Information and stories addressing children.
Compulsory education in the Czech Republic begins with primary school at age 6, continuing through middle and then secondary education, until ages 15-16.
Six-year secondary schools are either general, preparing students for university education, or technical. Upper secondary education comprises four years (grades 10-13) and is not mandatory. Secondary vocational/technical education, which is more prevalent, provides an alternative to general upper secondary schools that prepare students for university study. In 2022, over 68% of students in upper secondary schools were in the vocational track, compared to the European Union average of 49%.
Beyond secondary schooling, there are tertiary professional schools, universities offering degree programs at all levels and non-university institutions typically providing only bachelor’s programs. Charles University in Prague (aka University of Prague), founded in 1348, was the first university in Central Europe, and one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation. Its 17 faculties include law and medicine.
SDG 4
The Czech Republic ranks 10th out of the 167 countries ranked on progress toward the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.
On SDG 4, Quality Education, however, Czechia still faces significant challenges, with its score moderately improving but insufficient to meet the goal. Major challenges remain in mathematics, particularly the impact of socioeconomic status on performance. Trends are stagnating, and the share of underachievers in mathematics is actually worsening rather than improving.
Upper Secondary and Tertiary Education Attainment
The OECD reports (2024) that 80% of OECD countries prioritized upper secondary education (“high school” in some countries) for their young adults from 2016 to 2023. In the Czech Republic, the proportion of 24–34-year-olds without upper secondary education increased by 2% (to 8%) during that same period. However, this means that 92% of these young adults had successfully completed upper secondary school, which is better than the OECD average.
Attaining upper secondary education has a clear impact on employability. Only 60% of Czech youth without upper secondary education were employed, compared to 83% employment for those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualifications. The difference is even more striking for young women: 44% of young women without upper secondary education were employed as compared to 75% of the young men.
At the tertiary education level, attainment for young women in this same age group is considerably greater than for men, 41%, as compared to 27%. Yet employment rates for women with tertiary qualifications are just 66%, compared to 94% for men.
Spending on Higher Education
For 2021, the World Bank reported the Czech Republic’s educational expenditures to be 10.9% of government expenditures and 4.8% of its GDP. This compares to 13.8% and 3.8%, respectively, for the world (2022).
In February 2023, the Czech Rectors Conference published its concern about a decline in funding for higher education institutions (HEIs), which “leads to a real brain drain from the HEIs environment in the Czech Republic.” The following September, the Council of Higher Education Institutions joined the Rectors Conference in a joint statement about the “unsatisfactory state of financing of public higher education in the Czech Republic,” pointing out that the Czech Republic was underfunded, especially in comparison to other OECD countries.
Funding became an even more visible issue two months later, which saw demonstrations and a strike by multiple Czech tertiary faculties, claiming systemic underfunding of higher education, low wages and poor working conditions.
For comparison, although the most recent available statistics are outdated, the World Bank reports that Czech tertiary expenditures as a % of total government expenditures on education were 13% (2016) as compared to 22% globally (2013).
Higher Education: The Future
A year later, in the fall of 2024, the Czech Government’s draft budget for 2025 approved increased support for universities in the amount of CZK 1 billion ($47.4 million).
In addition to increased funding, the Czech Republic is addressing higher education in its strategic planning for the future. This is enshrined in its Strategic Plan of the Ministry for Higher Education for the Period from 2021, developed within the framework of the priorities of the country’s Strategy for the Education Policy of the Czech Republic Up to 2030+.
– Staff Reports
Photo: Flickr
Slovenia is a republic nestled near the Adriatic Sea and neighboring Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia. It has a population of two million and occupies an area of 7,287 square miles. The nation is known for its idyllic lakes, extensive caves, scenic mountains, iconic architecture and abundant history. Here are five facts about education in Slovenia.
