Schools lack thousands of qualified teachers; the University of West Bohemia wants to change that

Completing a qualification, expanding one’s teaching specialisation, or starting a new professional path in education, all of this is possible at the Faculty of Education UWB. The faculty offers lifelong learning programmes designed to help increase the number of qualified teachers in Czechia.

In the 2024/2025 school year, more than ten percent of teachers lacked formal professional teaching qualifications, corresponding to over 16,000 full-time equivalent positions. This follows from data published by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Schools are particularly short of qualified teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry, foreign languages and various vocational subjects. According to the ministry, the highest number of unqualified teachers in Czechia is in the Karlovy Vary Region. This is also where the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen operates, offering a solution through qualification and extension programmes within lifelong learning.

“Schools today are welcoming not only recent graduates of teacher training programmes, but also people who already have experience in another field. They often bring valuable expertise and a desire to share it. We want to offer them a path to gain the necessary qualification and enter the education sector well prepared,” explained Pavel Mentlík, Dean of the Faculty of Education.

Applicants can choose, for example, from the Pedagogy Study Programme leading to the qualification of a lower-secondary and upper-secondary school teacher, or the Pedagogy Study Programme for teachers of vocational subjects at secondary schools. The faculty also offers programmes to extend professional qualifications in specific subjects, including English, Czech, German, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, physical education and informatics.

The faculty has also recently accredited a programme that extends professional qualifications for teaching mathematics in lower-secondary schools. “We continuously adapt our range of programmes to the current needs of schools. That is why this year we are also strengthening mathematics. The new programme will help teachers who want to expand their qualifications. For professionals considering sharing their experience in schools, we are also opening, for the fifth year, the Pedagogy Study Programme leading to a teaching qualification, commonly referred to in Czech as DPS,” added Lenka Benediktová, Vice-Dean for Lifelong Learning and Teaching Practice.

The offer also continues to include programmes focused on special education, school counselling and the education of after-school educators. According to Benediktová, most qualification programmes are designed so that applicants can complete them while working. A complete overview of the programmes currently available, including the option to apply online, can be found on the lifelong learning website of the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia.