Even prior to the accession to EU, the Czech Republic actively participated in the Lisbon
process. The importance and influence of the Lisbon process on further development of the
education in the Czech Republic increased yet more after the accession of CR to EU in 2004. Its
aims and objectives are being incorporated into the strategic documents on the education in CR,
which is facilitated by the change in the structure of the national educational system currently
implemented in our country. The initial document for this change is the National Education
Development Programme, the so-called White Paper [Kotásek, 2001], which was published at the
beginning of the year 2001. The White Paper has been designed as a “system project, formulating
intellectual background, general objectives and development programmes to be decisive for the
development of educational system in the medium term perspective“. To turn this project from
theory into practice, the Ministry of Education and Youth subsequently processed a Long-term
objective for education and development of educational system in CR22; how, according to its
spirit, to reform the Czech educational system. A comprehensive document proposes particular
ways, costs and timeframes for implementation of school reform. At the same time the Law
on pre-primary, primary, secondary, secondary vocational and other education, the so-called
Education Law [Zákon č. 561/2004 Sb., o předškolním, základním, středním, vyšším odborném a
jiném vzdělávání (školský zákon), 2004] was prepared; it was approved in the autumn of 2004. A
majority of its directives came into effect from 01/01/2005. This Education Law represents a legal
standard for the particular educational stages in schools and school facilities, sets the conditions
under which education and training takes place, defines the rights and obligations of natural
persons and legal entities in the educational process and defines the scope of bodies involved in
state administration and self-administration in educational institutions. Within general provisions,
the Education Law newly introduces a system of educational programmes.
The highest level is represented by the National Programme on Education, which should
be processed by the Ministry of Education and Youth in cooperation with other partners. The
programme should contain the main principles of curricular policy of the country, develop
educational aims, and define the main educational areas, educational content and tools necessary
to achieve these aims. This section of the Education Law has not been met yet.
The second level of curricular documents, which is also centrally processed, are framework
educational programmes (RVP) [Rámcový vzdělávací program pro základní vzdělávání, 2005;
Rámcový vzdělávací program pro gymnázia, 2007; Rámcový vzdělávací program pro obor
vzdělávání Aplikovaná chemie, 2007]. These documents define generally binding requirements
for the respective stages of schools and the respective educational disciplines and determine the
framework for their own curricula. Framework programmes also contain the principles for the
development of curricular documents of the third level – school educational programmes.
School educational programmes (SVP) are curricular documents, according to which
the education at the particular school should be implemented. In line with specifications of
framework educational programmes, each school develops its own educational programmes,
which should open space for application of potential of the individual schools, for their profiling
and enhancement of their autonomy.
Regarding the teaching aims, these are defined as the so-called competences; the fundamental
ones are denoted as key competences. These include learning competences, problem-solving
competences, communicative competences, social and personal competences and civil
competences. The aims of the individual topics are then set as expected outputs of pupils/students.
Regarding the curriculum content, it is divided into the so-called areas; science subjects belong
to the area People and Nature. At first, each educational area is characterised and its target focus
is referred to; this is followed by the educational content of the individual educational disciplines
of the respective area.
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