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This follows from the analysis of the results of this year's matriculation tests, which was published on the website by the organizer Cermat.
State didactic tests were held from May 2 to 4. Approximately 73,800 students applied, of which approximately 70,100 were for the first time. Earlier, Cermat announced that test failures were up compared to last year, but slightly down compared to the pre-covid year 2019.
This year, 13.7 percent of those who took the tests for the first time failed. Last year it was 2.5 percentage points less (11.2), three years ago it was 0.4 percentage points more (14.1). According to Cermat, the result in Czech and English is comparable to 2019 and has improved in mathematics.
Overall, this year, for example, 9.4 percent of high school graduates failed the Czech language test (4.7 percent last year). On the other hand, the failure rate of students who chose the matriculation in mathematics decreased – this year 10.1 percent of students failed, while last year the failure rate reached 16.6 percent.
Less than a percent of eight-year-olds failed CJ and mathematics
The analysis of the results from various fields of education specifically shows that the easiest were the state tests, as usual for high school students. Czech, which is compulsory for all, was not mastered by 0.4 percent at eight-year high schools, 0.8 percent at six-year high schools, and 1.2 percent at four-year high schools. At multi-year gymnasiums, high school graduates also had the highest average number of points, on average they got around four fifths of the test correct.
21.7 percent of students failed the Czech language in the non-technical fields of study, which fared the worst of the four-year matriculation fields, and the average score was about 55 percent.
High school students took the places of the most successful graduates also in mathematics, English, German and Russian. With a few exceptions, students from other types of schools did not even choose French and Spanish.
In a comparison of different types of gymnasiums, students of multi-year schools performed best. Less than one percent of eight-year-olds failed mathematics, and 1.4 percent of six-year-olds failed. At four-year gymnasiums, it was three percent. Everyone mastered English at the six-year grammar schools, 0.2 percent of the eight-year and 0.4 percent of the four-year students did not pass it.
On the contrary, the most unsuccessful in mathematics and English were the students of medical vocational schools. Almost half of them failed in mathematics and 17.6 percent in English.
Education experts have been discussing for a long time that the common high school diploma is not ideal for everyone. In order for apprentices to have a chance to master it, it must be easy for high school students. If it were at a higher level, according to experts, pupils from other schools would fail in much greater numbers. It would be economically disadvantageous for the state.
The current government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) has promised to adjust the school leaving exams so that they correspond to the 21st century. The Minister of Education, Petr Gazdík (STAN), has previously said that he would like it, for example, if the state matriculation exam was transformed into a high school minimum that students could take already during their studies, and even repeatedly.