The original article requires translation.
The school leaving certificate could be replaced by a so-called complex graduate thesis with a defense. In particular, for professional fields of study with a high school diploma, the change could enable linking the final exam with practice. This could be brought about by an amendment to the Education Act, which the ministry wants to present by the end of the month.
The Ministry also wants to amend the Act on Universities, the position of the National Accreditation Office should be adjusted. The planned legislative changes were presented by Minister of Education Mikuláš Bek (STAN) and his deputy Jiří Nantl (ODS).
According to Nantl, a complex graduate thesis would be a form of the school part of the matriculation exam. "Individual subjects would not be verified separately classically, but simply by the student demonstrating the ability to link abilities and skills in one job," he said.
At the same time, according to him, the amendment should bring the possibility to replace the school exam or part of it with an internationally recognized certificate. Students now have this option for the foreign language exam, according to Nantl, it could also apply to IT skills, for example. The use of options in a given school would depend on the school principal.
According to the planned amendment, the director of elementary, secondary, higher vocational schools and conservatories should be able to decide on combining face-to-face and distance learning under the conditions set by the decree. The adjustment will also affect two-year programs provided at higher vocational schools.
Merging schools
According to the Ministry, the amendment to the Education Act should also include rules for the consolidation of schools. The changes should allow municipalities to combine their schools into a larger entity that would have one directorate. So far, municipalities must first create a union of municipalities, which then establishes such a school, Nantl said.
The amendment should introduce a criterion for the size of schools at the level of one municipality. For example, according to Nantl, half of the schools educate only 14 percent of the pupils, the other half then the rest. According to him, the structure of schools is thus very fragmented.
The Ministry wants to introduce a rule that should concern the establishment of another school. So, for example, if the municipality wanted to establish another school and register it in the school register, this second school would have to have at least 200 pupils according to the planned amendment.
The ministry also wants to adjust the rules for auditions for school principals. The reasons for declaring bankruptcy should be specified. Newly, the founder would not have to dismiss the current director in order to declare bankruptcy, his term of office would end with the appointment of a successor.
New rules for the selection of directors
Insufficient professional and pedagogical quality of education should be added to the reasons for declaring bankruptcy. The founder could also directly appoint the current director of one of his schools to his other school. Thus, if the principal and the school board agreed to it, it would be possible, for example, to appoint a good principal to a school that is having problems without bankruptcy, Nantl said.
By amending the Act on Higher Education, the Ministry wants to adjust the position of the National Accreditation Office (NAÚ) so that it meets the conditions for membership in the European Higher Education Quality Assurance Register (EQAR).
Above all, the independence of the office should be strengthened, its activities should in the future focus more on verifying the quality of the education provided directly on the spot.
The NAÚ Council could be newly divided into two chambers. In addition to the academic chamber, a special professional chamber should be newly introduced. The office should also accredit the fields of higher vocational schools. The amendment is planned to take effect on January 1, 2026.
According to the ministry, the aim of the planned amendments is to improve the conditions for secondary professional and post-secondary professional education. According to Nantl, the ministry wants to focus on innovations in education and support for pedagogues, the effectiveness of the educational system in regional education and the modernization of the approach to ensuring the quality of education at universities and higher vocational schools.