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Assessing Czech schools is a little complicated in this mational format. This is because the Czech people have been incorporated over time in many different states. Bohemia was once an independent kingdom and then for many years was ruled by an Austrian monarchy under a range of constitutional arrangements. As a result, Czech education was heavily influenced by German educational trends. After World War I Czechslovakia was created, an independent state with both Czechs and Slovaks as well as othernationalities. The NAZIs dismembered Czechoslovakia, but it was restablished after World War II and became a Communist puppet state. After the overthrow of the Communists, Czechoslovakia was paritioned intto the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Bohemia began as a duchy and became a medieval kingdom within the largely German Holy Roman Empire. Its status was an Imperial State. The Bohemian king was a prince-elector of the Empire. The kings of Bohemiabin addition to Bohemia proper, ruled other lands belonging to the Bohemian Crown, which at various times included Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia, and parts of Saxony, Brandenburg, and Bavaria. The kingdom was established by the Přemyslid dynasty (12th century). It was ruled by the House of Luxembourg (for a time rivals to the Hasburgs), the Jagiellonian (Hungaran) dynasty, and ultimately the the House of Habsburg (1526). Numerous kings of Bohemia were elected Holy Roman Emperors, and the capital, Prague, was the imperial seat (late-14th century and othervtimes). Bohemia had a tradition of academic and scholarly endeavor in the mainstream of European intelctual development.
The first schools we know about were Budeč which educated the children of the nobility in religious studies and reading and writing in Latin. St. Vitus’s Cathedral School was opened aspart oif the Prague bishopric (973). The Benedictine monasteries opoened nany nschools (10th century). At this time as the medieval economy began to grow, towns where craft and trade were developing we begin to see schools opening to meet the needs of the growing econmy. They were for the children of well to do commoners. At first the teacgers were all clergy. More and more schools were founded. By thehigh medueval era we see schools throughout the towns of Bohemian (12th-13th centuries). This layed the academic foundation for universities and the Crusades introduced economic and intelectual threads that led to the Renaisance and the foundation of universities. The Sorbonne was founded in Paris (1206). Charles IV, the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor founded the first university central Europe -- Charles University in Prague (1348). As a matter of fact the Charles University of Prague is the oldest university in the country, founded in 1348. Interestingly it also is the oldest German university as well. Until 1945 there has always been a Czech and a German campus, often using the same buildings. Famous scientists have lectured at this university, including Einstein in the early 20s. Some disparities remained, however. Germans and Czechs predominated disproportionately in secondary schools and universities. The same was true of jews after emnciotion (19th century). Charles Universuty attraced mnany German students. Heldelberg Universiuty (1386) was the first Germnan univerity, but many Germans kived closer to Prague. The Universitas Istropolitana (Academia Istropolitana) was founded in Bratislava (1465). Nationalist issues were not a problem until modern times. Latin was used as the language of instruction. Unlike most early European universities, the Czech universities were independent of both the church and rulers. The university had an international orientatiion. The students were free to move between universities. Bohemia benfitted being part of the Holy Roman Empire--the only important non-German territory. The graduates form the Charles University played a major role in developing the lower and higher schools in Bohemian towns. Here Czech children were prepared for jobs in the developing econmy as well as university studies. German stydents and professors left Charles University when Leipzig University was founded (1409). Jan Hus became the rector of Charles University. This led to a huge crisis. Hus proved to be an early Luther. He promited major serach reforms which led to Hussite Wars hich had early Czech natioinlist underpinings. He was ordered to be put to death by a council in Constance. He was burned (1415). In the aftermath, Petr Chelčický formed the Unitas Fratrum (Brethren Unity). They founded many new schools. They tended to be more effective than the existing schools run by the unreformed Church. Charles University increasingly accepted students from less privlidged families. Martim Luther lunched th Protestnt Reformation (1517). The Reformation had a significant impact on Bohemia which had had a majority Hussite popultion despite efforts to stamop it out.
The Czechs for many years were ruled by an Austrian monarchy under a range of constitutional arrangements. Empoerot Charles V gained control (1526) in the middle if the Reformtion. As a result of the Catholic Counter Refomation, Bohemia was again purged and Catolicism reimposed. Czech education was heavily influenced by German educational trends, but this increased with Austrin rule. To further the cement Cathocism in Bohemia, Charles University was turned over to the Jesuits (1622). The most imortant individual in Czech education was Johann Amos Comenius -- the teacher of nations (1592-1670). He is considered by many to be the father of modedrn education. (His birthday is celebrated as teachers' day in the Czech Republic). The Technical University (Vysoké učení technické) ws established (1717). The first military academy was founded (1752). A new type of business academies were introduced (1773. Teacher preparatioin was based on the Preparandias. The Jesuitic order was abolished (1773). Empoeress Marie Therese initiated a number of reforms (1774). Austria like Germany gave some attebtion to public education.
Both in the Czech lands and in Slovakia, 6 years of compulsory education, had begun on the initiative of Emperess Maria Theresa (1774). The state adminjisteres the schools, buyt it was up to municipalyies toi finabnce them. .The image here shows a Czech school during the era of 18th century Austrian rule (figure 1).
Compulsory education was expanded to 8 years with the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1869) For what ever reason, education and literacy did not advance as wideky in Slovakia and Hungaria among the peasantry where near feudal conditions prevailed. In the Czech lands publoc ceducation was comparable to Austria abd Germany. Prosperous farmers and even cottagers and tenants had a long history of boarding their children in towns or cities for secondary, vocational, and higher education. One subject of interest is language policies in the schools. Austrian officuals used education as the primary tool for dealing with the Empire's ethnic diversity. On no other realm of public life did the Austrians more effectively address the disparities among Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Germans, and Jews. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire primary and secondary schools used Czech as the language of instruction in areas with a Slav majority, including colleges and universities.
