Reconceptualització o nova tecnologia educativa

Teachers perceive their status as very low according to the TALIS survey. The profession is not attractive to talented young people yet demographic projections point to a need to increase the number of teachers in particular in the compulsory education sector in order to maintain the current student-teacher ratio. There are shortages of qualified teachers in certain areas, hence

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62 CZECH REPUBLIC

Education and Training Monitor 2015 - Country analysis November 2015

the exceptions to the amended Act on Education Staff allowing teaching to be delivered by staff who do not fulfil the formal qualification requirements in certain conditions. There is a strong gender imbalance in the profession: women are largely over-represented and get lower salaries than men, while the reverse is true for headmasters. The Czech Republic is one of the few EU Member States that still do not have a structured induction programme for new teachers. As regards teacher training, the TALIS survey shows an overall proportion of teachers undertaking some professional development in the previous 12 months close to the EU average (82.5% compared to 84.7%). Participation in training to develop information and communication technologies (ICT) skills for teaching (53.4%) or using ICT for student projects or class work (36.5%) is slightly above the EU average and Czech pupils score well in digital literacy as shown by the 2013 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (IEA 2014).

The NRP announced the support needed to develop teachers’ everyday formative assessment abilities. Other measures to enhance the evaluation framework — in the system where schools have a large degree of autonomy — include centrally-designed tests at various levels of education — designed by the Czech School Inspectorate. A platform aimed at enabling schools, teachers and pupils to evaluate their performance on certain subjects is also being developed. A new unified entrance exam for secondary schools leading to the State school-leaving exam was pilot-tested in 2015 (this measure is controversial as some experts consider it may hamper the efforts to reduce inequalities). The NRP confirmed that the comprehensive framework for evaluation is to be completed in 2015 and will include ‘criteria of quality schools’ to be published. It is hoped that the Czech School Inspectorate will have enough resources to carry out the inspections at the pace needed and to offer support and recommendations to underperforming schools so that they can improve the educational outcomes.

Following a change to the curricula for secondary education making the learning of a second foreign language compulsory from the academic year 2013/2014, the previously low proportion of students learning two or more foreign languages is likely to improve in the years to come. A new Strategy for Digital Education until 2020 was adopted in autumn 2014. With the support of EU funds, it aims at widening the use of modern digital technologies in education, developing teachers’ and pupils’ digital skills, reinforcing infrastructure, supporting innovative practices. More generally, a revised comprehensive Long-term Plan on Education and the Educational System was adopted for 2015-2020. As to reducing inequalities, it is not clear if mechanisms to incentivise the best and most experienced teachers to teach in challenging schools are envisaged; such measures could bring additional positive results.

Box 2. The new career system for teachers and pedagogical staff

The teaching profession is facing a number of challenges: low in prestige and unattractive to talented young people, due among other things to low salaries that do not rise much over the course of a career, ageing, gender imbalance in terms of numbers and salaries, unequal continuous professional development of teachers (CPD). In addressing these challenges and placing more emphasis on CPD and career development, as well as enhancing the governance of the system which is currently largely in the hands of headmasters, authorities are finalising a new career structure for teachers with the support of EU funds (national project ‘Career

system’).57 _{Strengthening skills and competences as well as giving better feedback and support}

to teachers to enhance teaching quality are among the main objectives.

The system provides for the classification of educational staff into four career levels, each characterised by a description of work activities, qualifications required, evaluation and standards.

x Level 1 (compulsory): novice teacher newly graduated from an initial teacher training programme or recently arrived in the teaching profession, with a temporary contract for two years. The teacher will work in a classroom and take part in an induction programme. This stage lasts for two years, after which the teacher must go through the attestation/evaluation that is obligatory to get to level 2 as a regular teacher.

x Level2 (compulsory): excellent teacher with long-term prospects, taking part in regular

CPD, still working mainly in a classroom.

x Level 3 (optional): besides fulfilling the requirements of a level-2 teacher, he/she is a

pedagogical leader in his/her school, supporting colleagues with positive results.

x Level 4 (optional): on top of fulfilling the conditions for a level-3 teacher, he/she is a

leader at the system level and carries out work that influences the development of education beyond the school.

The system will be based on teachers’ standards for each level and will be linked to remuneration. Standards are to be developed for headmasters too, which may support the improvement of underperforming schools in terms of educational outcomes.

Progressive implementation and necessary legislative measures are planned between the academic year 2015/2016 and 2018 (full implementation). One of the potential obstacles to implementing the new system may lie in the classification of existing teachers. Furthermore, some critics point to the hierarchical structure of the standards linked to the four career levels and would have favoured a unique set of ‘Master teacher standards’; they fear bureaucracy and possible competition between teachers. These critics would have preferred more autonomy for headmasters to carry out evaluation and determine remuneration of teachers at school level. There could be scope for combining the new system with additional resources for headmasters to evaluate and reward teachers’ work.

For the new system to produce tangible results, sufficient additional financial means to meet the overall cost of increased salaries will be essential, but plans remain unclear at this stage. Furthermore, adequate support for proper understanding and implementation will be needed. Additional measures aimed at enhancing the prestige, attractiveness and quality of initial teacher training could also contribute to meeting the challenges that the profession faces. Communication directed towards upper-secondary students, i.e. prospective trainee teachers, could also help to enhance the perception of the profession.