Declining interest in science teaching. Scholarships may boost numbers, says FPE UWB dean

Czech schools have long been seeking teachers of chemistry, physics, mathematics and some languages, with the biggest shortage at primary level. To increase their numbers, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at UWB, Pavel Mentlík, says the state should introduce clear incentives.

According to 2025 data from the Ministry of Education, more than 11,000 qualified teachers are currently missing in the Czech Republic. Some positions have remained vacant for years; elsewhere, classes are taught by teachers without the required qualifications. The most significant shortages are at the primary level, followed by physics, mathematics, and chemistry teachers, as well as teachers of vocational and technical subjects at secondary schools. Although all universities tried to admit more students over the past year, interest in training to teach science subjects in Pilsen has declined again.

“Just last year, our Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia recorded an approximately nine percent drop in applications for science teaching specializations. Even though we reach out to prospective applicants directly in schools and through projects such as UniTEEN, where we invite them to visit our faculty, I am concerned that promoting the teaching profession alone will no longer significantly increase interest,” said Pavel Mentlík, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and Chair of the Association of Deans of Faculties of Education in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

According to the Dean, the shortage of teachers in these subject areas is a matter of broad public concern. “A targeted system of scholarships and other incentives could help. First and foremost, it is in the state’s interest, as it allocates additional funding to support shortage subject areas. However, if we want to have more teachers in these fields, school founders in the regions, cities, and regional authorities should also give this serious thought,” Mentlík added.

The Faculty of Education is also seeking concrete ways to make it easier for applicants to study teaching in shortage fields. One of this year’s new measures is the possibility of direct admission to selected bachelor’s programmes that have long faced shortages. Applicants who choose to specialize in physics, chemistry, informatics, mathematics, German, Russian, or technical education will not be required to sit entrance examinations at the faculty.

The Faculty of Education also educates teachers in the Karlovy Vary Region, where the lack of qualified teachers is among the most acute. The regional government there is already working to establish a scholarship system for teachers and to provide additional support, such as housing for early-career teachers. This year, the faculty is also preparing targeted recruitment events directly at local secondary schools.