Teacher training reform to improve competences

At the end of 2022, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports began to organise"roadshows” at the Pedagogical Faculties, presenting the form and essence of the reform to faculty heads and other academics. The discussion panels paid close attention to Objective 1 of the reform, i.e. the forthcoming competence profile of teacher training graduates and the specific competences they should leave with for practice. Open debates were held on the possible involvement of educators and students of pedagogical faculties in the development process. The aim of these debates was to inform students of pedagogical faculties about the changes and involve them in the discussions.

In 2022, the Amendment to the Act on Pedagogical Staff was debated. The proposal anchors the adaptation period (including its length) and also the position of the induction teachers (experienced teacher/mentor), including areas of support for novice teachers at the beginning of their career. In the context of the implementation of the Teacher training reform in the Czech Republic, the proposal also redefines the position of the induction teacher as a key element in improving the quality of teaching practice. Consistent reflection on practice by guiding teachers and effective cooperation between guiding teachers and the educators of prospective teachers will contribute significantly to the quality of practical training of students of pedagogical faculties and will provide them with sufficient experience for their future work in school environment.

The Competence Framework for Teacher Graduates was created through cooperation between the teacher training faculties and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports on the Reform of Undergraduate Teacher Preparation in the Czech Republic. This framework outlines the professional competences that every graduate of a teacher qualification programme should be equipped with.

The framework represents a common overarching shared vision for the quality of teacher training in the Czech Republic, which has been lacking until now and even at national level there has been no clear description of the competences that graduates of the programme leading to a teacher qualification should have.

This Framework is generally aiming at the preparation of teachers across all subjects, education levels, study programmes and specialisations. It also provides a common basis for developing more specific competence frameworks tailored to different school levels and areas of study, including vocational education and training. Such specific competence frameworks may be developed subsequently (e.g. in the framework of projects under the call Support for the Undergraduate Preparation of Future Teachers in the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Programme).

The framework is not a general competence profile of a teacher, but only for graduates of teacher training faculties, and also of pedagogical studies to obtain the qualification of a teacher for the second level of primary school teaching and for the secondary school teaching qualification (supplementary pedagogical studies for graduates of non-teaching disciplines at universities) and is written into the standard for this study, on the basis of which these lifelong learning programmes are created and accredited.

The Ministry of Education emphasises the Framework is a formative tool intended to motivate teacher training providers to work with it and evaluate its contribution to the quality of training. Therefore, the Framework is compulsory as a general objective of teacher preparation programmes, but there is no obligation to meet each of its sub-competences.

The document serves not only as a guideline for teacher education faculties, but also in schools during teaching practice, as a useful document for accompanying teachers. The framework also provides support for novice teachers during the adaptation period when they work alongside induction teachers.

The Competence Framework defines 18 professional competences, categorised into 6 areas. The final version was approved in October 2023.

Additionally, the Amendment to the Act on Pedagogical Staff, approved in June 2023, defines the adaptation period for novice teachers and formalises the role of induction teachers as mentors, strengthening practical training and collaboration in teacher education.

In accordance with the amendment to the Act on pedagogical staff, a new position of accompanying teacher has been introduced as of January 2024 to guide the practice of student teachers.

The position of the accompanying teacher will be defined more precisely in order to improve the quality of teaching practice of future teachers and to link teacher training programmes with schools in the regional education system. The amendment stipulates that only teachers with at least 5 years of direct teaching experience are eligible to be a teacher guide. A prerequisite to establish this position in schools is that schools must cooperate with educator institutions of future teachers, including secondary and higher vocational schools (for kindergarten teachers) and universities.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports announced a pilot of the Accompanying Teacher Support System. The aim of the pilot is to implement, verify and evaluate the support of accompanying teachers who guide student teachers in the course of their teaching practice. It will run from 2023 to 2025 and is open to kindergartens, primary and secondary schools established by a municipality or a region that have an agreement for the provision of teaching practice with faculties preparing teachers, or with a higher vocational or secondary school preparing kindergarten teachers. As part of the pilot, the accompanying teachers will receive training, methodological support and financial compensation for their activities. From 2026 funding for this position will be established based on a specific normative set out in the Education Act.

As of January 2024, the adaptation period for novice teachers and the position of the induction teacher have been enshrined in accordance with the amendment to the Act on Pedagogical Staff. The adaptation period of a teacher lasts from the commencement of the teacher's first employment until the end of their first 2 years. The adaptation period applies only to teachers who are entering a teaching position for the first time, not to teachers who are entering a new position (transferring to another school).

The head teacher must appoint an induction teacher to support the novice teacher during the adaptation period. In particular, the induction teacher shall guide the trainee teacher methodically, evaluate his/her direct teaching activities and performance on an ongoing and regular basis and familiarise him/her with the school's activities and operation. The induction teacher should have a substantial teaching experience in the first place and should also have appropriate mentoring competences for working with adults. It is less important whether he/she teaches the same or a similar subject as the teacher-in-training.

Schools will receive funding for the induction period based on the normative according to the Education Act. Financial sources are to be used in particular for the evaluation and training of induction teachers, especially in mentoring and adult learning skills, or focusing on other skills specific to the adaptation period. Methodological support is also provided by the Ministry of Education and the National Pedagogical Institute to ensure the adaptation period.

In Autumn 2024 the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports approved new rules for university study programmes leading to teaching qualifications. These new rules, known as the Framework Requirements, regulate the form of education for teachers and other teaching staff at all faculties that train teachers (pedagogical, natural sciences, philosophy, physical education, and others) and are part of the ongoing Teacher Training Reform. For example, the new rules introduce more practical experience into the course of teacher training and a practically oriented clinical year. Teacher training students will now spend at least 240 teaching hours with pupils during their studies, of which at least 80 hours will be taught independently or in pairs (tandems), with the remainder spent as teaching assistants or observing lessons.

During the clinical year, students will attend school two to four days a week throughout the school year in addition to their university classes to observe lessons, assist teachers, teach pupils in pairs or independently, and reflect on their experiences and link them to the knowledge acquired in academia. Faculties can implement the clinical year thanks to the new possibility of accrediting teacher training programmes as continuous five-year master's programmes, which creates new space in the programmes for the clinical year.

In 2025, the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports supported the implementation of the Competence Framework for Teacher Graduates through several workshops across the Czech Republic.

As a space for presenting available data on teachers at various stages of their professional careers, but also for establishing contacts and cooperation, the7th expert panel of the IPs DATA project - the Data-analytical support for the evaluation and governance of the Czech education system -, which took place on 18 June, 2025 at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, was dedicated to the issue of Teaching staff and their training. Representatives of many different organisations involved in this area participated in the discussion. The main topics of the expert panel were: 1. undergraduate teacher training, 2. beginning teachers, and 3. support for continuing education for teachers throughout their careers.

To support induction (mentor) teachers, the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic has prepared a training course entitled ’I want to be a mentor teacher – or how can I support my new colleague’, which takes place from September/October 2025 at all regional branches of the NPI CR. The course, with a total duration of 28 teaching hours, is divided into six sessions. The course is relevant also for secondary school teachers. The programme is designed as an initial insight into the role of a mentor teacher, offering a range of practical recommendations. It is an interactive session focused on discussion, sharing, and creativity, with an emphasis on the specifics of the particular school in which the participant works. It is expected that participants will be able to adapt the general principles to the conditions of their own school and thus create a unique collection of inspiring examples that they can use in their practice.

Handbooks are available on the NPI CR website (https://www.projektsypo.cz/prirucky-zu) for the adaptation period:

1. The adaptation period for new teachers from the perspective of the mentor teacher
2. The adaptation period for new teachers from the perspective of the new teacher
3. The adaptation period for new teachers from the perspective of school management and documents: Objectives of the adaptation period and Profile of graduates of the training programme for mentor teachers

According to data from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, more than 16 000 teachers currently lack professional qualifications, representing 10.4% of all teaching positions. The highest proportion of unqualified teachers is in primary schools (12.9%), followed by lower secondary schools (11.6%) and upper secondary schools (9.4%). Models show that without intervention, the proportion of unqualified teachers in lower secondary schools and secondary schools could increase to 18.6% by 2035.

The Government of the Czech Republic approved in September 2025 strengthening capacities in teacher training and psychology programmes. The programme aims to increase the number of students and graduates in teacher training, special education, and psychology between 2026 and 2037. The measure responds to the growing shortage of qualified teachers in regional education, especially at the secondary level of primary schools and secondary schools (and also to the low availability of school psychologists).

Support will be focused on selected public universities and will primarily affect so-called shortage subjects, such as mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry, English, and special education.

The approved programme therefore anticipates that by 2037, the number of students studying to become teachers for the second stage of elementary schools and secondary schools will increase by 10% across the board. In the case of so-called shortage subjects, which include mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and foreign languages, capacity will increase by up to 20%. In regions where the proportion of unqualified teachers is highest – for example, in Karlovy Vary, Central Bohemia, and Ústí nad Labem – this target will be increased by a further 10 percentage points in order to reduce significant regional differences.

The reform continues and should be guided by a follow-up concept between 2025 and 2028. The new concept for the second phase of the Reform of Teacher Training in the Czech Republic (2025–2028 was prepared in January 2025, underwent extensive consultation, and took shape as a promising continuation of the successfully launched reform. However, the education ministry has not yet approved the new concept and has not yet signed a memorandum with the faculties. Yet these are goals that build on the successful steps taken in the previous period, such as continuous work to improve the quality of teacher training or addressing the lack of data on the growing shortage of teachers.