The city of Prague is preparing for a surge in enrollment in its secondary schools offering matriculation education for the 2023-2024 school year. The city hall aims to increase the capacity of its high schools to 12,680 places for first-year students, which is more than the number of pupils attending grade 9 in the city’s primary schools this school year. The increase in capacity is aimed at accommodating the growing demand for secondary education in the city and the surrounding areas, where an increasing number of Central Bohemians are seeking education.

Vít Hofman, a spokesman for the municipality, stated that maintaining the diversity of the educational offer is crucial for pupils, as it is the only way for applicants to find a suitable field and school that prepares them for their future educational career and employment prospects. The city plans to open 64 classes for first-year students at four-year grammar schools in September and 12 more classes at secondary vocational schools. However, a lack of teachers is a barrier to the development of new skills.

The Prague administration is changing the structure of its secondary schools in favor of high school diploma courses, with the aim of increasing the capacity of existing grammar schools and adding grammar school classes to existing secondary schools. In cooperation with the Central Bohemian Region, Prague is increasing the capacity of in-demand fields of study to accommodate the growing number of applicants for secondary school education.

According to the Czech Statistical Office, about 119,000 children were born in 2008 and will be applying to secondary schools this year. The office’s estimates show that the number of pupils in the Czech Republic will not fall until 2030, and an oversupply of applicants can be expected in grammar schools by that time. The Ministry of Education plans to support the increase in school capacity by 2027, except for multi-year grammar schools and conservatories.

Overall, the secondary schools in the country offered 687,512 places in January, with approximately 200,000 positions still vacant. A high number of applicants for secondary school studies can be expected in Prague, Central Bohemia, and South Moravia. The Ministry of Education stated that there are enough places in secondary schools, and the problem of overcrowding is limited to only some regions and fields of study.

Article by Prague Forum