One source complains, "The monarchy’s language policy leads to germanise-tion of the Czech people, which then resulted in the so-called National Renaissance, the aimof which was to save the Czech language and ensure proper national education." [Vlčková, p. 2.] We are not sure wht she was reerrung to becai=use therewas Czech language instruction.
By the 19th century, there was a fine system of public education in Bohemia. There were 8 years of compulsory education in the native language of each ethnic minority. This significantly rised literacy rates, particularly among Slovaks and Ukrainians who lived in unders=developoed reas. An expanded program of vocational education increased the technical skills of the country's growing industrial labor force. Notably, Bohemia was the primary indudtrial center of ghe Austro-Hungarian Enpire. We have an image from the Smiricích School in what is now the Czech Republic just before World War I. This is interesting, because we have an image from the same school just after the War after which Czechoslovakia had achieved its independence.
Czechoslovakia had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of Workd War I, Czechoslovakia decclared its indepndence (1918). It was new nation with both Czechs and Slovaks as well as other nationalities. The Czech school system had been essentially the same as the Audtrian system. After indepence and split with Austria, the Czech system was was joined with the Slovak system. Schools and the language of instruction was one of the difficulties that had to be confronted in this multi-national state. Perhaps even more of a challenge was the different developmental status of the territories joied with Bohemia to create Czechoslovakia. A range of new laws were introduced affecting school life, curiculum, unified secondary schools, and developmebt of a 'balanced approach' between comprehensive and vocational education. New universities were founded such as Masaryk University in Brno (1919). The Czech education was seen to be oin the top ten in the world. Less develped Slovakia and Transcarpathia proved a continued challenge to education authorities. The nationalities issue of course was used by Hitler in his efforts to obain the Sudentenland at the Munich Conference. The NAZIs claimed that the German minority was being abused. This was largely a NAZI-fabrication. The limited number of Czech images we have suggest that Czech boys dressed very similarly to German boys. Ethnic German children for the most part were taught in German-language schools.
The NAZIs dismembered Czechoslovakia, first seizing the Sudentenland as part of the Munich Accord (September 1938). Only months later, the Wehrmacht crossed the Czech border, occupied Czechoslovakia, and created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (March 1939). The NAZI goal was of course not to protect the Czech people, but Germanize those racially 'suitable' and to turn the remainder into slaves or eliminate them entirely meaning mass murder. Plans called for the expulsion and murder of large numbers of Czechs and the complete eradication of Czech culture. The process was slowed during the War, primarily because of the need to maintain war production. The Skoda Woks seized by the NAZIs became an important part of the NAZI war economy. The NAZI Governor of Bohemian and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich, was killed on the way to the airport for a conference in Berlin about the Germinazation program (1942). As a result, of their goal of destroying Czech natonalism and culture, the NAZIs had no interest in Czech education. The country was subjected to a brutal Germanization program. German language instruction became the nost important part of the curruiculum--one fifth of class time. New textbooks were introduced to teach NAZI ideology. The universities were closed and turned into barracks and prisons. Most of the acadenically oriented secondary schools (mainly gymnasiums) were closed. Two new schools were openbed to educate th new Nazi elite. Young people were forced to work in Reich war factories. Many university and secondary school tteachers were arrested. This was part of the NAZI effort to destroy Czech natioinal spirit and the major centers of national culture. Most od thise arrested as part of that process would die in NAZI concentration camps.
Czechoslovakia was reestanlished after the Allied victory in World War II ithonly the loss of the fr ester privince to th Soviet Union. Stalin and the NKVD reduced it to a Communist police puppet state. We note that during the Communist era that many school photographs show the children in their Young Pioneer uniforms, but other photographs do not. The uniforms are white shirts and blue pants worn with a red scarve. We are not quite sure what the regulations were. The Pioner uouth moivement was a school-based activity so the unifom would have been worn at activies held ijn school. We note many younger children through the mod-1970s wore H-bar skorts and pants.
>>> https://is.muni.cz/el/ped/jaro2007/PdZZ_CES/um/CDROM_DevelopmentEducation_EN.pdf
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After the overthrow of Communism (1989) Czechoslovakia divided into the Czech Republic/Czechia and Slovakia (1993). The resulting Czech Republic has one of the strongest economies and lowest poverty rates of the various Soviet bloc countries after the fall of Communism. The country had a high literacy rate and stidents performed well in math and science on international testing comparisons. These were area emphasized in Communist schools. We are less so about other disciplines. The Czechs are thus poised to do mwell within the European Union. One issue gaced by small countries like Czecgoslovkaia is the limited availability of Czech langiage publications. Thus foreign language is thus important if Czechs are giung to keep abreast of modern trends abd advbces. Traditiional this was addressed by German language training and during the Soiviet era, Russian language. Since the fall of Communism (1989), there have been significant reforms dsigned to move sawy from communist-style central management. The initl reforms were largely structural. Czech educators are nolw addressing the movemnt away from what is described as 'old school' pedagogy which we take to mean a highly academic approch. We are not sure what direction his will take. The svholls need to offr programs for more than the academically talented. But the tendency to lower standards such as we see in the United States such as thedeemhasis on coirrectansers in math instruction can be counter productive.
There is also the need to offer higher education ptigrams to a wider sector of the population.
Vlčková, Kateřina. "Development of the Czech education." This appears to be a book chapter, but we have no details on punlication. It appears to have been published in 2007.
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