Czechia plans new schools to tackle growing classroom shortages

Several Czech municipalities are planning to build shared schools to address a shortage of classroom places in rapidly growing regions, with the government proposing CZK 600 million in funding for 2027.

The projects, known as svazkové školy, involve multiple municipalities pooling resources to construct and operate a single school. While Czechia is experiencing historically low birth rates, some suburban and regional communities are seeing their populations increase, putting pressure on existing education facilities.

According to Czech Radio, municipalities say the projects could help address shortages but are too expensive to finance without government assistance.

In South Bohemia, ten municipalities near České Budějovice have joined forces to develop a shared school. Their combined population currently stands at approximately 5,000 residents but could reach 7,000 within eight years.

The area currently lacks a school offering the upper grades of basic education, forcing older pupils to commute to České Budějovice.

Vidov Mayor Tomáš Šedivý, who chairs the municipal association, said architectural plans and construction preparations are underway, but the participating towns cannot afford the project independently.

Similar shortages are affecting communities around Slavkov and Tišnov in South Moravia, Mníšek pod Brdy and Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav in Central Bohemia, and areas near Pardubice and Turnov.

The Czech Education Ministry is preparing a subsidy program, with CZK 600 million included in the proposed state budget for next year.

However, the distribution rules and eligibility criteria have yet to be finalized. The ministry expects to announce the funding call in the first half of 2027, with the first payments potentially arriving in the second half of the year.

The government is also considering longer-term support, with its medium-term budget outlook proposing CZK 1 billion annually for shared school construction.

Municipal representatives have called for clearer funding commitments, warning that uncertainty could delay projects costing hundreds of millions of crowns or more.

Beyond increasing capacity, shared schools could also provide educational benefits by bringing pupils and teachers from several communities together.

Education organization EDUin suggests that schools with approximately 400 to 800 pupils can offer more specialized teaching, additional support services and greater flexibility in organizing classes.

However, education representatives stress that cooperation between municipalities and reliable transport arrangements will be essential, particularly for children who would still need to travel to school.

For growing communities across Czechia, the success of these projects may depend on whether the government can provide predictable funding beyond 2027.