Education changing to suit the times












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            * Education changing to suit the times
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            | 9.2.2009, rubrika: The List, strana: 44, autor: JAISHREE KALIA



            The economic downturn has resulted in many people seeking out further education, hoping to
            employment options and recognition within the workplace.


            Five years after joining the European Union, the Czech Education systemhas experienced a w

            changes. With many people revisiting education in anticipation of healthier job prospects,
            and universities of the Czech Republic and the international schools of Prague are feeling
            Many admission deadlines have not passed yet. “We expect the [economic] downturn to increa

            applications,” said Libor Dušek, the deputy director for public relations at CERGE-EI, a j
            run by Charles University. CERGE-EI offers a doctoral programin economics. As of September
            also offer a “terminal” master’s degree for people who do not wish to continue to a Ph. D.

            Other school directors expressed similar ideas. “As it stands I have more applicants now t
            last year,” said ThomasMershon, the director of the Prague campus of University of Pittsbu
            the university runs an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) program through

            Katz Graduate School of Business.
            Dušek said he believes that although the EU has not had any direct impact on the curriculu
            a correlation with the number of foreign students arriving. “There has been a continuing i

            trend in the number of countries fromwhich our students and faculty come. Today, it is 35 
            the trend is to have one or two students or professors from more distant countries like Ch
            Ethiopia,” Dušek told CBW. This could be from the increased access of language courses now

            Czech Republic. CERGE-EI also finds increased competition coming from EU membership. “The 
            for our school has been an increasing competition from the Ph. D. programs inWestern Europ
            governments have started much more generous funding for research and Ph. D. students in re

            programs have also become more open to students from Central and Eastern Europe as the Cze
            other post-communist countries entered the EU,” Dušek proclaims. Keeping pace Many experts
            education system is no longer keeping pace. Ján Figeľ, the European commissioner for educa

            youth, declared that the EU must pay more attention to modernizing the education systemso 
            the current status of businesses and companies, according to the Czech News Agency (ČTK). 
            must also reflect the need of the present era from the economic point of view. At present,

            produce young new unemployed people, as the content of studies does not correspond to what
            and practice need,” Figeľ stated after a conference on creativity and innovation in Europe
            European Parliament two weeks ago. “Europemust simply intensify its efforts in this respec

            there is the tradition of an isolated or fragmented space with academia on one side and co
            other,” he added. This means that education will continue to revolutionize in accordance t
            condition of that particular time.

            With this in mind, Mershon told CBW of some changes they had made to their study program. 
            more strategy courses to our curriculum. We are also working with executive search compani
            helping connect our students to others looking for business contacts,”Mershon said. This w

            change. In 2008, the University of Pittsburgh had to close down some of itsMBA programs. “
            that theMinistry of Education will follow EU trends and laws, and eventually fully recogni
            degree,” Mershon told CBW.

            Getting ready While older students are hoping to improve their job skills, younger student
            themselves to study further in a multilingual environment. Peter de Voil, the principal of
            College in Prague - Anglické gymnázium, said he feels that the EU has a significant influe

            wanting to study the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The college is for stude
            and 19 years old. “For us,membership in the EU has increased the number of applicants to t
            want to have an education in English and who want to study the International Baccalaureate

            themaccess to universities worldwide. Since 2004, applications to universities in the UK h
            as Czech students are no longer liable to pay the high fees demanded of overseas students,
            With the weight of paying substantially high fees for courses outside of the Czech Republi

            it is obvious that the need for an English education has amplified.
            “In 2008, 18 students out of a class of 53 accepted places at universities in the UK,” Voi
            it is also evident that there is an increased number of foreign students arriving for stud

            According to the English College in Prague, a great deal of their syllabus has altered in 
            to new requirements. “Challenges have come from theMinistry of Education and the need to a
            curriculum to fit the requirements of the new Czech Educational Framework, which are extre

            prescriptive,” Voil said. *

            Foto autor| Courtesy of Technická univerzita v Liberci