About the project
The Project Curriculum S, which supports the implementing of school educational programmes (SEP) into vocational education institutions across the Czech republic, was prepared by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in cooperation with the National Institute of Technical and Vocational Education. It will allow secondary technical and vocational schools to gain help and advice not only in the centre - in the National Institute of Technical and Vocational Education – but also directly in the regions in consulting centres, which are going to be established for this purpose.
The curricular reform of vocational education was proceeded by a pilot test before the planned implementation. The setting up of Framework educational programmes (c.260) will be finished by next year, especially those framework educational programmes for students, who have graduated from follow-up courses at secondary vocational schools. In quite a few schools there are already SEPs functioning. One half of secondary technical and vocational schools should start their education (in accordance with the Education Act) based on their own educational programmes by the 1st of September 2009. Present practice is showing that the introductory training for the coordinators and teachers participating in the processing of SEP isn`t sufficient; thus they need to have the chance to discuss problems that occur during their work on SEP. As well some of them are even interested in qualified supervision of the prepared programmes.
The consulting centres will assure the schools, if they wish, specialised help in the setting up of SEP, and consequently also by its realisation and innovations. The centres will arrange the exchange of experiences among the school teams and organize task-centred workshops. The project counts on the fact that those centres will work with the already chosen subjects, which act in the further educational field, especially in vocational education, so that the continuity of guidance, consulting and methodological help to the schools would also be guaranteed after the end of the project.
This project also supports various forms of cooperation between schools and social partners, and also among schools by monitoring the various cooperation forms, and by collecting and presenting examples of good practice. The gained information, contributions and examples will be put on the internet. The most interesting examples of those will be published in a separate journal.
The project will, as well, complete the experimental testing of the pilot SEPs, which were created within the system project Pilot S, that was finished in 2008. The knowledge gained from the experimental teaching during the pilot SEP, and from the pilot schools experiences will serve not just for the innovation of SEP in those schools, but also other secondary technical and vocational schools will have the chance to use the gained knowledge. Such inspiration will encourage schools to prepare better their own educational programmes.
For whom is the project intended?
It is mostly for the workers and coordinators of SEP in all of the secondary technical and vocational schools, who need advice and help in elaboration, implementing or innovating their school educational programmes.