Selected indicators - Methodical notes

Adult Education Survey

Formal education is understood as preparation for a profession within the national educational system of primary schools, secondary schools and universities. It is a hierarchical system where recognition of successful completion of one level gives access to another higher level of complexity. Successful completion of given level of formal education leads to the award of qualification officially recognised by the relevant national education authorities.

Non-formal education covers all institutionalised learning activities organised outside formal education. It runs organised and structured alongside the formal education and usually do not leads to the award of qualification officially recognised by the relevant national education authorities. The aim of non-formal learning activities is to supplement, extend or deepen the knowledge, skills and competencies of an individual. Non-formal education includes courses, retraining courses, private lessons, conferences, seminars, meetings, workshops and guided on the job training.

Learning activity within non-formal education – includes every learning activity that fulfils terms for inclusion into non-formal education and in which a respondent participated for at least one hour during the 12 months before the day of interview.

Informal learning is not institutionalised learning and it is supplementary form of formal and non-formal education. It is defined as intentional learning with aim to supplement, extend or deepen the knowledge, skills and competencies in the daily life of an individual besides random learning. The informal learning covers various forms of learning activities such as learning from relatives, friends or colleagues, learning by using printed material, learning by using electronic devices, learning by guided tours, learning by visiting learning centres.

Continuing Vocational Training Survey (CVTS)

Continuing vocational training are organisation's (employer's) training measures or activities which have as their primary objectives the acquisition of new competences or the development and improvement of existing skills, knowledge or abilities of employed persons.

Continuing vocational training courses are typically clearly separated from the active workplace (learning takes place in locations specially assigned for learning like a classroom or training centre). They show a high degree of organisation (time, space and content) by a trainer or a training institution. The content is designed for a group of learners (e.g. a curriculum exists). Courses might also be organised online or in combination with face-to-face learning.

Two distinct types of courses are identified:

• internal continuing vocational training courses
• external continuing vocational training courses

In addition to basic courses, the employer may also provide employees with other forms of continuing vocational training. Typically, they are connected to the active work and the active workplace for the purpose of learning.

Other forms of continuing vocational training include:

• planned training through guided-on-the-job training
• planned training through job rotation, exchanges, secondments or study visits
• participation in conferences, workshops, trade fairs and lectures
• planned training through participation in learning circles and/or quality circles
• planned training through self-directed learning/e-learning

School statistics

Kindergartens - a pre-primary facility, which support child’s personality in socio-emotional, intellectual, physical, moral, esthetical area and develops skills and abilities, forms the preconditions for further education. It prepares children for life in society in accordance with personal and age individuality of the children. Preferential admittance is granted to children who are at least five years of age and children who have postponed compulsory school attendance. Kindergarten completes upbringing and education by means of educational program, which supplies a pre-primary education by Act No. 245/2008 (Coll.) § 16, article 2.

Basic school - provides general education in accordance with the upbringing and educational principles and aims by Act No. 245/2008 (Coll). It supports the development of pupil’s individuality in conformity with the principles of patriotism, humanity and the same treatment, tolerance, democracy and patriotism, and provides moral, esthetical, occupational, medical, physical and ecological education of the pupils. Primary school supplies basic knowledge, skills and abilities in linguistic, nature-scientific, socio-scientific, artistic, sporting, medical, transportation area and the other knowledge and skills, needed for orientation in life and in the society. The primary school usually has nine years with the possibility to form a preparatory year. It divides into the first and the second level, in which individual programs followed-up to one another education programs. Primary school’s first level forms usually first until fourth year. The second level forms the fifth until ninth year.

Grammar school - general educational internally differenced secondary school, which prepares the pupils in four years, five years or in eight years education program and supplies the full secondary general education by Act No. 245/2008 (Coll.) § 16 article 4, letter c). Grammar school’s educational programs are aimed primarily for study at higher education institutions. In addition, grammar school prepares students for performance of some functions in the administration, culture and in sport.

Secondary specialized school - internally differenced secondary school, which provides the pupils at least two-year programs, which are aimed mainly to performance occupation and special operations in national economy, public health and at most five-year education program of relevant education field. Secondary specialized school’s education, public administration, culture, and arts and in other fields, and are able to prepare pupils as well for further study. Secondary specialized schools providing an education for performance occupation and special operations are divided into several types. Specialized education and preparation at secondary specialized school develops the knowledge, skills and abilities of the pupil obtained in previous education and offer knowledge, skills and abilities inevitable for performance occupation and special operations.

Practical learning centre assumes the responsibility for education according to teaching plan and teaching outlines, and co-operates with secondary specialized school, which secures theoretical teaching of the pupils.

Secondary specialized school secures the pupils the theoretical and practical teaching. If the secondary specialized school secures only theoretical teaching, the pupils complete a practical teaching at the practical learning centre or at practical teaching workplace.
By Act No. 245/2008, (Coll.) associated secondary school, vocational secondary school and vocational school found by existing regulations is secondary specialized school. From this reason all data on associated secondary schools, vocational secondary schools and vocational schools are included in secondary specialized schools´ data.

Conservatory - specific kind of specialized secondary school, which provides complex artistic and art-pedagogically education. It prepares pupils to be employed in art field and for teaching the artistic and specialized subjects in education programs of art orientation and prepares their students also for study at higher education institutions. It has usually six years, in dancing specialization eight years, and leaves with leaving certificate.

Higher education institutions – Universities - supreme educational, scientific and artistic institutions. The primary objective of the universities is to provide tertiary education and creative scientific investigation or creative artistic activity. Universities are entitled to provide tertiary education and the exclusive right to confer academic titles and scientific-pedagogical titles, to utilize academic insignia and to execute academic ceremony.