Czech Government approves School Act amendment on teaching assistants

The Czech government has approved an amendment to the School Act aimed at reforming the financing and professionalization of teaching assistants. The new legislation seeks to address issues with educational inclusion by moving away from funding based on individual student recommendations toward a system based on the number of students in a class and their collective needs.

Education Minister Robert Plaga stated that the amendment aims to eliminate ineffective elements of inclusion to benefit all students in mainstream schools. The reform is intended to provide greater flexibility for school principals and ensure that teaching assistants function as professional educators rather than just additional support staff. The measures are expected to take effect in September 2028.

The amendment represents a compromise reached by the coalition partners. While the goal is to shift away from certain inclusion models, officials emphasized that the transition must be gradual to ensure that children requiring specialized care are not negatively impacted.