Special educational support for university students in the Czech Republic

Abstract

In recent years, the Czech Republic (CR) has committed itself to the European standard of university education, which calls for a system of support to provide higher education accessible to people with disabilities. We have seen a significant development of university workplaces, which focus on the support and assistance of students with special needs in the Czech Republic; especially in the last decade. These workplaces also include the ALMA Centre at the University of Pardubice. The paper analyses the development of the number of students with specific needs, including classification into typological groups A-F according to the diagnosis of specific difficulties, in the period of the academic year 2012/2013 to 2019/2020. The design of the paper is the analysis of data from the documentation materials of the ALMA Centre resulting in an overview of the course which involves a well-established system of activities for the benefit of students with specific educational needs. The University of Pardubice provides quality conditions, support services and measures in the area of personnel, pedagogy, economics and technology for the benefit of the named vulnerable target group. In conclusion, it can be stated that the University of Pardubice, by creating equal opportunities, adheres to the principles given by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and thus ranks among higher education institutions whose goal is to meet the fundamental requirements for equal access to education. The University of Pardubice is an example of a higher education institution supporting inclusive education, which is in accordance with the National Action Plan for Inclusive Education approved by the Government of the Czech Republic.