The question at the meeting of the deputies was opened by the representative of the opposition ANO Patrik Nacher, who drew attention to the demographic development and the new situation caused by the interest in the study of children fleeing war-torn Ukraine. According to him, the city should also solve the situation at the level of the Chamber of Deputies and use the opportunity to propose legislative amendments.

The approved resolution instructed councilors to have an analysis reflecting developments in secondary education. At the same time, representatives of the city management commissioned it to consider the possibilities in cooperation with the Central Bohemian Region to submit to the Chamber a proposal for the introduction of a slope according to the place of permanent residence not only in primary schools, but also in secondary schools, which would be decided by the regions and the capital themselves if necessary.

According to the resolution, the municipality should also inspect it in cooperation with the region the possibility of amending the law in the sense that the regions receive money for children in secondary schools from the budget allocation of taxes. The city will also examine the possibility of cooperating with private schools, for example through scholarships funded by the city and the rental or purchase of buildings for school purposes.

Demand exceeds supply

In more than an hour’s discussion, Šimral said that the problem is in particular huge excess of demand over supply at grammar schools. According to him, about half of the grammar schools in the southwest of the city are children from outside Prague, and in the east and southeast it is about 40 percent. In some professional fields, on the other hand, supply is greater than demand.

The councilor also said that the municipality in cooperation with the city’s Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) began work on analysis of the situation, but waiting for the necessary data the document will not be able to be completed until next year. According to the councilor, the city is trying to increase capacity, for example, opening grammar school classes at vocational secondary schools, and the Central Bohemian Region is opening a new grammar school near Prague for Central Bohemian children.