Number of university students to drop again

The number of students at Czech higher education facilities will again be lower this year than in the past, Jakub Fischer, president of the Council of Higher Education Institutions, has said, adding that the reasons are demographic developments and the way of financing, reports the Czech news agency CTK.

Last year, about 327,000 people studied at higher education institutions in the Czech Republic, with a population of 10.5 million. The new academic year will be launched in Prague in the coming week. The number of students has been decreasing due to demographic developments since 2010, when almost 400,000 were enrolled.

Fischer said he expects there will be a decrease in percentage this year, also because the public institutions will get 90% of finance from the state based on last year's numbers of students irrespective of the current situation. Unlike other spheres of education, which will get more money from the state, higher education institutions will have CZK21 billion (US$872 million) at their disposal this year.
Full report on the Prague Monitor site