Chapter 11: National Policies and Practices on ICT in Education: The Czech Republic

Before 1989 the Czech educational system was strictly centralized. The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports developed curricula for each subject and provided schools with a unified set of textbooks. Both the curricula and the textbooks were obligatory for schools, and teachers were supposed to follow them strictly. Since then the situation has changed. After the political changes in 1989, new elements in the organization of compulsory schooling were introduced. Compulsory schooling was reduced from 10 to nine years. Schools were given more freedom in designing their curricula. The production of textbooks was left to independent publishers, who offered their publications to schools via the marketplace. An element of choice within the framework of compulsory schooling was also introduced. From this time on, students completing Grade 5 or Grade 7 at basic schools either could apply for an academic program (eight and six years in duration, respectively) at secondary schools, called gymnasiums, or continue their study in basic school.