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Get advice due to my child´s lack or insufficient knowledge of the Czech language

The language used in the Czech Republic's education system is Czech. Children and pupils for whom the Czech language is not their mother tongue, may not only have learning difficulties but also other adaptation difficulties with the lack of understanding of the Czech language and the cultural environment. Our aim is to create conditions for these children and pupils, so that they can be educated as soon as possible in accordance with the standard educational content and can be integrated as well as possible into their class. One of the prerequisites is the acquiring of the Czech language at the sufficient level. The counselling centre can help the children to set up language support in kindergartens; to make informed decisions about their readiness to school, to set up language support and an individual educational plan during primary and secondary education, to obtain support for secondary schools entrance exams (e.g. increasing of the time, having a bilingual dictionary) and final and school-leaving examinations at vocational training schools and secondary schools. More detailed information can be found here.

The key information on support for foreign pupils and pupils with a different mother tongue

Support for pupils with the lack or insufficient knowledge of the Czech language is provided on the basis of §20 of the Education Act and on the basis of §16 of the Education Act.

The following pupils are entitled to the support from §20 of the Education Act:

• children that have non-Czech citizenship in the last year before the start of compulsory schooling - in the form of language support – the conditions for granting support are regulated by Decree No. 14/2005 Coll.
• pupils with non-Czech citizenship, if they entered the Czech school no later than 2 years prior to the assessment of entitlement to support, in the form of language support - the conditions for granting support are regulated by Decree No. 48/2005 Coll.
• pupils who have received their previous education at a school outside the Czech Republic - in the form of a waiver of the Czech language which is a part of secondary school entrance exams - the conditions are described in more detail in the Information on the admission procedure.
• pupils who have been educated at a school outside the Czech Republic for at least 4 years in the previous 8 years of schooling before taking the school-leaving examination – Maturita. The support is in the form of a modification of the conditions of the school-leaving examination in the Czech language and literature - the conditions are further regulated by Decree No. 177/2009 Coll.

In terms of the impact of the lack or insufficient knowledge of the language on the educational process, children, pupils and students are treated in §16 of the Education Act. This concerns the education of children, pupils and students with special educational needs, and since September 1, 2016 also children, pupils and students with the lack or insufficient knowledge of the language. More detailed information on support options for children, pupils and students with the lack or insufficient knowledge of the language of instruction is provided by Decree 27/2016 Coll.

After assessing the individual educational needs of a particular child, pupil or student, the pedagogical-psychological counselling centre evaluates what form of support a particular client needs, and based on the recommendations that are also discussed with the school, the school provides this support.

Children, pupils and students who do not have sufficient knowledge of the language can be recommended (on the basis of an assessment in the counselling centre) to strengthen their learning of Czech as a second language by including the necessary aids (most often Czech language textbooks for foreigners). They can be granted an individual educational plan or at least an individualized approach that takes into account their learning potential due to their lack of knowledge of the language of instruction. If other difficulties are added to the lack of knowledge of the language of instruction, the support can be even more extensive, depending on the individual educational needs of a particular client. For pupils with insufficient knowledge of the Czech language, the conditions for taking the secondary school entrance exams and the conditions for completing secondary education can also be adjusted.

Specifics of counselling services for children, pupils and students from different cultural backgrounds

The counselling service provided for children, pupils and students from different cultural backgrounds is basically the same as for "Czech" clients and its aim is also to provide assistance in various areas of education and upbringing of children and pupils. However, compared to the standard counselling services, counselling for clients from different cultural backgrounds may have certain specifics. One of them is to ensure mutual understanding between you, your parents, your children and the professionals of the counselling centre due to a possible language barrier. If necessary, an interpreter can be present during the assessment. You can bring one yourself, or the counselling centre can provide one (this would have to be arranged with our centre in beforehand). The interpreter and the parents (legal representative) sign an Affidavit of Interpreter Services before the counselling service begins.
In order to obtain more detailed information about the possibilities of support at the school, we recommend you to examine the links related to counselling services for kindergartens, primary, secondary and higher vocational schools.

Further possibilities of support in the field of learning Czech language teaching, organizations providing tutoring and extracurricular leisure activities (e.g. hobbies)

We strongly recommend not to leave your child's Czech language learning and adaptation to the school alone. It is just one of the ways of support and one of the environments in which your child will get used to the new conditions. can be beneficial and speed up the process. You yourself can also make a significant contribution to making your child feel at home in the Czech environment. It would be ideal if your child integrates into the Czech environment in the most natural way possible. For example, various organizations providing leisure activities can contribute to this, such as the Leisure Center or the Lipka Environmental Education School. If your child is interested in certain activities before coming to the Czech Republic, e.g. attending a hobby group, sports, it can help him or her to pursue this interest.

You can help your child get ready for school by cooperating with non-profit organizations that provide tutoring and other activities:
www.soze.cz/?page_id=2317
http://celsuz.cz/sluzby-pro-cizince/
https://nesehnuti.cz/rozmanitost/.

One of the most important aspects of adaptation to the Czech environment is the ability to communicate in the Czech language, but there is no need to worry as there is quite a wide range of options how to facilitate this process. There are language schools providing Czech lessons or many sources for self-study:
Language Center CORRECT - a language school providing courses up to level B1
Language School PELICAN - a language school providing courses up to level B2, preparation for high schools and universities and an individual course, preparatory course for SJZ basic and general
ILC International House Brno - for adult clients
The Center for Foreigners of the South Moravian Region runs courses for adults and preschool children and also offers opportunities for self-study of the Czech language.
E-learning Teaching Czech as a second language on the portal of an inclusive school.

Pupils, students and other people who hold international protection in the form of asylum or subsidiary protection are entitled to 400 hours of Czech language lessons, within the framework of the State Integration Program