The Czech government has decided to increase this year’s university budget by CZK 1 billion, Education Minister Mikulas Bek (STAN) said on social media yesterday.
“The cabinet increased the budget for public universities by CZK 1 billion this calendar year, based on my proposal. The funds are earmarked to strengthen the universities’ staffing policies, promote safety and address flood damage,” he said.
This is money that was promised to universities at the beginning of the year, Education Ministry spokeswoman Tereza Fojtova told CTK.
The money is mainly intended to reduce the pay gap in universities. According to the budget approved last year, public universities are working with CZK 30.9 billion this year.
This year, the Ministry of Education is working with expenditures of about CZK 273 billion, including the four billion increase in the budget approved last year.
Last year, academics and other university staff pointed to the lack of money for universities and the low salaries of some university staff, particularly in faculties of humanities. They called on the education minister last autumn to increase the education budget for universities and colleges by CZK 3-4 billion compared to 2023, a demand Bek called unrealistic. At that time, he promised them an increase of CZK 1 billion; CZK 800 million was to be given to reduce the salary gap at universities.
In 2023, academic staff at public universities earned an average of CZK 65,000 per month according to data provided to CTK by the Education Ministry. According to the ministry, however, there are differences of tens of thousands of crowns in the salaries of academics between universities in the Czech Republic. The average monthly wage in the country was CZK 43,341 in 2023. In the year-on-year comparison, it was CZK 3,024 (7.5%). Consumer prices increased by 10.7% last year, so real wages decreased by 2.9%, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office.
Next year, the Education Ministry could operate with CZK 290.8 billion in expenditures, as approved by the government. The budget for universities should increase by about CZK 4 billion to CZK 34.9 billion, compared to the budget approved last year.
