and private schools, in the school year 2004/2005 there were in total only 3785 primary schools, out of which 3732 were public schools and 53 church and private schools [Statistická ročenka České a Slovenské federativní republiky 1990-1992; Statistická ročenka České republiky 1993- 2005]. Therefore a total number of primary schools have, over 15 years, finally decreased by 115 schools, i.e. by 3% compared to the year 1990. In that period, church and private schools mostly constituted only 1-1.5% of all the primary schools in CR. 4300 4200 4100 4000 3900 3800 3700 3600 3500 3400 1990/91 1992/93 1994/95 Public schools 1996/97 1998/99 2000/01 2002/03 2004/05 Church and private schools Graph 1: Primary schools in the Czech Republic (1990-2005) The number of secondary schools (SS) also considerably changed between the years 1990 and 2005. In the school year 1989/1990 there were only 1272 public secondary schools in the Czech Republic, out of which 223 were grammar schools (G), 382 vocational colleges (SOS) and 667 secondary vocational schools (SOU), in the year 1990/1991 already 1301 secondary schools (228 G, 402 SOS and 671 SOU), out of which 1295 were public schools and first six secondary church or private schools. In the school year 1994/95 there were already in total 1880 secondary schools (349 G, 800 SOS and 731 SOU). In the following school year, a part of SOU turned into integrated secondary schools (ISS). Thus, in the school year 1995/1996, a total number of secondary schools in CR reached its maximum; in total there were 1927 schools (361 G, 832 SOS, 201 ISS a 533 SOU), out of which 392, i.e. 20% were church and private secondary schools. This represents an increase by 655 new schools, i.e. by 51.5%. Also, the number of secondary schools started to diminish in the second half of the nineties. This was again mainly due to financial demands of these schools and a decreasing number of pupils/students. Specifically there was a decrease of interest in the study of SOU. In the school year 1999/2000 there were in total 1754 secondary schools in CR (345 G, 826 SOS and ISS and 583 SOU), out of which 294, i.e. 16.8% were church and private secondary schools. In the school year 2004/2005 there were in total only 1650 secondary schools (345 G, 797 SOS and ISS and 508 SOU), out of which 287, i.e. 17.4% were church and private secondary schools [Statistická ročenka České a Slovenské federativní republiky 1990-1992; Statistická ročenka České republiky 1993-2005]. Therefore, a total number of secondary schools have, over 15 years, finally increased by 378 schools, i.e. by 29.7%. In that period, church and private schools constituted mostly 15- 20% of all the secondary schools in CR. Since the year 1996, primary schools have again become nine-year schools (1st stage takes five years, 2nd stage four years). At the first stage of primary schools, the subject Basics is first taught (propaedeutics of both social and natural sciences) and consequently the subject Science (Basics of science). Science subjects are studied separately from the second stage of primary school – natural 21