Senate nods to single-level school-leaving exams

Prague, Oct 24 (CTK) - Czech state-organised uniform secondary school-leaving exams will have only a single basic level in the next two years, and the number of compulsory exam subjects will be two, the Czech language and either a foreign language or mathematics, under a bill the Senate passed Wednesday.

The draft amendment to the school law will now go to President Vaclav Klaus for signing. Klaus's possible veto would complicate the organisation of the exams, due in late May 2013. The bill should be signed into law by November 15 when students apply for admission to the school-leaving exam.

Education Minister Petr Fiala said the solution is provisional and planned for two years only.

"We believe that we will have a chance to prepare a really functioning, reasonable and definitive model of school-leaving exams," Fiala said.

Opposition Social Democrat (CSSD) shadow education minister Marcel Chladek described the amendment as a necessary compromise. He said the present system of uniform exams, introduced in 2011, is an overpriced "Moloch" that has not met its purpose.

The 13-year-lasting preparation of the present system cost more than 1.4 billion crowns.

The ministry has proposed the amendment in reaction to criticism accompanying this year's school-leaving exams that were too difficult, according to experts as well as students.

The way of assessing Czech language essays came under criticism, among others. The amendment reckons with the essays being assessed by teachers chosen by the respective schools' headmasters. Under the unpopular present system, the essays have been assessed by anonymous assessors chosen by the Centre for mapping results in education (CERMAT).

Rules for students appealing the exam result are also changing. For example, the time for which they can lodge an appeal with the regional authority or the Education Ministry is being prolonged to 20 days from the present eight.

Fiala said the amendment cuts the price of the uniform school-leaving exams and their organisation by one-fifth, i.e. some 50 million crowns a year.