The Czech Republic Introduces New Options for High School Graduation Exam

The Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT), in a landmark move alongside the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic (NPI), announced significant reforms to the school-specific portion of the "Maturita" – the nation's pivotal high school graduation examination. The reforms, which follow several years of successful pilot programs, introduce the option of a "Complex Profile Work" and expanded recognition of standardized certifications, aiming to foster practical skills, interdisciplinary thinking, and greater flexibility for graduating students.

Comprehensive Profile Work

One of these new options is the preparation of a comprehensive profile thesis. This is an innovative way of completing secondary education, which prioritizes a competency-based approach over the classic testing of knowledge in individual subjects. Students will undertake a comprehensive project based on a real-world task, integrating themes and skills from various subjects. Its binding element is cooperation with a specific workplace – a natural or legal person who is authorized to work in a given field and concludes a contract with the school on the scope and content of the thesis.

The work will be carried out in a working environment and with the direct participation of experts from practice. Therefore, students do not work only on a theoretical level, but also gain experience from a real environment, and consult their outputs with the supervisor, teachers, and external experts. The resulting project will then be defended as part of the graduation examination.

This model supports not only student independence and transferable skills that can be used in professional and personal life, but also cooperation within the teaching staff. Teachers of specialist subjects, Czech, foreign languages ​​, and other fields can participate in the preparation and implementation of complex profile work. This type of school-leaving examination supports interdisciplinary connections and teamwork.

Expanded Recognition for Standardized Certifications 

Building on previous successful initiatives, schools can now allow students to substitute parts or entire profile exams with recognized standardized certifications. While previously limited to foreign languages, this option now extends to areas such as information technology, specialized vocational subjects, and general education.

School principals will define which certifications are accepted, for which subjects, and the minimum proficiency required. Crucially, a new policy ensures that these replaced exams will now receive a formal grade on the Maturita certificate, offering clearer and more comprehensive information for universities, employers, and international institutions.

The MŠMT highlighted that these reforms empower students to leverage their strengths and demonstrate highly relevant skills for their future academic or professional paths, ultimately enhancing the overall credibility of the Maturita examination.