Resolution

The Plenum of the Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) adopted at its 114th Meeting, CRC Annual Assembly, following resolution:

1. CRC considers the medium-term higher education funding for the years 2013-2014 as directly threatening not only the availability and quality of higher education, but in long term also the very existence of public universities. Moreover, the prospect threatens the fulfilment of indicators and objectives of EU Operational Programs projects, what implies a serious risk of sanctions.
2. CRC is permanently disconcerted with the discriminatory attitude of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports concerning the higher education institutions budget, especially in comparison with the secondary education.
3. CRC states that the concurrence of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports efforts to push through the factual intention of a higher education act in its present form with significant cuts of public higher education institutions budgets can easily cause the collapse of the entire Czech higher education system and for many years devastate the competitiveness of the Czech Republic in the European and global area.
4. CRC insists on its earlier standpoint in which the factual intention of a higher education act and the factual intention of a financial aid for students act in their current form are recommended not to be accepted. CRC asks the Czech Republic Government to recommit both factual intentions to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for the revision.
5. CRC welcomes and accepts the Prime Minister offer of factual negotiations on the higher education institutions reform and on legislative norms that would be beneficial for the reform.
6. CRC welcomes Minister of Education, Youth and Sports assurances, that a potential implementation of a tuition fee and legislative regulations for the assurance of financial aid for students will have no negative financial impact on the level of the supply for public higher education institutions from the state budget.
7. CRC remains disconcerted with the activities of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports related with the EU Operational Programs. Despite some proceeding delays of projects implementation and the risk of non-use of supplies from the Operational Programs appear.

Prague, 17 February 2012