Resolution

Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) Plenum adopted at its 173rd Meeting the following resolution:

1. CRC appreciated the visit of the President of the Czech Republic at today's meeting and his interest in the issue of higher education. The debate was dedicated mainly to the strategic direction of higher education, its social relevance and the sustainability of funding.
2. CRC is aware of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports' (MEYS) efforts to improve the funding of higher education in the following year, however, it draws again the attention to the institutional underfunding of public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and repeatedly calls on the MEYS to negotiate a medium-term funding outlook. Only a specific medium-term financial perspective will enable the management of HEIs to effectively and rationally plan steps to ensure quality education of future students of HEIs and competitive research.
3. CRC welcomes the call of the MEYS to nominate its representatives to working groups to adjust the indicators on which basis funds are allocated for educational activities for individual public HEIs. Parametric changes in budget indicators must be resolved sufficiently in advance so that HEIs can prepare for them in time.
4. CRC perceives positively the responsive approach of the representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the negotiations with the representatives of the CRC and the MEYS on the amendment to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners in the Territory of the Czech Republic. It is aware of the need to comply with the set rules, however, it does not agree with the newly established general restrictive conditions of the Student Mode relating to the number of students who did not start their studies or did not complete the first year of study.

Prague, 7 December 2023