republic of Czechoslovakia was supported entirely by the state through a form of incremental budgeting. In a given year, higher education institutions received essentially the same real funding as in the previous year plus a certain bonus based on their new requests and the resources available. The increment in funding depended on negotiations among the rectors, the Education Ministry, and the Department of Finance (Holda, Cermakova, & Urbanek, 1994). This method of funding, with its lack of transparency, accountability, and flexibility, perpetuated the inefficiency and questionable responsiveness of the Czechoslovak higher education system.

The transition to democracy and a market economy that began in 1989 initiated important changes within the society and also in higher education. After the 1989 November demonstrations, educators, students and members of intelligentsia began to discuss how the education and research system could be democratized. The Higher Education Act of 1990 brought in a democratic structure for the governance of higher education. Based on this “stepping-stone,” state control and administration decreased, while the authority of academic bodies increased. Under Education Act, the academic institutions were given the authority to create policies. The Act revived senates representing faculty, students and staff and allowed them to take a large measure of control over the curriculum, hiring practices, and research. The Act also provided universities with the freedom to make their own economic decisions. Based on the agreement with the various university councils, the Ministry of Education allocated funds to universities according to estimated annual operating and capital needs. The responsibility of allocating the funds was delegated to the individual universities--e.g. to the rectors and university senates. The framework of fiscal freedom also implies that the funds were allocated to the institutions without specifying how many students they should educate (Holda, et al., 1994).

After the peaceful separation of the Czech and the Slovak Republics, a new Higher Education Act was passed by the Czech parliament in April 1998, laying the foundation of new programs and institutional diversification. The 1998 Act created boards of trustees consisting of academic and business leaders, a new concept in the governance of public higher education institutions (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, 1998). Through this and other measures, the government promoted the concept of multi-source financing by making institutions more self-reliant and decentralized. The 1998 Act also introduced the concept of student fees in public higher education. The 1998 Act further shifted the support of higher education to parents and students by abolishing allowances, tax relief, and stipends, in addition to the new requirement of tuition fees. Regulations permitted public higher education institutions to set the entrance, or “examination,” fees within a maximum level. The Act also established a minimum level of tuition fees, permitting institutions to prescribe the actual levels (EPAA Vol.8 No.6 McMullen: Higher Education Finance Reform in the Czech Republic).

The Higher education acts of 1990 and 1998, in combination with the democratization of society and expanded ties with the West, facilitated some reforms making higher education institutions more financially self-sufficient. These reforms introduced much-needed flexibility, allowing institutions to promote innovations and adjust to economic transformations. These reforms also include a greater focus on the regions, the shortening of the first degree a three or four year bachelor’s degree, and the acceptance of private higher education institutions. The new bachelors programs do not replace the established programs study, but rather provides students with more condensed, specialized options, including specialized studies in such fields as economics, engineering, business, mathematics, physics, law, public administration, and the like (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, 1998).

The Czech system of higher education consists mainly of universities, providing both general and professional education. Of the eight universities, three are traditional, or “classical,” universities. Six technical universities display a quite new view regarding the engineering programs. For example, the Czech Technical University in Prague provides, in addition to the traditional engineering programs, programs in information science, nuclear physics, and architecture. Some technical universities offer also provide courses in foreign languages, selected humanities and social sciences (e.g. psychology and sociology), applied science (e.g. food chemistry) and the like (www.eurydice.org). The professionally-oriented universities also include two agricultural institutions that provide agronomy, gardening, and forestry as well as technical, operational and economic programs. The University of Economics provides programs in national economy and business, finance, statistics, political science and international relations. There are also four arts academies offering specializations in the traditional arts, visual arts, and industrial design as well as art education. There are also three military and one police academies to prepare students for various military and police careers. Four new non-university institutions were recently established providing specializations  in banking, hotel services, economics and other technical courses. The applicants for admission to higher education have a chance of achieving qualifications in two or more fields in compliance with the new regulations of the integrated universities (e.g. a combination of medicine and optical electronics, music and computer technology, agriculture and ecology, etc).

The share of the enrollments captured by traditional university centers of Prague and Brno has declined since 1989: from about 43 and 23 percent of all enrollments in institutions in Prague and Brno respectively in 1989, to fewer than 40 and 19 percent respectively in those cities in 1998. Table 1 shows the enrollments by institution in the Czech Republic. (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, 1998 and http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v8n6.html>.)

