Statement

The Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) and the Council of Higher Education Institutions (CHEI) point long-term to the unsatisfactory state of financing of public higher education in the Czech Republic, where the volume of institutional public funds spent from national sources to ensure teaching in higher education, expressed in relation to GDP, fell from 0.62% in 2009 to 0.45 % in 2023 and the share of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the finance chapter of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the same period gradually decreased from 19.4% to 12.1%. The representations of HEIs therefore appeal for the necessity of returning the amount of public expenditure for higher education back to the level of at least 0.62% of GDP, as the current share in the Czech Republic is lower than in other OECD countries. The long-term underfunding of HEIs currently reaches 10 to 11 billion CZK.

CRC and CHEI are ready to cooperate with the Government of the Czech Republic on the preparation of a medium-term outlook contributing to systemic and predictable financing of HEIs and supporting their strategic management to ensure the growth of quality in educational, scientific, or artistic activities.

CRC and CHEI point to the fact that only by implementing the above-mentioned steps, HEIs can help to fulfill the Program Statement of the Government of the Czech Republic, withstand successfully the growing international competition, and reflect the demographic development in the Czech Republic associated with a significant increase in the number of secondary school graduates in the coming years, as well as face the current societal and global challenges.

Prague, 12 September 2023