Job trend puts a squeeze on vocational schools
Czechs increasingly view higher education as a better alternative
 | | Interest is waning in vocational schools like Zeleny Pruh, where Zdenek Chaloupka is learning carpentry. |
By Katya Zapletnyuk
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
Feb. 10, 2005
As the country moves toward a white-collar economy, the number of children willing to go to Stredni odborna ucilste -- or vocational schools -- is dropping. As a result, as many as half may have to close their doors by the end of the decade.
Jan Koucky, director of Charles University's Education Policy Center, has researched current trends in demand for education among parents and pupils and compared the results with the country's declining birthrate. Within as little as five years, he says, attendance at vocational schools will drop from the current 32 percent of all pupils to 15-20 percent.
By the end of the decade the country is expected to have the lowest number of school-age children ever.
While now about 120,000 pupils go to upper secondary schools, in two years the number will drop to about 90,000, Koucky said.
"[Our education system] is facing the very serious danger that half of vocational schools will have to close down due to a lack of pupils," he said.
Societal order
After secondary school, at age 15, children choose either to go to a vocational school or to go to gymnazium -- upper secondary school. Koucky's study indicates that parents and children increasingly value higher education. And an upper secondary school diploma is usually viewed as a first step.
As the number of children declines, the competition for places in upper secondary schools and institutions of higher education will be less intense, and vocational schools will no longer be able to fill their classrooms with quality students, he said.
The growing demand for a higher level of education is a societal desire, said Jiri Vojtech of the National Office for Professional Education. "Modern employers require such skills from their workers that are acquired in upper secondary school. They want employees who are able and willing to acquire new knowledge and skills. And this trend will continue," Vojtech said.
During the socialist era, the government set quotas for how many children could enter universities and how many children had to go to vocational schools. This meant that children who had strong academic abilities would sometimes have to go to vocational school.
Now everybody is free to choose how much education they want, and many parents are convinced that an upper secondary school diploma will make it easier for their child to succeed on the labor market. However, vocational schools are convinced that mastering a trade will always be a good option for some students. They say that the results of Koucky's study are exaggerated.
"There will always be a number of children who are not able to complete upper secondary school," said Jaroslav Cerny, the director of a Plzen-based vocational school. "Mastering a trade is a good option for these children. Otherwise, they will have nothing but elementary education."
Cerny's school has over 1,000 full-time students and about 250 pupils studying by correspondence. It provides a trade certificate after three years of study. Those students who opt for a fourth year will receive a certificate equivalent to an upper secondary school diploma.
"The demand for
professional education after getting a high school diploma will increase. "
Jan Koucky, director, Charles University Education Policy Center
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Vojtech said that the increased demand for upper secondary school and higher education goes hand in hand with the Czech Republic's economic development. "Economically developed countries give up production that requires low-skilled manual work," Vojtech said. "Companies will either be strong enough to pay their workers higher salaries or [they will have to] close down production."
Vojtech noted that workers with higher education are willing to do blue-color jobs if they find it financially rewarding. He added that one trend he sees is that vocational schools are increasingly getting students with upper secondary school diplomas who want to master a trade in addition to their general skills.
Koucky, who also is the Czech representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said that the government should support this trend and help vocational schools reorganize into institutions providing lifelong learning for adult people.
"The demand for professional education after getting a upper secondary school diploma will increase," Koucky said. "But this is a different kind of education than the one modern vocational schools are providing." He said the government should launch special development programs using the European Social Fund to help vocational schools transform into education centers also providing short courses for adults.
"Other European countries faced this situation about 20 years ago, and the government always had to interfere to deal with the problem," Koucky said.
Reader's Comments:
[27/02/2005] : Would like to comment on E. Rail's article about Siemens S65 phone. The writer did not mention anything about IR port (I realize it is hard to mention all of the options/specs but I think IR port is an important one). I have the phone for almost 2 months now and the IR port is VERY convenient. It is SO EASY to transfer data from the phone to my notebook, equiped with IR port.
Quote: "Some of the ring tones are surprisingly shrill and uncool for a top-of-the-line device, and a number of the phone's color themes are equally goofy."
Maybe ring tones are not that cool but to tell the truth I listened to them only once. Yes, only once, the day I got the phone. Then, I downloaded a lot of ringtones to my notebook and transferred them easily to the phone through IR port. Now I have the coolest ring tones and even songs in .wav format. Also, there are a lot of themes available online that you can download and change easily. I did not change the default one (yet) because I like it. Maybe after I get tired of it I will change it to something new. Also, downloaded a lot of java games and successfully transferred to the phone, again through IR port.
My previous phone was a CDMA phone - therefore no SIM card. I had to transfer all the numbers to the new S65 phone. The process was a breeze thanks to Mobile Phone Manager software (downloaded for free from Siemens web site) and again, IR port.
There are many other positive things about S65. I did some "googling" before I purchased it. I am very satisfied with Siemens S65 mobile phone no matter what others say! ;-)
Nazar Kharivsky
United States | [20/02/2005] : Quote from Brian O'Reilly Boston, NY
"In my opinion, the only way to fix the problem between the 2 cultures [West and Islam] is to for us to accept that we are all humans regardless of our religions."
