'Open Door Days' invite parents to get to know schooling options in Prague

For parents, open days (Den otevřených dveří) can be an important first step in educating a child in the Czech Republic. Open-doors take place at private, and state schools as well as universities and higher education institutions throughout Prague and the Czech Republic. A number of them are scheduled during the first part of the year but many continue through into March or even year-round.

Open days invite potential students to take tours of a potential school, sometimes given by students themselves, or the opportunity to sit in on a lesson. All of them give parents the chance to meet and talk to teaching staff as they explore options for educating their children in the Czech Republic.

Open days for Czech state schools are typically listed on individual schools' websites, or you can search via a particular district's site, Prague 6 or 7, for instance.

Schola Pragensis is a good resource for those looking for a gymnasium or technical high school for older kids and maintains a list of ongoing open days. It also hosts a large annual fair geared toward helping families choose a high school.

Many private schools are switching to a more flexible year-round schedule for open-door days.

“We run virtual open days bi-monthly, each highlighting a different offer of the school,” says Anthony Peachment, spokesperson for Prague British International School (PBIS).

Over the past couple of years, more and more school open days have gone online due to the Covid pandemic. While many schools continue to host open days virtually, others will return to in-person events this year or a mix of both. So what to expect from an online open day?

“Through a Zoom call we can show parents a presentation about our school narrated live by our Principal and other, relevant, academic heads,” says Peachment.

He adds that the school's online open days, which include an extensive question-and-answer session, have proven successful among parents and allow for the school to send out the recorded session to those who couldn't attend.

Universities in Prague and the Czech Republic also host open days and many of them have successfully transitioned to a hybrid virtual and in-person open day model.

Prague City University, for instance, is hosting an upcoming webinar for prospective students who are interested in studying in Prague that’s tailored to anyone who has questions about the processes involved.

On March 1, PCU is planning an in-person “Open Studio” for prospective art students who can view current students’ work. Larger universities such as Charles University host their open days according to faculty.