In the years 2014–2020, the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP) of the Ministry for Regional Development supported a total of 1,820 investment projects in regional education with 21.57 billion crowns from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This extensive support made it possible to modernize the educational infrastructure and improve the conditions for teaching in the Czech Republic. With the beginning of the school year, MMR presents some successful educational projects supported by IROP.
“The support from IROP in the years 2014-2020 significantly contributed to schools and kindergartens responding better to the current needs of society and the labor market, and thus increased the overall level of education in the Czech Republic,” said Director of the IROP Governing Body Rostislav Mazal.
In total, 1,820 projects in education were supported from IROP in the years 2014–2020, so this is one of the areas with the highest number of supported projects from IROP. The amount of subsidy support that went to these projects reached 21.57 billion crowns from the ERDF. The average support per project was 11.85 million crowns from the ERDF. 20.69 billion crowns from the ERDF have already been reimbursed, which testifies to the high success and efficiency of the implementation of educational projects.
The innovation increased the prestige of the school and the interest of the students
Thanks to a grant of 55.4 million crowns from the ERDF, the Nuselská elementary school in Havlíčková Brod built a new science center. It is an extension of two multifunctional classrooms on the roof with 2D and 3D projection together with a spherical screen. The IROP project also supported the reconstruction of a physics classroom, a chemistry laboratory, and the reconstruction of language and information technology classrooms. Green spaces for trees and flower beds can be seen on the roof. A greenhouse with rainwater tanks and an observatory for observing the sky also grew here. The school also has a new elevator and a better internet connection.
The director of the school, Andrea Hubáčková, admits that the preparatory phase of the project was the most difficult task. During the implementation, the school faced various operational problems, but the result was worth it in the end. “We were very happy when the new equipment came to the school, as well as the functioning of the physics classroom and the laboratory,” he says, adding that after the center opened, they received positive feedback from both pupils and adults.
And as teachers’ experiences show, new possibilities have an effect on student motivation. Children work with modern devices, tablets and applications, and thanks to technology, even those who previously had no interest in natural sciences manage to get involved. “The class flew by quickly,” they often say, according to the headmistress, who is of the opinion that the pupils enjoy teaching.
The educational project connected several schools
The projects of other schools also have a wider impact. For example, at the Elementary School in Felberova Street in Svitavy, thanks to a grant of 7.9 million crowns from the ERDF, they built a polytechnic classroom with the intention of creating a stimulating environment for technical education. A new science classroom was created for an additional 2.6 million crowns from the ERDF. Svitavská school established a partnership with four other elementary schools, a secondary vocational school and a leisure center.
“They visit our school regularly and we prepare various workshops for them on various topics. Most of the offer is the option of using the production section, where the pupils take away a specific product, and then the digital technology section, where the children in our premises learn to use a number of tools that they can also use in their schools,” explains school director Jana Pazderová.
Karolinka Elementary and Kindergarten in Vsetínsk also modernized science and language classrooms, which are now also used by neighboring schools from Karlovice, Hrozenkov, Huslenek and Hovězí. Cooperation between schools is a fairly common way of sharing modern equipment. “Partner schools, in turn, willingly organize events and competitions in a modern training kitchen,” confirms Milan Minarčík, director of Karolinka Primary and Kindergarten.
“The new language laboratory makes it possible to divide language teaching better, but also to introduce afternoon classes,” praises the director, while the same applies to science subjects, which could not be divided before the acquisition of the “house”, as they call the new classrooms here. Karolinka received 11.6 million crowns from the ERDF for modernization. “Thanks to the project supported by IROP, the school building is now really fully utilized,” adds the school director.
School modernization brings results
“Since the implementation of the project, we have had several pupils who have successfully entered selective high schools with a science focus,” confides Andrea Hubáčková, the director of the Nuselská Elementary School in Havlíčkobrod. Milan Minarčík, the director of ZŠ and Kindergarten Karolinka, also confirms that the modernization of the classrooms has had a positive effect on the students’ ability to speak English. The construction of a polytechnic classroom in Svitavy made it possible to expand the range of activities in the subjects of work education and work activities as well as in the subject of computer science. “Thanks to this, the pupils participated very well in various competitions,” says the school director, Jana Pazderová, adding that there is a noticeably higher interest of pupils in secondary vocational schools, which further prepare them for the labor market.
The Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP) of the Ministry for Regional Development has also published the complete results of the assessment of the regional distribution of investments in IROP educational infrastructure for the period 2014-2020. This study was prepared by Professor Luděk Sýkora and his team from Charles University. Among other things, the evaluation results provide visualizations that show, with the help of maps and data applications, how investments from the IROP were distributed throughout the Czech Republic. It is thus possible to view a detailed overview of projects and forms of support in individual regions, divided according to specific IROP goals, thematically focused challenges and types of education, down to the level of municipalities.