Most Czech student satisfied with universities' quality - survey

According to the survey conducted on 11,000 Czech university students, 64 percent of them consider Czech universities comparable to the European ones, and 45 percent consider them comparable to U.S. universities.

The poll also shows that the lack of money often prevents students from studies abroad. Consequently, children from well-off families go to study stays abroad three times more frequently than those from low-income families.

Almost 90 percent of respondents said their schools enjoy a good reputation.

The polled also expressed satisfaction with their university teachers. Some 93 percent of students praised good communication with their tutors, but 84 percent admitted they had met with arrogant tutors.

According to the survey, 12 percent of students from rich families study abroad, but only over 3 percent from low-income families.

Parents help 69 percent of students cover the costs of their studies abroad.

Moreover, Czech students hesitate to seek study stays abroad in fears of having the length of their studies prolonged, and 40 percent fear of their insufficient language knowledge.

Six percent of Czech university students go to study stays abroad. Most of them within the Erasmus programme. Since the mid-1990s, over 39,000 young Czechs have studied abroad within this programme.

The Czech Republic ranks among the countries that are sending the highest share of students abroad.

The Czech university education sector was recently shaken by an immense scandal at the the Faculty of Law of West Bohemian University (ZCU) in Plzen whose leading representatives were accused of having allowed studies and granted doctor's decrees under suspicious circumstances.

The Education Ministry filed a criminal complaint over the scandal and checked all other law faculties in the country.

Autor: ČTK
www.ctk.cz