Changes and trends in secondary agricultural education in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Programmes of education for farmers in the form of Winter Schools, in the early 19th century, were gradually broadened into agricultural education for employment in farming or as preparation for higher education. In the 20th century, vocational education was developed at Apprenticeship and Secondary Schools to meet the needs of large-scale state farms introduced during 1953–60 by the communist political regime. Teacher education for these schools was developed during the 1950s and 60s, based on Agricultural Universities. Sudden and rapid change followed the political changes in 1989 when land was returned to private ownership in a new structure of agriculture based on market economy. This led to changes in production and a decrease in the number of people employed in agriculture. The number of students in the Agriculture Secondary Schools remained more or less the same, but curricula were substantially changed. Some schools diversified into new areas such as agro-tourism and environmental management. Those that continued with agricultural studies developed specialised areas such as farm business management and economics. Information technology became an important area of study. The schools began again to offer education and advice to local farmers. Early in the 21st century, change is again evident as policy for rural development becomes the diversification of rural economies to create a countryside which is less dominated by agriculture. New, sustainable economic activity comes from alternative uses of farm buildings, market niche crops and livestock products, and attraction enterprises for people in urban areas. The paper reviews the major trends and changes of the past 150 years and suggests how these are likely to project into the future of agricultural education in the Czech Republic.