Charles University Prague Faculty of Education EDUCATION POLICY CENTRE Malátova 17, Praha 5 Tel.: Access and equity Tertiary Education in the Czech Republic OECD Tertiary Education Review Jan Koucký Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague

Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic Access to tertiary education Low rates of tertiary educated in adult population (historically given) Rapid expansion of student places: their number doubled in ten years ( ) Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague

Equity of access Strong relationship between social background and participation in tertiary education Inequity rooted predominantly in social and cultural factors As experienced early in life, they have to be addressed also at lower education levels Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic

Factors affecting equity In Czech society (and HEI´s) equity is not recognised as a major concern Limited aspirations and expectations of less privileged students, not stimulated by the school Weak co-ordination between secondary and tertiary education Limited financial and social support for students Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic

OECD Recommendations 1 To raise academic aspirations of students whose families have no tradition of tertiary education + to be added: Also other interventions are necessary (starting at pre-primary level) To strengthen co-ordination between secondary and tertiary education (e.g. number of study places to meet students´ demand, right kinds of study places to meet demand of students and labour market) Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic

OECD Recommendations 2 To provide targeted financial support: Need-based Scholarships (establishing a need-and-merit-based programme for at-risk groups, multiplying the scope of the new scholarship programme) To encourage institutions to improve equity: Graduate Equity Incentives (for increasing the numbers of graduates from disadvantaged groups) Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic

OECD Recommendations 3 When introducing private contributions, it will be necessary: To establish institutional waivers (for targeted groups of students) To implement a student loan programme (as a supplementary measure for those who do not qualify for waivers; considering more models, including HECS etc.) Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic

Thank you for your attention! Contacts: Jan Koucký, Education Policy Centre Faculty of Education, Charles University in Prague Malátova 17, Praha 5, Czech Republic Phone: Jan Koucký Access and equity Tertiary education in the Czech Republic Conference on OECD Czech Country Note 29 November 2006, Ministry of Education, Prague