File:ERIC ED540381. Education in Czechoslovakia. Bulletin, 1922, No. 39.pdf

The Czecho-Slovak Republic, proclaimed independent October 28, 1918, comprises an area of 54,000 square miles. It is inhabited by Czechs and Slovaks, two branches of the western Slavs, from whom the Republic derived its name. The new State reunites the Provinces of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Slovakia, and the autonomous territory of Carpathian Russia. Barely four years have elapsed since its independence was proclaimed, yet the process of economic and political reconstruction has advanced perceptibly. The aim of the present Government in matters of education, like those of State, is to coordinate the two diverse arrangements that hitherto separated Bohemia from Slovakia. Education is compulsory for all the children in the State. In the Czech-speaking Provinces, education is widespread and illiteracy low, while, in Slovakia, it is much higher. In the former Provinces the compulsory age for children extends over 8 years (from the age of 6 to 14), with the exception of rural districts, where children may be excused from attendance after the age of 12. In Slovakia and Carpathian Russia, the compulsory age is from 6 to 12, i.e., 6 years only. Continuation classes are established in some places for those between 12 and 15, but as attendance in these schools is not enforced, their influence is negligible. In general, the school attendance in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Russia is unsatisfactory, especially in the mountains regions, where school work encounters many difficulties. These shortcomings are realized by the new authorities, and no effort is spared in opening new schools and thus raising the standard of education in this part of the country. The question of lengthening the period of attendance receives serious consideration, and it is quite likely that in the near future a uniform eight-year compulsory school period will be the minimum requirement throughout the Republic. Topics covered in this bulletin include: (1) Kindergarten and nursery schools; (2) Elementary education; (3) Recent changes in education; (4) The budget of the Ministry of Education for the year 1922; (5) Administration; (6) Minority schools; (7) Teacher training; (8) Teachers' organizations; (9) Secondary education; (10) Agricultural education; (11) Home economics schools; (12) Industrial education; (13) Commercial education; and (14) Higher education. (Contains 6 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]