High school studies in the Czech Republic are often more challenging for students whose first language is not Czech.
Below is a list of tips that can help make the studies less difficult:
- Teachers’ office hours – an opportunity for students to clarify any areas pertaining to the content covered in class or to discuss with teachers the ways to improve their grades.
- Extra classes – in-school or external, to help students better understand the content and improve their language skills.
- Regular preparatory activities – reading texts and taking notes, preparing one’s own translation glossaries, and doing homework all play an important role in understanding new content.
- Collaboration with other students – studying together for exams or joining study groups allows students to help each other and cope with learning, e.g., after a period of absence due to medical reasons.
- Communication between parents and school – Parents of minor students must engage in regular communication with teachers, attend parent teacher meetings, and excuse absences.
- Developing the Czech language proficiency outside of school – leisure activities with Czech-speaking peers, reading books, and watching movies and series in Czech facilitates language acquisition.
Support measures for students with other mother tongues
Due to their lower proficiency in the Czech language, students with other mother tongues may be eligible to receive support as students with special education needs. Schools can provide different levels of support based on students’ proficiency. Please refer to your class teacher for support options at the beginning of the school year. While certain support measures are entirely within the scope of the school’s responsibility (pedagogical support plan), others are only possible once the student’s situation has been assessed by a psychological counselling center.
Secondary schools cooperate with appointed psychological counselling centers. Information on how to make an appointment is published on their websites. For minor students, the application for assessment at the center must be submitted by their parents / legal guardians. Students over 18 years of age can request an assessment themselves. Students and parents have the right to request an interpreter for the assessment if they do not have a sufficient proficiency in the Czech language.
Within one month after the appointment, the counselling center prepares a report (for the parents and the student) and a recommendation for the school (sent to the student and the school). A signed consent is required by the school for grades 2–5 of support measures.
Grades of support measures based on the proficiency in Czech:
- First grade:
- Intended for students with moderate difficulties (B2+ proficiency).
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- Minor adjustments to classes, individual approach.
- Recommendation from a pedagogical counselling center: not needed, granted by the school.
- Second grade:
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- Intended for A2–B2 speakers who are able to engage in everyday communication but have difficulty understanding in-class language.
- Support measures may include an individual study plan, special educational tools (dictionary, language apps, worksheets, etc.), and 3 classes of Czech a week.
- Recommendation from a pedagogical counselling center: needed, prepared based on a request for assessment submitted by the legal guardian.
- Third grade:
- Intended for students with low proficiency (A0–A2).
- More significant adjustments to classes, optional help from a teaching assistant, 3 classes of Czech a week.
- Recommendation from a pedagogical counselling center: needed.
The fourth and fifth grades of support measures are intended for students who have health or other disadvantages in addition to having a low proficiency in Czech.
Examples of support measures:
Educational intervention provides extra classes for subjects where students are struggling.
Extending studies by one year can be recommended to students who need more time due to the language barrier.
Classes of Czech as a second language play a crucial role. Without sufficient knowledge of the language, students have difficulty understanding the content and vocabulary in other subjects.
Free language courses for secondary school students
The language courses are designed for high school students whose mother tongue is not Czech. The aim is to help students better cope with other classes. In this program, students learn Czech as a second language, focusing also on the technical vocabulary needed for their field of study.
While the program is intended for students who have been in the Czech Republic for less than 24 months, the school principal may decide to enroll other students in the program based on their needs.
A language training group can take from 100 to 400 hours, depending on the individual students’ needs.
How are the courses organized?
The courses take place in schools that have been designated by the regional authorities. These schools are authorized to provide classes for their own students as well as for students from other schools in the area. Classes can be held in person or online if needed. In most cases, they are scheduled after regular school hours but if there is an overlap, a student may be excused from up to 3 hours per week.
If you are interested in this service, you will need to apply for a language training group.