I thought that only Europeans are naive...
paragon large
USA | [18/02/2005] : It seems curious that the "West" is downplaying the horrors of Communism that were committed between the years of 1919 and 1953 in the former Soviet Republics and later in Easter Europe. Whereas the Nazi Reich lasted only twelve years and killed some ten million, the brutal Soviet Communist State lasted over seventy years and killed probably three times as many. Joseph Stalin and his multi-ethnical NKVD henchmen have starved millions of innocent Ukrainias and deported and worked to death many millions more of every nationality and walk of life. And although thousands of real people did the communist killings, guarded the communist concentration and labor camps, and ran the Soviet communist police state, there are no household names and the history of the perpetrators available and/or published in the West. Therefore, it seems to me that the East Europeans who did suffer under Communism do have the moral high ground in Brussels when they bring up, discuss and compare the known Nazi tyrany with the past and relatively unpublicized Communist terror.
Paul Zellman
Los Angeles, California | [10/12/2004] : Sir, what a tangled web we all weave. Those of us that oppose the E.U are gearing up for a show down with the politicians. As the people of your great country will knwow the vast majority of UK citizens are against this so called new constitution and if the exit polls are to be believed if there was a vote tommorow Great Britain would almost certainly veto it! This of course would mean the whole idea is srcapped and no doubt we would be labelled yet again as the thorn in the europeans side. I notice from your Prague Post vote that the Czech people would vote for such an ammendment - all be it narrowly - so it would seem that there is strong sceptisism with your people as well as my own. Earlier this year a met a good man, his name is Martin (Fishar) and he is from Prague. He has become one of my greatest true friends and we have had many a disscussion late into the night over this whole subject. Indeed, both he and his then girlfriend were at my house on the stroke of midnight when the Czech Republic officially became a member of the E.U. They raised a glass in celebration - and why not? I understand that our two countries are very differnt. But, we also have great things in common, the main one being PRIDE. Just because i am anti the E.U does not mean i am anti Europe. Indeed as far as i am concerned it is the finest continent on earth, and that is precisely why i am so against the forced changes imposed on us all on an almost regular basis. One passport, one currency and even maybe soon one army. This is not what we joined for back in 1974. It was supposed to be a free trade market where everything and anything would be cheaper and easily available. Instead, thanks to both France and Germany it is swiftly becoming a superstate, designed in my mind to challenge the might and authority of America. This must end, and quickly. We have all become pawns at the mercy of Brussels. In your own E.U Referendum within the pages of PraguePost 8.3% of those who have so far voted have declared they would abstain. I would say to those that when you have to decide for real PLEASE search your hearts and consciences - your futures, not just you but your childrens children will one day look back in history and decide wheather we made the right decissions. I only hope that we can look them in the eye and honestly say yes, we did. Matthew Puddy, 31.
Mr Matthew Puddy
Lyme Regis, Dorset. United Kingdom | [09/12/2004] : Oh for the days of Bill Clinton. He had "style". He could smoozz the Euros, tell them everything they want to hear----and then-----do nothing. From Kyoto to South American drug problems. Why on the very last day of his presidency, he pardoned a known drug lord. Now I call that "style". In Bush, similiar to Reagan, he tells you what he intends to do and does it. That is so foreign to the European mind and Euro's present leaders. The truth is if the Russians wanted to walk over Europe the combined armies of Europe could not stop them without using nucular weapons or draft guest workers. In the light of the UN corruption scandal, who knows who are the bad guys or who are the good guys. No one needs to go see American movies. Truth is, I think almost all are too juvenile for my taste. Yet the french and Germans and others seem to like them. I'm not sure what that means. There is not enough room for me to go into the wider view of the world situation and how this plays out to the present situation. Perhaps seeing Moore's F 911 one more time will help the European intelligencia see the situation clearer.
Dusan Lipensky
Wheaton, United States | [02/12/2004] : Regarding the article "West Meets Middle East", I just found it quiet interesting on how muslims have been generalised into one category which is "terrorists". I understand why the writer is concerned about the differences in culture between the two, but aren't also budhism, shintoism, and hinduism? I think in this day and age, newspapers and writers have a great pleasure in villifying someone for their success in.
An interesting point I found out is how selfish the writer was when he said: "Intellectuals uttering attacks on Islam may seem distasteful to many but they help spur debate that can ultimately be healthy". While he stated earlier:"France has taken some steps, seeking to train responsible imams who will teach a version of Islam that is respectful of the republic." Now I agree that some Imams need to be removed if they do spur revolution, but in western society today any imam(or any middle eastern) can be easily jailed/deported if he/she says anything against the residing country. That is for the simple reason that islam is viewed as a danger by westerners. In my opinion, the only way to fix the problem between the 2 cultures is to for us to accept that we are all humans regardless of our religions.
Brian O'Reilly
Boston, NY |
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