According to the latest information, the government plans to ease Covid-19 restrictions and gradually reopen schools and universities. From June, students may be able to take their final and graduation exams. However, one fifth of students are worried about completing their studies. According to a survey conducted on 5,290 students by GTS ALIVE, the official issuer of ISIC international student identity cards, 84% of students say they do not find self-study at home suitable.
The perspective of Czech students on education during the pandemic
"Based on our long-term communication with students and survey results, we see that while young people are open to switching to electronic communication with teachers, they still consider in-person education to be much more effective. For understanding the subject matter, they prefer the teacher’s direct explanation over self-study from digital materials.
This allows them to clarify any uncertainties in the moment and receive immediate feedback. A structured daily routine and social aspects—such as the presence of classmates and discussions among them—also play a key role. Such an environment motivates students more to study," points out Jana Valušová, Director of International Business Development at GTS ALIVE, highlighting a trend confirmed by the survey results.
Final exams around the corner
One of the groups most affected by the current situation are students in the final years of secondary schools, higher vocational schools, and universities. One-fifth of respondents expressed concern about completing the school year. A full third of students are worried they won’t manage to prepare for exams, the final graduation exam (maturita), or entrance exams for their chosen school.
Regarding the maturita exam, long-term uncertainty about whether it would take place divides respondents into two camps: those who support postponing the date and those who would prefer replacing it with the average grades from the final years of study. If the maturita could not take place at the regular time, up to 68% of respondents would favor moving it to the next official date.
According to students, this could even be scheduled for September. On the other hand, 27% stated they would prefer replacing the maturita with report card grades. Many respondents also expressed that taking the final exam in an online format would not be a problem for them.
“When we asked students what they would most appreciate from their schools right now, they most often wanted explanations of the material to replace the absence of in-person contact with teachers, access to quality study resources, and a reduced amount of content covered in individual lessons.
They believe solutions could include online consultations with teachers, online lectures, or even greater leniency from teachers when it comes to submitting assignments,” shares Jana Valušová of GTS ALIVE.
About the survey:
The online survey “Coronavirus through the eyes of students” was conducted by GTS ALIVE s.r.o. among 5,290 students from secondary, higher vocational, and university schools between April 3 and April 14, 2020. The same online questionnaire was also conducted in Spain, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Romania, where nearly 5,000 students responded.