Institution	Total Enrollment	Czech Nationals	Other Nationals	Distance and Combined Studies
Charles Univ. Prague	32,807	27,307	1,974	3,526
Univ. of South-Bohemia, ČeskèBudějovice	5,736	4,969	16	751
Purkynĕ Univ., Ùsti nad Labem	5,900	4,969	11	920
Masaryk Univ., Brno	16,736	13,618	533	2,585
Palacký Univ., Olomouc	11,191	8,472	427	2,292
Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Univ., Brno	1,443	1,383	60	a
University of Ostrava, Ostrava	5,189	4,082	16	1,091
Czech Univ. of Technology, Prague	18,561	17,623	241	697
Univ. of Chemical Technology, Prague	2,621	2,576	31	14
University of West-Bohemia, Plzeň	10,503	9,910	29	564
University of Technology, Liberec	5,750	5,412	191	147
University of Pardubice, Pardubice	3,801	2,874	11	916
University of Technology, Brno	14,676	14,000	152	524
Univ. of Mining Technology, Ostrava	13,344	11,443	101	1,800
University of Economics, Prague	13,633	12,771	373	489
Czech Univ. of Agriculture, Prague	6,927	5,895	51	981
Mendel Univ. of Agric. and Forestry, Brno	5,013	4,494	42	477
Academy of Performing Arts, Prague	1,285	1,135	114	36
Academy of Fine Arts, Prague	246	227	19	a
University of Applied Arts, Prague	391	383	8	a
Janàček Academy of Performing Arts, Brno	518	462	37	19
Pedagogical Univ., Hradec Kràlove	4,259	3,037	13	1,209
Univ. of Silesia, Opava	3,424	2,619	39	766
Universities’ total	183,954	159,661	4,489	19,804

Source: Statistical Yearbook of Education 1999/2000;
 http://www.czso.cz/eng/figures/1/10/2000/22.htm

According to the 1998 Act, the bachelors study program can lead to the awarding of the degree as a basic unit of higher education studies (Bachelors of Art, BA) and there is now a bachelor's degree offered at most institutions. Bachelors’ courses are now offered at over 50 faculties in 18 higher education institutions, as shown in Table 2. With the addition of tuition and other user fees, these programs represent a growing source of additional income, although only about 30 are in the two largest universities: Charles University in Prague and Masaryk University in Brno

Academic year	Enrollment In Bachelor Programs	Total Undergraduate Enrollment	Bachelor Enrollments as % of Total
1992/1993	12,628	114,185	11.1
1993/1994	15,624	122,456	12.8
1994/1995	28,147	129,453	21.7
1995/1996	34,821	139,774	24.9
1996/1997	36,668	156,868	23.5
1997/1998	39,410	162,373	24.3

The diversification of higher education through provisions of the 1998 Higher Education Act extends to the encouragement of private institutions. Between January and August of 1999, 16 private institutions submitted applications for accreditation to the Ministry of Education. So far, only three of them have been granted state approval: the Banking Institute, Prague Hotel College, and the European Polytechnical Institute, in Kunovice, Moravia. All three schools are both of a non-university type, more practically focused, and can be completed with a state examination that is usually accompanied by defense of a bachelor’s thesis (http://www.prague-tribune.cz/articles/1999/10/12.htm>).

The higher education policy makers, in collaboration with government officials promote these new methods that will allow institutions to become more economically self-sufficient, either through the addition of fees, or cooperation with important businesses.

II. Estimated Expenses of Higher Education

Many of these changes and reforms have diversified the sources of revenue and shifted some of the costs of higher education from governments or taxpayers to parents and students. Estimated expenses borne by parents and students in the Czech Republic are shown in Table 3.shifted of these

		Public		Private
		Low Public	High Public
	Tuition	2982 [$200]-	2982 [$200]	61,000 [$4091]
	Other Fees (entrance exam)	300 [$20]	300 [$20]	450 [$30]
	Books & Other Educ. Expenses	4000 [$268]	5500 [$369]	6000 [$402]
	Subtotal Costs of Instruction	7282 [$488]	8782 [$589]	67,450 [$4524]
	Lodging	13,419 [$900]	20,000 [$1341]	30,000 [$2012]
	Food	15,000 [$1006]	30,000 [$2012]	40,000 [$2683]
	Transportation	1,800 [$121]	2100 [$140]	3000 [$201]
	Other Personal Expenses	800 [$54]	1,300 [$87]	2,000 [$134]
	Subtotal Cost of student living	31,019 [$2081]	53,400 [$3581]	75,000 [$5030]
	Total Cost to Parent & Student	38,300 [$2570]	62,182 [$4170]	142,450 [$9554]

Low public: living in dormitory, or shared apartment.
High public: living as “independent adult.”
Private:  private tuition, living as “independent adult”.

References:

1. www.eurydice.org;

2. http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/v8n6.html;

3. http://www.czso.cz/eng/figures/1/10/2000/22.htm

4. Statistical Yearbook of Education 1999/2000;

5. http://www.prague-tribune.cz/articles/1999/10/12.htm;

6. http://www.vsh.cz/anglicky.htm;

7. www.ceebd.co.uk/ceeed/un/cz/cz001004.htm;

8. www.oanda.com/convert/classic;

9. www.cvut.cz/ctu/international/guide/before.htm;

10. www.czu.cz/zahrweb/En/Booklet/K7.htm;

 11.Masaryk University Brno-Survey (97);

12. EPAA Vol.8 No.6 1999 McMullen: Higher Education Finance Reform in the Czech Republic.

GF/DBJ 12/13/01