Statement

Next week, like every year, a ceremonial assembly on the occasion of national holiday, the anniversary of the foundation of the independent Czechoslovak Republic, is being held at Prague Castle on 28 October.

It has been a long-standing tradition that Czech public and state higher education institutions, top centres of education, knowledge and creative activity that play a key role in the scientific, cultural, social and economic development of the entire society were invited to this formal assembly, represented by their rectors.

This tradition was disrupted last year and all indications are that this very unfortunate precedent is happening again this year. Representatives of two major higher education institutions – Masaryk University and the University of South Bohemia – were not invited again.

Czech Rectors Conference fundamentally disagrees with this approach and considers it in the context of the national holiday of the republic as undignified. We do not regard the anniversary celebration of October 28 to be a private event but a formal, highly representative assembly and therefore, the circle of invited guests should not be influenced by any disagreements of the past.

Czech Rectors Conference perceives personal participation of representatives of Czech higher education institutions at the ceremonial assembly as tribute to the Czech Republic and its honoured personalities.

Prague, 21 October 2014