Chaotic, yet hopeful — that is how the authors of the book A Time When Anything Was Possible describe the beginnings of the transformation of Czech primary schools after 1989. Jiří Zounek and Oto Polouček from Masaryk University in Brno base their work on extensive research focused on the everyday life of Czech primary schools in the period shortly after the Velvet Revolution, a time when freedom and uncertainty entered the school system and institutions had to adapt to many changes.
“Many of these changes were spontaneous, chaotic… schools were mainly concerned about what affected their everyday functioning — changes in leadership, attitudes towards the former regime. But it all depended on the people involved; things could look completely different from one school to another,” said ethnologist Oto Polouček during the author reading in Pilsen. He reminded the audience that although many associate the revolutionary period with euphoria, the general strike, or the symbolic jingling of keys, the actual changes within schools were far less clear-cut.
The book A Time When Anything Was Possible is based on a total of eight interviews with eyewitnesses. “They are essentially our data material, the dataset we work with in our research,” explained pedagogue and co-author Jiří Zounek. During the reading, the authors introduced all eight interviews, giving the audience a glimpse into the reality of that time. This included, for example, improvised foreign-language teaching, the formation of school authorities, the transition of schools to legal entity status, the emergence of a free market in teaching materials and changes in relationships — including those with parents.
“After the Velvet Revolution, a period of freedom, joy and madness began. Finally, I could say what I wanted, do what I wanted, settle matters with whomever I wanted. On a human level, it was very tough. People were settling scores from the past. Sometimes justifiably, sometimes not. Anyone who was a school principal at the time really didn’t have it easy, because they had no idea what would happen to them,” Zounek quoted one of the eyewitnesses. According to Lucie Rohlíková from the Faculty of Education at UWB, another eyewitness’s reflection captures the era maybe even better: “I am grateful for everything, even for the pre-revolution period… In the bad moments, I got to know people the best.”
In addition to powerful authentic stories, the publication also offers an overview of the key changes experienced by Czech primary education after 1989. It shows how schools coped with the legacy of socialism, how a new school culture emerged and what role improvisation, courage and uncertainty played in that process.
The author reading in Pilsen was part of the Reflections of Freedom festival. It was jointly organized by the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia, the UWB Department of Lifelong and Distance Learning and the City of Pilsen. A recording of the event will be available on the FPE YouTube channel in the coming weeks.
Faculty of Education |
Michal Švec |
20. 11. 2025 |
