Several dozen Kazakh students, who are learning Czech in Prague under the auspices of Palacký University Olomouc, visited their alma mater and took a closer look at Olomouc. In the Faculty of Arts Assembly Hall, they were welcomed by representatives of the Language School and faculty management.
High school graduates from Kazakhstan are learning Czech. They arrived in September for the Czech for Foreigners course which is organised by the Faculty of Arts Language School. In April, they will test their knowledge at their final exams. “We arranged the year-long study of Czech via a Kazakh agency, which requires them to learn Czech in our capital city for the time being. And that is another reason why students from Kazakhstan often remain in Prague. This is the second time we have recently invited them to visit Olomouc from our Prague branch. We wanted not only to show them our lovely historical city, but also Palacký University itself, the organisation which is giving them the chance to learn Czech in Prague. At the same time, we want these students to see what opportunities Olomouc offers them in terms of university studies,” said Oldřich Břenek, Head of the Language School.
Břenek believes that thanks to the language similarities with Russian, after a year’s study of Czech some of the students will be able to study in the Czech or English programmes at Palacký University. And this is why he actively took part himself at university fairs for high school student in Astana and Almaty, where he presented UP and its study possibilities. “The Czech Republic has a very good reputation in Kazakhstan as a higher education provider, and we would be quite pleased if a portion of Kazakh youth would continue their studies at our university,” he added.
Vice-Dean for Foreign Affairs Pavlína Flajšarová welcomed students in the Faculty of Arts Assembly Hall and made them better acquainted with the possibilities on offer. Several of them already are interested in studying at UP and expressed interest above all in languages, psychology, and applied economics. Students of this Central Asian country spent one day in Olomouc, viewing parts of the university and city.