The Czech School Inspectorate (CSI) is an administrative authority with nation-wide powers. It is a state organisation and accounting unit that acts on behalf of the State as the employer of CSI employees, who are employees of the Czech Republic. School inspectors (školní inspektor), controllers (kontrolní pracovník) and invited persons (přizvaná osoba) carry out inspection activities in schools and school facilities included in the Register of Schools and School Facilities.
School inspectors and controllers mainly perform the following:
collect information on education of children, pupils and students, on the activities of schools and school facilities registered in the School Register, monitor and evaluate efficiency of education system;
determine and assess the conditions, course and results of education in schools and school facilities in accordance with the relevant school education programmes, determine and assess the conditions and course of guidance and counselling services in schools and school facilities;
determine and assess to what extent the school education programme is met, and check and assess if the school is in accordance with the legislation and framework education programmes;
perform checks of regulatory compliance relating to the provision of education and school services at schools and educational facilities;
carry out a public-legal audit of the use of funds allocated from the state budget under Sections 160 through 163 of the Education Act;
deal with suggestions, complaints and petitions falling within the Czech School Inspectorate competence.
The process and the content of inspection activities are described in External evaluation of schools in Chapter 11.
School inspectors take part in activities of selection procedures and competitive examinations to take up posts of school heads and school facilities heads.
School inspectors and controllers always work in teams. The composition and the size of inspection teams are determined by the director of the inspectorate; in the case of over-regional teams, by the chief school inspector or his/her deputy.
The chief school inspector is the head of the CSI, his/her subordinate officer is the deputy. The respective sections are managed by the directors / heads of sections. At present, the CSI is divided to the section of the chief school inspector and the section of inspection activities. Department of financial management together with ICT and economic dpt. are parts of the section of the chief school inspectorate. The section for inspection activities covers department of education system evaluation and dpt. for inspection activities. Individual departments are headed by directors. Department for inspection activities is the biggest unit because it covers 15 organizational units – one at the CSI headquarters and 14 regional inspectorates of CSI. Directors of regional inspectorates coordinate and monitor the work of their employees in the inspectorate managed by them. They directly report to the director of the department for inspection activities at the CSI headquarters.
Requirements for appointment
Appointment of the CSI officials is regulated by the Act on Civil Service. They shall be recruited by a decision of the service body. Along with the decision to enter the service, the service body decides on the appointment of an official civil to a post of superior. On the day of joining the service, the CSI official makes a business promise.
A chief school inspector (ústřední školní inspektor) is recruited, appointed and dismissed in accordance with the Act on Civil Service.
Senior employees are appointed by the chief school inspector.
A school inspector or a controller is recruited on the basis of an open selection procedure according to the Act on Civil Service. The basic conditions are set by the Education Act and the Czech School Inspectorate (CSI) than specifies them as following.
School inspectors must have a university degree (preferably with the appropriate professional and pedagogical experience) and at least 5 years of teaching experience or pedagogical and psychological experience (preferably managerial experience in education). School inspectors must be able to orient themselves within all aspects that influence success of education process (for example contemporary trends in education, modern educational tools, digital technologies, multicultural education, inclusion of pupils with special educational needs including work with gifted pupils, identification and dealing with social-pathologic events / behaviour at schools etc.). They must have knowledge on the legislation related to education and orient themselves in basics of psychology, social sciences, rhetoric, law and management (human resources management, school administration etc.). They are also required to have computer skills and driving license of category B.
Controllers must have a university degree (preferably in economics or law) and at least 5 years of experience in education or state administration, or possibly upper secondary education with a Maturita examination and 20 years of teaching practice. Management experience is an advantage. Controllers have to know the legal standards related to education, economics and control procedures. Computer skills and driving license of category B are other requirements.
Assuming that there are some specific personality requirements for the inspection and controlling activities, competence and personal profile of an applicant for the school inspector / controller has been set. The most important qualities are, in this sense, communication skills, adaptability and flexibility, team work, not to be touchy and mistrust, social responsibility, and professionality.
Conditions of service
Working conditions of the Czech School Inspectorate (CSI) officials are governed by the Labour Code and the Act on Civil Service. The chief school inspector is the head of the service office; as a leader, the central school inspector may delegate some tasks to his/her deputy. The head of the service office fulfills the tasks related to the labour relations of the CSI staff.
The CSI officials with civil servant status will take a decision on admission to employment, on appointment to a post or appointment to a superior post; these decisions have the civil service requirements under the Civil Service Act, for example service industry, place of work, post, probationary period or salary grade. The CSI civil servants are required to pass an officer's examination. It is made up of a general part and a special apart.
In case of CSI employees without civil servant status, employment contract regulates place of work and essentials resulting from working rights and obligations. The employment contract can be changed or modified only as a result of agreement of both parties. Work at other places or work different to that concluded in the employment contract is possible only in exceptional cases defined in the Labour Code.
Pay terms
The pay terms of employees of the Czech School Inspectorateare regulated by the Labour Code; some of the specifics relating to the CSI employees with civil servant status are set by the Act on Civil Service. The CSI follows the salary scale system. Setting the salary scale, as well as pay progression, are subjects to Government Regulation on the Salaries of Civil Servants / Government Regulation on Pay Terms of Employees in Public Services and Administration. The Catalogue of Administrative Activities / Work Catalogue of Employees in Public Service and Administration also apply. The salary of a chief school inspector is stipulated by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports in accordance with regulations for the state administration. A CSI civil servant may be given a personal allowance which, contrary to the employees who are not civil servants, can be increased, decreased or withdrawn depending only on the results of service assessment.
Working time and holidays
The working week of the CSI staff, as for most other employees, is 40 hours and the basic holiday entitlement is 5 weeks.
The CSI takes care of its employees' improvement of the qualification and their personality development, and it also allows a qualification upgrading. The CSI employees with civil servant status are entitled to get a 6-day business leave every year for individual study purposes without any salary reduction. For the purpose of the qualification upgrading, the CSI organises professional seminars and workshops guided by internal and external lecturers, and ensures the increase in the ICT literacy and language education of employees.
As the service office, the CSI creates conditions to harmonize the family and personal life and the service life of CSI staff, which concerns e.g. working hours layout, including start and end of working hours flexible working hours, shorter working time, the possibility to work at another place (home office).
Dismissal
Employment contract of CSI employees who are not civil servants can be terminated only under the conditions specified in the Labour Code.
Civil service of the CSI civil servants can be terminated only under the conditions defined in the Act of Civil Service.
Withdrawal from a civil servant post is subject to the Civil Service Act only for statutory reasons: post termination, poor results based on service assessment, health disability, absence of State secrets inspection needed, custody. An appeal against the decision to dismiss may be filed, for example non-compliance with legal requirements. Withdrawal at personal written request is also possible (within 60 days of filing). In case an employee should be withdrawn from a leading post, they are offered another post suitable to their qualification. If the CSI does not find a suitable post, the official is put out of the civil service for 60 months with 80 percent salary per month; following this 6-month period the employment is terminated.
The employer (i.e. CSI) may give notice to the employee with civil servant statusonly on statutory grounds. If they are due to organizational changes, the employee is entitled to a compensation of three to twelve times the monthly salary of an official depending on length of service.
The pension conditions are set by the Act on Pension Insurance in the same way as for other employees.