Czech Education Ministry not planning to abolish "practical" or "special" schools

Last week the Czech Education Ministry issued a press release saying it does not plan to abolish either the “practical” or “special” schools or the institutions it operates that provide children with substitute child-rearing. “I definitely am counting on those institutions and schools continuing and I very much appreciate the work of their staffs,” Czech Education Minister Josef Dobeš said.

The Czech media have been speculating that the “practical” and “special” schools might be closed in connection with the government’s strategy for educating children from socially excluded localities. “Nothing of the sort will happen. I am proud that we have a tradition here that is unique in Europe. We have experts here who know how to work with handicapped children. What we have to do with respect to the document adopted by the Office of the Government is to make sure that children who are not mentally disabled are not sent to the ‘practical’ schools. The network of ‘practical’ and ‘special’ schools is just as widespread as all the other types of schools, and therefore there is no doubt that there must be optimalization of those resources, but there is a need to support special needs educators and appreciate their work,” the minister said.

Concerns of possible abolition have also been expressed by the directors of substitute child-rearing facilities, such as diagnostic and juvenile institutions, orphanages, or orphanages with schools on their premises. Representatives of the Substitute Child-rearing Association (Asociace náhradní výchovy) have submitted directors’ questions on this issue to the Czech Education Ministry. “As part of the necessary optimalization of resources, we have called on the directors to make certain savings, but we definitely do not want to introduce measures that would destroy those institutions. Preserving high-quality care for children is our top priority,” Deputy Education Minister Ladislav Němec explained. Savings at specific substitute childcare facilities can be negotiated with Renata Ježková, director of the Department of Special Education, Prevention and Institutional Care at the Czech Education Ministry.