Five Facts About Education in Slovenia
- Slovenian Perspectives: In 2011, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the Better Life Initiative to understand wellbeing within its member countries. It is composed of a report and online index which allows participants to rank their wellbeing across 11 dimensions. The findings of the 2016 Better Life Initiative show that education is the fourth most important topic to Slovenians, behind safety, health and the environment. Results were obtained from a voluntary online sample of 192 nationals. Slovenia has the lowest educational deprivation level among OECD members and its percentage of youth (15-19-year-olds) who are not employed or engaged in education/training activities (3.5 percent) is far below the 7.1 percent OECD average. Additionally, Slovenian students are less likely to repeat grades than those in other countries.The main interests of Slovenian volunteers are education and culture — with 30 percent of formal volunteers (age 15-plus) involved in those sectors. Individuals with high levels of education tend to volunteer.
- Primary Education: Primary education in Slovenia is compulsory under the nation’s constitution and paid for through public funds. It lasts nine years (students start at the age of six) and the school year runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. According to the Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoE), in the 2013/2014 school year, there were 780 public schools and four private institutions. The student-teacher ratio is reported to be 10.68:1 with a maximum class size of 28 pupils.
- Secondary Education: The upper secondary education system in Slovenia is centralized and students enroll at the age of 15. Students are able to focus on general education, vocational or technical programs of study, which may last from two to five years. The school year runs from Sept. 1 to June 24 and class size ranges from 17-30 students. According to the MoE, there were 132 secondary schools with 91,849 students during the 2007/2008 school year. The 2016 Better Life report states that 85.7 percent of Slovenia’s adult population has completed upper secondary school, which exceeds the OECD average (76.4 percent). In Western Slovenia, 90 percent of the labor force has completed upper secondary education compared to 86.2 percent in the eastern portion of the country.
- International Performance: According to the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Slovenia outperforms many nations including the United States. The nation also ranks higher than the OECD average on the exam. The 2015 Slovenian scores were 513, 505 and 510 for science, reading and math, respectively, compared to the OECD mean scores of 493, 493 and 490. Slovenian students are also less likely than their peers to skip school prior to the examination. This figure has dropped two percent since the 2012 PISA. In the United States, there was an increase of student truancy on the order of 16 percent since the 2012 PISA.
- Tertiary Education: Higher education in Slovenia includes private and public universities, technical colleges, art academies and professional colleges. Learning pathways fall under two general categories: short cycle (two years) vocational education and traditional higher education. According to one MoE report, there are 89 tertiary education institutions with 90,403 students. In 2004, there were 14,888 college graduates and 8,378 students were enrolled in postgraduate studies. With respect to universities, there are four institutions of higher learning: Ljubljana, Maribor, Primorska and Nova Gorica. The international Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) also provides educational opportunities for students. The school year is based on a semester model and runs from October to September. The University of Ljubljana is known as one of the best global universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).
Overall, education in Slovenia continues to improve and students perform well across international benchmarks. However, the country’s higher education system — and vocational training frameworks — could be improved upon. This includes course selectivity, faculty workload rearrangements, research funding and departmental cooperation.
Moreover, the 2016 Slovenia Country Report outlines the diminished labor market returns of certain skills and baccalaureate programs based on intergenerational comparisons.
To address these concerns, and other emerging issues, the European Union has implemented the Europe 2020 strategy. Two key objectives of this initiative are to lower school dropout rates (the target is fewer than 10 percent) and to increase the proportion of higher education attainment amongst 30-34-year-olds by 40 percent.
Within the next few months, Europe 2020 updates are expected to be unveiled by Slovenian government on the Youth Employment Initiative, traineeship system, capacity building, long-term unemployment and other associated projects.
– JG Federman
Photo: Flickr
A recent United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) study titled A Deadly Journey for Children: The Central Mediterranean Migration Route, surveyed migrant women and children in Libya making their way to Europe. Refugee children leaving war and poverty are being mentally and physically abused, sexually assaulted and starved.
Last September, it was estimated that 256,000 migrants were in Libya, 11 percent of whom were women and nine percent of whom were children. A third of these children were unaccompanied. However, these figures are estimations and the actual statistics are assumed to be much higher.
About 70 percent of migrants traveling through Africa to Europe experience some type of exploitation, according to an October International Organization for Migration (IOM) survey. Last year, nine of out 10 children who used the Central Mediterranean Migration Route arrived in Europe unaccompanied. Nearly 26,000 children made the journey in 2016, which is twice the number of children from the previous year. Unaccompanied children are more prone to different types of abuse, trafficking and exploitation.
UNICEF staff members in Libya have documented many cases of refugee child abuse over time. Three-quarters of the children interviewed in the survey said they had experienced some type of violence from an adult. A majority of the children had experienced emotional abuse, with girls reporting higher rates than boys. Some children also said that they had to rely on smugglers, which resulted in other types of abuse like trafficking.
Amid the refugee child abuse shown in this study, UNICEF has created a six-part plan that they want governments and the European Union to adopt. The UNICEF Agenda for Action is comprised of the following goals:
- Protect child refugees and migrants, particularly unaccompanied children, from exploitation and violence.
- End the detention of children seeking refugee status or migrating by introducing a range of practical alternatives.
- Keep families together as the best way to protect children and give them legal status.
- Keep all refugee and migrant children learning and give them access to health and other quality services.
- Press for action on the underlying causes of large-scale movements of refugees and migrants.
- Promote measures to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalization in countries of transit and destination.
UNICEF spokesperson Sarah Crowe told Al Jazeera, “We need to work on finding a solution to the root causes of the problem and we need to do more to support children at every step of the way.”
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr
In the U.S., a sheltered and privileged lifestyle can reduce potential opportunities for happiness and prosperity for those living in developing countries. But how? As time progresses, younger generations develop a lack of understanding in regards to the devastating living conditions in the developing world, inhibiting the potential for philanthropic efforts from youthful generations.
In aiming to educate children on global poverty, Compassion International has designed an interactive exhibit that gives children the opportunity to learn about the developing world. Compassion International is a child-advocacy ministry with the goal to free children in the developing world from various forms of poverty.
This exhibit strives to open a privileged child’s eyes to the barriers that prevent less privileged children from escaping the consequences of devastating inequality.
In working with churches throughout the U.S., the Compassion Experience aims to educate children on global poverty by pushing them to learn about the specific living conditions and daily lives of those who face poverty every day in developing countries.
The exhibit allows children to choose between different variations of a self-guided tour, represented by recreations of actual homes throughout struggling countries, like Ethiopia and the Dominican Republic.
These children will hear other less privileged children describe their own life and living conditions. At the end of the tour, the less privileged discuss how they overcame poverty through education and church sponsorships.
With three operable mobile units in the U.S., featuring five poor children’s stories, the exhibit draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. Compassion International aims to further expand its initiative with the development of more dialogues and tours across the U.S. With about a million and a half children sponsored through their program, Compassion International grossed an annual budget in the 2014 fiscal year of $710 million, continuing to show promising results and increases in their annual budget.
These exhibits aim to open the eyes of many children by demonstrating the difficulties of those growing up in extreme poverty. By showing younger generations these overwhelming differences, Compassion International hopes children will express more gratitude in their own lives and join the fight in alleviating global poverty.
– Brandon Johnson
Photo: Flickr
Thanks to an unprecedented U.N. Children’s Fund operation, five million Yemeni children received vaccinations against polio in early 2017. This record polio eradication campaign consisted of 40,000 people on mobile health teams going door-to-door in Yemen to reach the nation’s vulnerable children. The brave vaccinators courted danger by hiking over mountains, through valleys and across battle lines to reach the children in need. The children also received Vitamin A supplements to bolster their immune systems.
Vigilance is Critical
Despite the encouraging numbers from the vaccination efforts, continued vigilance is vital to prevent new cases. UNICEF‘s Representative in Yemen, Meritxell Relaño, echoed the importance: “In the last two years, more children have died from preventable diseases than those killed in the violence. This is why vaccination campaigns are so crucial to save the lives of Yemen’s children and to secure their future.”
The campaign couldn’t have come at a better time. Relaño indicated that the children in Yemen are especially vulnerable because the nation’s conflict is keeping them from adequate nutrition and healthcare.
Reza Hossaini of UNICEF also reiterated the need for vigilance: “There is no question that progress to end polio is real and tangible. But – and it’s a big ‘but’ – until all children everywhere are consistently and routinely immunized against polio, the threat is there.”
Eradication on the Horizon?
Significant progress has been made since 1988 when UNICEF joined the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. At that time, there were 350,000 documented cases of the debilitating disease worldwide. These organizations hope to completely eliminate polio by 2019.
Their efforts have been working. By 2014, there were only 359 documented cases worldwide. More than 60 years after the first polio vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk, our planet is finally nearing total eradication of this devastating disease.
– Gisele Dunn
Photo: Flickr
As of 2016, Fiji, a country in Oceania, consists of more than 300 islands and is home to more than 915,000 people. Hunger in Fiji is one of the nation’s leading problems, posing a threat to the large population. Here are five facts about hunger in Fiji.
Hunger in Fiji
- According to Half United, an organization committed to fighting hunger in many countries, more than 250,000 people live in poverty. This number equates to one in every four people struggling to put food on the table.
- More than 50 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, and even fewer have access to adequate sanitation. Conditions have advanced, as more than 95 percent of the total population has reportedly experienced improved drinking water sources and more than 91 percent of the total population has seen improved sanitation facility access.
- The strongest tropical cyclone hit Fiji in February 2016, killing 43 people and causing a national emergency. The cyclone resulted in the washing away of crops and left thousands of residents homeless. With such detrimental effects, Cyclone Winston has contributed significantly to hunger in Fiji.
- According to a UNICEF report, under-five malnutrition exists as an “indicator of poverty and hunger.” The rate of undernourished children in Fiji has declined from 15 percent in 1980 to six percent in 2009. Reducing the prevalence of under-five malnutrition remains a priority of the government in order to eradicate poverty and hunger in Fiji.
- Young girls are nearly twice as likely to be stunted as boys as a consequence of long-term insufficient nutrient intake. Stunting is defined as low height for age and often results in delayed motor development, impaired cognitive function and poor school performance.
Poverty and hunger continue to affect the people of Fiji, but fortunately, organizations such as The World Food Programme (WFP) and Half United provide vulnerable families with the necessary assistance and resources to get back on their feet.
– Mikaela Frigillana
Photo: Flickr
Around 250,000 children around the globe are child soldiers.
Child soldiers are people under the age of 18 who are used for military purposes. They can be boys or girls and can range in age from four to late teens. The tasks of a child soldier vary from fighting to being a messenger. Discussed below are the three leading organizations that help child soldiers recover from being involved in such activities.
Organizations Helping Child Soldiers
Child Soldiers International
Child Soldiers International is an organization based in London that has been around since 1998. Established by other leading human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Child Soldiers International works to end recruitment and use of children on behalf of armed groups.
Among things such as reduction of violations and promoting the ban on child recruitment, the organization puts an emphasis on reintegration. For instance, Child Soldiers International offers literacy and numeracy classes for girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The organization also advocates “to increase the quantity and quality of reintegration programs.”
War Child
War Child, a Canadian based organization, has been around since 1999. “By providing access to education, opportunity and justice, War Child gives children in war-affected communities the chance to reclaim their childhood.” With better education and opportunity, one can better resist the appeal of armed groups.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF has been committed to children for the past 70 years. UNICEF has played a big role in helping children around the world by releasing children associated with armed forces and providing them with assistance to return home. The organization supports a variety of recovery services such as physical and mental health, education and skills training.
Since 1998, UNICEF has helped more than 100,000 former children associated with armed groups reintegrate into their communities. The organization discourages the use of the term ‘child soldier’ as it doesn’t adequately include the variety of roles children are recruited to do for military purposes.
These three organizations helping child soldiers recover are making a difference in the lives of children around the world who find themselves caught in the conflict.
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr
The use of child soldiers in war is a persistent issue, despite ongoing international efforts to stop the practice. The U.N. defines a child soldier as anyone under age 18 who is recruited or used by an armed force or group in any capacity. The International Criminal Court further designates recruiting or using children under age 15 as a war crime. Yet, military groups continue to recruit children because they are cheap and manipulable.
Many children are forced to join military groups at a young age. Child soldiers are also easier to manipulate and force into conflict. Recruiters typically target children from troubled areas or conflict zones, likely accustomed to violence and with fewer educational or work opportunities.
Other children join military groups voluntarily to flee poverty, gain protection, or to connect with something resembling a family. Military organizations are viewed as a safe and secure group of comrades, distant from their difficult lives.
There are several roles that militant groups fill with child soldiers. In many cases, children participate directly in conflict, but they can also be used for other dangerous support roles. Many are porters who carry heavy loads of ammunition or injured soldiers, while others are lookouts or cooks. Girls are often forced to be sex slaves.
Participating in armed conflict has significant consequences for the physical and emotional development of children. Many endure abuse and witness extreme violence or death. Even worse, they are forced to commit horrific acts, resulting in lifelong psychological distress. Child soldiers also have a higher risk of sexual abuse by adults or other children. These children are plagued by depression, anxiety, insomnia and numerous other health issues.
While the issue of child soldiers remains daunting, progress is being made to reduce the practice across the globe. UNICEF created a campaign in 2014 called “Children, Not Soldiers” aimed towards global prevention of the use of child soldiers. The campaign focuses on seven countries: Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Thousands of soldiers have been released and introduced back into civilian life because of the campaign.
National campaigns have also helped countries make significant strides towards reducing the use of child soldiers. Countries have implemented disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs to make a change. Stopping such an ingrained practice and rehabilitating children who have grown up in conflict is a difficult task. However, these programs represent a strong effort to stop the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
– Lindsay Harris
Photo: Flickr
Though no perfect educational system exists, many countries could learn from the following five countries to improve their own education systems, resulting in better math and science skills.
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- The Netherlands: What makes the Netherlands’ school system work is that it offers different classes for students with different learning interests. Instead of just going straight to college after high school, students can choose to go to a pre-university course. The country also requires students to learn a second language, so that students can prepare to communicate with the outside world. The school system is also not so stressful on children. Unlike countries such as the United States, the Netherlands gives homework sparingly, and the school days are even shorter, with children being able to go home for lunch break and having a half-day on Wednesdays.
- Singapore: Although Singapore’s education has been known to be stressful for students, there are effective methods within this education system. Singapore became an independent country in the 1960s, so the country wanted to prove itself by expanding education. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment scores, Singapore has some of the best results in reading, math and science. Students are given equal opportunity and teachers are from the top five percent of graduates.
- Barbados: Barbados has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, estimated at 98 percent. The country has one of the oldest and most effective education systems in the eastern Caribbean. While providing a good number of schools, Barbados’s government also created the Skills Training Programme to prepare students for careers in mechanics, electronics, plumbing and other technical occupations.
- Luxembourg: Luxembourg has special trilingual education programs that can be beneficial to students who wish to communicate abroad. Almost everyone in Luxembourg is trilingual, with fluency in French, German and Letzeburgesch. Teachers are also paid the highest salaries out of any country.
- Finland: Like the Netherlands, Finland does not give much homework to its students, and along with Singapore and South Korea, has top scores in reading, math and science. However, standardized testing is not too demanding. Students are given more time for a break in between studies, with 15 minutes of play for every 45 minutes of class. Education is also free for everyone, including Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate programs.
– Emma Majewski
Photo: Flickr
