The Education Ministry of the Czech Republic has revealed that universities in the country admitted around 3,500 Ukrainian refugees last year. The ministry also granted 173 million crowns ($7.8 million) to universities in order to support the education of refugees from Ukraine. Data from the ministry showed that a total of 5,457 students with Ukrainian citizenship, including those with temporary protection status in the Czech Republic, studied at public Czech universities and colleges in 2022. This figure is up from 3,690 in 2021, prior to the war. Charles University in Prague had the highest number of Ukrainian students, with 923, followed by the Czech Technical University in Prague with 610, and Masaryk University and the University of Technology in Brno with 560 and 439, respectively.

Radka Wildova, the head of the ministry’s university, science and research section, praised the universities for securing not only studies but also accommodation and background facilities for refugee students. Last March, the ministry earmarked 150 million crowns for the studies and Czech language courses of Ukrainian refugees. Universities and colleges received 173 million crowns, which were primarily used to cover scholarships and accommodation for new students from war-stricken Ukraine. The ministry also supported Czech language courses for students and school employees from Ukraine, which were organised with subsidies from the Norwegian Grants.

Education Minister Vladimir Balas stated that Czech schools have managed the integration of Ukrainian refugees very well. In addition, the ministry plans to send another 200 million crowns to universities in support of students from the Ukrainian refugee community this year. Charles University supported 25 academics and 231 students from Ukraine last year, along with 341 Ukrainians at study stays outside the existing exchange and study programmes. The school also organised Czech language courses for Ukrainian students and children, attended by 438 people. The Prague University of Economics and Business currently has 537 Ukrainian students. The university organises a financial collection to cover the costs related to the accommodation of Ukrainian students and academics and to secure their basic needs, as well as to pay students from Ukraine who are in a difficult situation.

The Czech Republic has a long history of admitting refugees. Since 2015, the country has admitted more than 2,000 refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. In 2020, the Czech government agreed to accept up to 70 refugees from camps on the Greek islands. The country is also a signatory to the Global Compact on Refugees, which outlines a comprehensive framework for responding to refugee situations worldwide.

Article by Prague Forum