Czech education minister proposes mandatory English from first grade

Education Minister Mikuláš Bek wrote on social media Monday that he will push for English to be mandatory at least from the first grade and a second foreign language, such as German, French, or Spanish, from the sixth grade as part of a revision of the education program for Czech primary schools.

Bek also said that when revising the secondary school curriculum, he wants to ensure that all schools offer an adequate number of second foreign languages.

Currently, a first foreign language is compulsory from the third grade and a second foreign language from the eighth grade at the latest. Elementary schools in Czechia have nine grades in total.

Moreover, Bek said he would also like to raise the required level of foreign language proficiency. Specifically, he said the level of English for ninth graders should be raised from A2 to B1, and the required foreign language proficiency for secondary school students should rise to B2 for the school-leaving exam.

According to earlier information from Bek, the changes to the framework education programs his office is working on should be ready by the end of this year. He said the results of Czech pupils in international comparisons, which he considers alarming, should serve as an argument for their implementation.

The issue of retaining the obligation of an additional foreign language at primary schools is also being addressed in the context of the curriculum review. Recently, the minister said it had not been decided whether the additional foreign language would remain compulsory.

In response, some foreign language teachers, representatives of the French-Czech Chamber of Commerce, the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and some education faculties sent the education minister an open letter in the spring expressing their disagreement with the decision-making process on whether another foreign language should remain a compulsory subject. They want to keep teaching a second foreign language at primary schools obligatory.

The Framework Education Programs (RVP) do not specify what is to be taught in each year, but describe what pupils should be introduced to at different stages of education and what they should know at the end. Schools create their own curricula according to the framework programs.

The government has promised changes to the education system in its policy statement. The need to revise the current RVPs has been discussed since about 2016.