11th February 2016

Czech Radio: Education Minister agrees to 10% wage volume rise for teachers. Negotiations with Finance Minister will follow | OECD PISA results: 4.4% increase in young Czech low performers in mathematics

The Education Minister Kateřina Valachová agrees to a 10% rise in volume of wages allocated for paedagogical and non-paedagogical staff. "The increase that the labour unions demand is huge, but legitimate", said the Education Minister after today's meeting with labour unions representatives. The lack of high quality teachers is one of the major problems, she maintins. Minister Valachová wants to incorporate the increase into the state budget for the next year. Read details (in Czech).
 
According to the recently published OECD PISA results, there is an increasing number of young Czech low performers in mathematics.Whereas the numbers of low performers in reading and science have dropped, there has been a 4.4% increase in low performers in mathematics, the report says. The figure is still around the OECD average for mathematics. In overall ranking for reading, mathematics and science, the number of low performers is bellow the OECD average. Estonia is the top performer among the EU member states.  Click on WEF literacy and numeracy rates worldwide.
 
Click on a video interview for DVTV with a secondary school student and co-author of a textbook Mathematics for Classmates (Matika pro spolužáky) Marek Fanderlík, an informal explanation from a students' perspective and help for teachers, too.
 
Read also an interview with Prof. Petr Zuna, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague and founder of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic Let's help children play with building blocks.
 
 
Click also on the latest survey conducted by the IPSOS agency for AMSP (Association of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Crafts of the Czech Republic) on vocational education. More than 500 hundred respondents, children aged 13-15 and their parents, took part in the survey. Seven out of ten parents consider vocational education as an option for their child. Read also an article by the Czech News Agency on a survey conducted among 2,900 students of last years of vocational schools. The students are happy with the quality of education and 70% of respondents plan to continue in further education, but many would like to change field of their future studies, work. Read more.

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic