Johannes Amos Comenius is one of the greatest pan-sophists and philosophers of Europe. He emphasized that education is a never-ending process and it needs a lifelong commitment. The Johannes Amos Comenius Programme (P JAC) is based on this assumption and accents the need to acquire competencies for lifelong learning, thanks to which our potential and long-term applicability in the society will be maximized. Comenius’s ideas are the more urgent the faster the world changes. The times, in which we live, are increasingly complex and place new demands on us related to the coming era of digitization, robotics, climate and social change. We are a part of it and we are looking for the solutions not only for individuals, but also for the society and humanity.
The main background material for the preparation of the P JAC in the field of education was the Strategy for Education Policy of the Czech Republic until 2030+ (Strategy 2030+), the preparation of which was launched at the beginning of 2019. The aim of the Strategy 2030+ is to define the vision, priorities, objectives and measures for their achievement in the field of the education system and education policy in the Czech Republic for the period until 2030 and following. In the field of higher education the Strategic Plan of the Ministry for Higher Education for the period from 2021 was the fundamental document and it was finalized and approved in mid-2020. At the same time, other strategic documents and the outputs of evaluations, questionnaire surveys and the outputs of the Czech School Inspectorate were also considered within the preparation of the P JAC.
The main background materials for the preparation of the P JAC in the field of research and development are the National Research, Development and Innovation Policy of the Czech Republic 2021+ and the National Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization 2021+ (the so-called National RIS3). At the same time, the Innovation Strategy of the Czech Republic 2019 – 2030, National Priorities of Oriented Research, Experimental Development and Innovation (valid for the period 2012 – 2030) as well as all evaluation reports and research investigations carried out within the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OP RDE) were taken into account.
The structure of the P JAC reflects the priority topics financed from the structural funds of the European Union in the programming period 2021 – 2027 and the experience from previous operational programmes under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. As for the borderline areas and possible synergies, the MEYS carries out an ongoing discussion with all the relevant actors (especially the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Regional Development). The basic starting point for negotiations is setting the borderline areas within the OP RDE.
The approved Program document OP JAK 2021–2027 is available in the Documents.
The aim of the Johannes Amos Comenius Programme
The aim of the P JAC is to support the development of an open and educated society based on knowledge and skills, equal opportunities and developing the potential of each individual, which will lead to the growth of the competitiveness of the Czech Republic and the improvement of living conditions of its inhabitants.
The current draft version of the P JAC Programming Document is available in Documents.
Research and development (Priority 1)
The aim of the support for research and development should be the development of excellent capacities (both in the field of infrastructure and human resources, including the increase of the ability to better use the potential of qualified women), deepening the knowledge potential of entities in the Czech Republic, focusing on current and future societal challenges and the ability to build a basis for the future applicability of R&D results in practice that will serve everyone without distinction. This is the only way for the Czech economy to compete with developed countries in the long-term horizon.
The basic interventions of the P JAC will include:
- strengthening strategic smart and R&D&I policy management competencies and supporting innovation ecosystems at national and regional level,
- strengthening the internationalization and development of the institutional environment of research organizations, strengthening excellent research teams,
- strengthening the cooperation between research organizations and the application sphere, strengthening the applicability of R&D&I results and strengthening the orientation of research in research organizations towards areas with a high potential for applicability in practice,
- strengthening the key infrastructure needed for excellent research.
Education (Priority 2)
Education is considered to be one of the key values and assumptions for positive social and economic development. The original role of formal education is changing significantly with the beginning of the 4th Industrial Revolution and requires more intensive cooperation between actors in education. The overall objective is to create and develop an open education system that responds to the changing external environment and that provides relevant content of education in a lifelong perspective.
The objective of education in the next decade should be an individual equipped with basic knowledge and skills who can make the most of his/her potential in a dynamically changing world for the benefit not only of his/her own development, but for the benefit of the development of society.
The basic interventions of the P JAC will include:
- modernising the objectives and content of education, including forms and methods of learning at all levels of the education system (i.e. from pre-school to tertiary and further education),
- making the teaching profession more attractive through improving the quality of pregraduate education and supporting teachers at the beginning of their career and their further education and professional development,
- ensuring just access to quality education and reducing segregation, inequalities and the risk of excluding vulnerable groups from education.
Partnership principle
The platforms established for the P JAC are the main instrument for fulfilling the partnership principle, which is defined by Article 5 of the General Regulation. In addition to fulfilling the partnership principle, the creation of platforms is essential to ensure the interconnection and coordination of the implementation of the programmes among themselves and in relation to the Partnership Agreement for the Programming Period 2021-2027, as a common strategic document under the responsibility of the Ministry of Regional Development.
The preparation of the P JAC was carried out in a transparent and partnership-based manner and when designing the individual platforms, the experience with cooperation in the preparation and implementation of the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OP RDE) in the 2014-2020 programming period was also considered.
The partnership principle was implemented not only within the preparation of the P JAC through the Preparatory Committee of the P JAC and the Thematic Working Group Research and Development and the Thematic Working Group Education, but it will also be applied within the implementation of the P JAC. The Monitoring Committee will be the basic tool for involving relevant partners in implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Its composition will be based primarily on membership in the Preparatory Committee of the P JAC so that the actors involved in the preparation of the operational programme will also participate in its implementation in an appropriate way. The partners will also be involved in specific professional platforms and working groups related to the implementation (e.g. platforms for the preparation of the calls – Programme Planning Committee).