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Palacký University, Olomouc
Czech Republic
General description
Palacký University is a public university with eight faculties:
- Sts. Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Philosophical Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Physical Culture
- Faculty of Law
The University has about 24.000 students and over 1800 teaching staff.
History
Olomouc is a prominent centre of education and culture. The history of higher education in Olomouc began in 1566, when a Jesuit college was established here. In 1573 this college was granted University rights, identical with those of other European institutions of higher education.
The University of Olomouc, the second oldest university in the Czech lands (after Charles University in Prague), spread its influence not only through Moravia and Silesia, but also in Austria, Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
Jesuits governed the University for two hundred years and the Faculty of Theology played a central role in its life. Later the Faculty of Philosophy was established, where natural sciences were also studied.
The era of the Old University is associated with the names of numerous outstanding scientists – for example Jakub Kresa (the “Euclid of the West”), Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, and the astronomer Karel Slavíček (who also worked for the Chinese Emperor). The famous general, Duke Albrecht of Wallenstein, was also a student of the University.
After the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773, the University was secularised. It was moved to Brno in 1778 and in 1782 it returned to Olomouc as a mere lyceum. In 1872 the Emperor Franz decided to restore the University and it was named in his honour – Franzens University.
In 1848 the University teachers and students took an active part in the Revolution and their legions supported the uprising in Vienna. The result was that the University fell into disfavour with the monarchy and from 1851 on it was gradually reduced, and finally abolished altogether by a Decree of 1860.
The Faculty of Theology continued its work independently and, together with the University Library, kept up the tradition of higher education in Olomouc. On the 21st of February, 1946 the University was re-established and was named Palacký University.
About the Faculty of Education
The Faculty of Education of the Palacky University in Olomouc provides university education for future teachers and other educationists destined for various types of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and school and after-school education facilities. It also focuses on training staff in the field of state administration and self-government. The faculty offers an established range of accredited Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral programmes in teaching as well as related non-teaching fields, as full-time or combined forms of study.
Teachers and students of the faculty strive to build on the positive aspects of the affluent history of training teachers in Olomouc, in order for them to be developed creatively and in the sense of the modern European education trends. The faculty also provides teaching qualification for students of teaching fields of study at other faculties of the Palacky University.
In the past year, Doctoral study programmes further developed and graduates in the English programmes completed their Doctoral degree studies at the Faculty of Education UP. The close cooperation between most of the staff with their profession, i.e. not only with the so-called “Faculty schools” and facilities but also with a whole range of other institutions and organizations, should be perceived as highly significant from the perspective of developing the faculty’s pedagogical, research and scientific activities.
The Faculty of Education regularly takes part in cooperation with leading experts and departments from the entire Czech Republic and abroad. These are especially the departments from Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Spain, Austria, Ukraine, Federal Republic of Germany, Hungary, Great Britain, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, U.S.A., China, Egypt and Australia.