News

End of the academic year: our common journey ends, but our effort to improve Czech does not

On Tuesday, May 30, almost 200 students from 20 different countries, who overcame the challenges of Czech thanks to their courses and their diligence, gathered in the Blue Auditorium of Karolinum to celebrate the end of the academic year. The effort to understand other people and cultures, to find a common language both in terms of views and in the linguistic sense, unites the students and teachers of the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University.

The closing ceremony was opened in the emotion-filled Blue Auditorium by the head of the Prague study centre, Petra Landergott Kalvínská. "I would like to congratulate you, our students, for your diligent work throughout the year, and I would also like to thank the whole team that has played a more or less visible role in making your studies possible," she told the crowded auditorium.

The past academic year 2022-2023 was unusually busy for the Prague study centre. As part of the language and specialised courses, Krystal prepared six classes in the humanities and seven in medicine and science. Thanks to the support of The Kellner Family Foundation, they included 45 Ukrainian students who had fled the war in their country.

Few of us can proudly say that in the last nine months they have managed to accomplish something as difficult as the award-winning students have. Moreover, after their demanding preparation, most of them are not yet looking forward to a well-deserved rest and holidays as they face another challenging exam - the university admissions process. The students were reminded of the tradition of the oldest one, Charles University, by the solemn entrance of the institute's management and teachers to the sound of the student anthem Gaudeamus Igitur.

All the teachers, academic assistants and the supporting staff were personally thanked for their energy and drive by the director and presented with a small gift. The thunderous applause of the students for all the recipients was, however, the greatest reward.

Mutual exchange and interaction develop the students' knowledge, but the teachers also learn something new from their students every day, said ILPS CU director Dana Hůlková Nývltová in her speech. The war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and inflation have affected the lives of most students in a significant way and, as she pointed out, "the positive fact is that we are all doing well in managing and overcoming them." Thanks to the generous support of The Kellner Family Foundation, 45 Ukrainian students have been studying in peace in our courses and their knowledge will be much

Vzájemné setkávání a interakce rozvíjí znalosti studentů, ale každý den se od svých studentů učí něco nového i pedagogové, zdůraznila v proslovu ředitelka ÚJOP UK Dana Hůlková Nývltová. Válka na Ukrajině, energetická krize i inflace zasáhly významným způsobem do života většiny studentů a jak podotkla: „pozitivním faktem je, že se nám všem daří je zvládat a překonávat.“ Díky velkorysé pomoci nadace The Kellner Family Foundation v klidu studovalo v kurzech 45 ukrajinských studentů, jejichž znalosti po ukončení vysokoškolského studia bude Ukrajina při poválečné obnově potřebovat.

Participants received a certificate, and, in addition, the best students and students selected by their class teachers were awarded.

Foto: René Volfík

Text: Petra Köppl