Homepage for UWB Portal News

Teaching is a profession that shapes the future. This was the theme that opened Minister of Education Robert Plaga’s visit to the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FPE). On Thursday, 28 May, he discussed the issue with students, faculty staff, and representatives of faculty schools, together with Pilsen Deputy Mayor for Education Lucie Kantorová and FPE UWB Dean Pavel Mentlík. The debate focused mainly on the prestige of teaching and the changing role of teachers in a world transformed by technology and an abundance of information.

“We live in a world of information overload. AI is a good servant but a bad master. Today, a teacher is a guide who must be open to new approaches and able to respond to them. When teachers teach children how to work with information and are themselves prepared to engage in lifelong learning, they strengthen both their authority and prestige,” said Robert Plaga. According to him, the teacher of the future will not merely pass on subject matter but will also help children navigate information and teach them to work with it responsibly.

In response to an audience question about the planned amendment to the Higher Education Act, Plaga emphasized universities' autonomy and the need for open debate. According to him, the amendment should strengthen universities' flexibility and freedom, and leave them room to decide on their own internal structures. The discussion also addressed specific challenges currently facing schools, including the shortage of school psychologists. The minister acknowledged that specialists could also provide part of this support with a bachelor’s degree, provided that their role was clearly defined: “I can imagine that a psychology graduate with a bachelor’s degree could play an important role in schools, for example, in initial support and basic screening. If more specialized care were needed, they could then recommend further professional assessment.”

The panel also opened the question of the city’s role as the founder of schools. According to Lucie Kantorová, the city can support education not only by maintaining buildings and equipment, but also by addressing topics that matter to children today. “The city does not manage teaching directly, but it can support it sensitively through cross-cutting themes. In Plzeň, for example, we focus on media education, financial literacy, the protection of soft targets, and etiquette. We want children to be able to filter information and recognize that not everything on the internet is true,” said Kantorová.

According to the FPE leadership, the discussion with the minister and the city representative was intended to highlight the importance of preparing future teachers. “With the title Teacher 3.0, we wanted to emphasize the link between the preparation of future teachers and Strategy 2030+. The three and the zero, therefore, refer to how teachers will be prepared at the end of this decade. It was the 2030+ Strategy, developed during Minister Plaga’s first term in office, that gave rise to the reform of initial teacher education,” explained Dean Pavel Mentlík, adding that this reform has had a significant impact on the operation of faculties that prepare teachers.

While in Pilsen, the minister also toured the FPE building complex on Klatovská třída and Chodské náměstí, including the areas currently under renovation. He concluded his program with a visit to a lifelong learning course focused on compensating for sedentary work. The course helps teachers incorporate more movement into their lessons and is also available through the EDIS platform established by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

A recording of the panel discussion is available on the faculty’s YouTube channel.