Education in economic subjects in Czech basic and secondary schools

1. Education in economic subjects in Czech basic and secondary schools

2. Framework Programme of Education Economic subjects in basic and secondary schools is an important element… • New act (low) (2004), a new curricural policy for the education of children and pupils aged 3 to 19 • New document:Framework Programmes of Education(national level) for kindergarten, basic schools and grammar schools • By school level: School programmes of Education • Aim: key competences in each area, subjects interconnections… etc. • The start: 2007 for basic schools, 2009 for grammarschools

3. General competences • to learning, • to problem-solving, • communicational competence, • social and personal competence, • civic competence, • competence of work.

4. Educational areas • Language and language communication • Mathematics and its applications • Information and communication technologies • Man and the world • Man and society • Man and nature • Arts and culture • Man and health • Man and the world of work • Additional subjects of education

5. Man and the world of work The support to economic thinking is included in this area Aims: • to get skills and habits facilitating pupils find their place in the society The content for lower basic education:4 themes (obligatory) • work with small material • constructional activities • plant-growing • food preparation

6. Man and the world of work. For upper basic education 8 themes: The world of work theme(containing issues of economics) is obligatory. Schools have to choose at least 2 more themes from the options (correspondingly to their pedagogic objectives, conditions, staff and pupils interest etc.) • work with technical materials • design and constructing • growing and breeding • household operation and maintenance • food preparation • work with laboratory technologies • utilizaton of digital technologies • the world of work (obligatory, vocational guidance)

7. Secondary schools Secondary grammar schools • Economic education in grammar schools is also included in the educational area Man and the world of work, aiming at the pupil’s full integration in his/her professional and economic/civic life • The key competences are similar. The Competence of work is replaced by Undertaking. Other secondary schools • The national curricular reform in other types of secondary education is conceived differently, in regard to the specific type of study. Teaching in economic subjects is done according to the specialization of the school.

8. Household and consumptionBasic schools Expected outcome and the curriculum within the area Household operation and maintenance Pupils: • make simple payment/accounting operations • know simple work procedures in household maintenance and understand directions for use of household appliances • handle correctly household aids, tools, instruments, and equipment • follow the basic instructions and standards of hygiene and safety, able to give first aid in emergency/injury, including that of electric shock

9. Household and consumptionBasic schools The curriculum: • finance, operation, and maintenance of the household: budget, income, costs, savings, cash payments and cashless transfers, economy of the household, maintenance of clothing and textiles, cleaning (procedures, means and their effect on the environment), waste and the environment-friendly disposal, household appliances • electrotechnics in the household: installation, equipment, electronics, communication technologies (function, handling, protection), safety and economy, accident hazard

10. Household and consumptionSecondary grammar schools Aim: Expected outcome. Pupils: • can calculate the living wage of his/her household and ask for social benefits if applicable • can tell between regular and irregular income and make the household budget • is able to resolve a deficit budget and handle a surplus budget of the household • explains how to apply the consumer’s rights (when purchasing goods and services, including financial products)

11. Household and consumptionSecondary grammar schools The curriculum: • marketing: marketing and PR, advertisement, advertising agencies • social policy: system of social benefits, living wage • household economy: household budget, types of budgets, cash flow in the household, consumption costs, consumer’s rights, consumer protection directives

12. Household and consumptionMain problems in teaching • teachers themselves neglect the “consumer” topics • under the continuously changing conditions, new textbooks have to be produced frequently • little connection to other environmental subjects (such as geography, biology, and so forth)

13. Enterprise and productionBasic schools No specific Enterprise and production module in our curriculum, it is a part of the area World of work Expected outcome of the theme the world of work. Pupils: • are well informed about the contents of selected professions • can judge the opportunities in the choice of their careers and professional formation • can use specialist information and consulting for the choice of prospective education • can prove, in model situations, the ability to present themselves when entering the labour market

14. Enterprise and productionBasic schools The curriculum: • labour market: occupations, characters and types of work, requirements for qualification, personal characteristics and health, equity of opportunities in the labour market….. • vocational selection: basic principles, self-recognition, self-evaluation …, impacts on career choice, information, consulting services… • options of education: contents of study subjects, entrance proceedings, information and consulting… • jobs: vacancies in the community/region, job search, writing CVs, interviews, unemployment, employment offices… • businesses: kinds and structure of organizations, major forms of undertaking, small businesses and private undertaking

15. Enterprise and productionSecondary grammar schools 3 themes: • market economy • national economy and the role of the government • finance Expected outcomes - Students: • can recognize common pricing tricks (such as price excluding VAT etc.) • can analyse the hidden contents of advertisement and critically judge the impact of marketing on the commercial success of products Some topics: • production and labour/production factors; natural resources; capital and property; customs and international trade; economic systems; goods; supply and demand, business companies, non-profit organizations…. • financial products

16. Main problems • unwillingness of most companies and managers to cooperate with schools • textbooks do not serve the purpose, either because of too much proficiency (Ekonomie, CEED) or obsoleteness and simplicity • theories dominates over games and practical tasks • lacking connection to other subjects (maths, physics, history) • A general problem: We are still constrained by the Ministry’s list of textbooks to be used, while, on the other hand, there is pressure on schools in order for them to create their own teaching materials.