Prague, July 3 (CTK) – Czech travel and language agencies have a problem proceeding all applications of elementary and secondary schools for mediating language stays abroad having have to quickly draw the EU money the Education Ministry has set aside for them, daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) writes Friday.
The unusual situation has been caused by the ministry’s call for EU subsidies totalling 800 million crowns that it must draw by the end of December, HN writes.
It adds that every school outside Prague could apply for up to one million crowns for students and teachers’ stays abroad, HN writes.
It writes that there have been over 1200 successful applicants. But at the last moment, they cannot find any agency that would secure transport, a guide, accommodation and lessons in language schools abroad for them.
“We are receiving dozens of schools’ offers to take part in a tender every day. However, the capacity of partner schools abroad is limited and we have almost exhausted our possibilities,” HN quotes a representative from the Albion Moravia travel agency as saying.
Schools send their students and teachers mainly to Britain, Malta and Germany, but also to other countries, HN writes.
It writes that particularly courses for teachers are a problem because head teachers prefer summer courses so that they do not have to seek substitutes for their staff members staying abroad during the schools year, HN writes.
It writes that the situation is rather unique. The Education Ministry has set aside for the project millions of crowns that it did not manage to draw for other projects within the Education for Competitiveness Operational Programme that ends this year.
