The Prague Post Online: News: City Hall takes axe to youth nature program

November 21st, 2008

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City Hall takes axe to youth nature program

Budget cuts limit access to traditional outdoor school trips

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 1st, 2008 issue

Hundreds of schoolchildren will soon be left without the traditional “nature’s classroom,” an annual nature retreat for kindergarten and elementary-school children subsidized by City Hall. The City Council voted Sept. 18 to close two properties used for these trips, while getting rid of three more by transferring them to the House of Children and Youth of the City of Prague organization.

Two schools in north Bohemia will be completely closed: one in Antonínov, which lies in the Jizerské hory mountain range, and the other in Jetřichovice, which borders the Czech Switzerland nature preserve.

City councilors who supported the closure argue that the resorts were too expensive and underused. “Why do we have to subsidize 2 million Kč [$120,773] each year for a resort with only 28 beds somewhere in Moravia?” said Prague Deputy Mayor Marie Kousalíková.

She referred to a resort in Vřesník near Humpolec that was also supposed to be closed but was saved by the fact that it houses ponies, which children can care for and ride. Each year, schools wait in line for the opportunity to visit it with their children but, according to city officials, not enough of them show interest.

“We have 320 kindergartens in Prague, and only 34 go there. That is simply not economical,” Kousalíková said. In total, the city budget will save some 4.5 million Kč each year. Members of the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), who are in opposition at City Hall, are against the planned closure. “During the elections two years ago, we promised to do everything in our power to keep these resorts open, and nothing has changed since,” said Miroslav Poche, deputy leader of City Hall Social Democrats.

He criticized the reasoning behind the decision. “The Civic Democratic Party [ODS] treats education and our children’s health like a business, but this is not a commercial activity. Instead, it should be a service for people,” Poche said. “The money saved will be insignificant compared with amounts City Hall wastes on many absurd projects.”

ČSSD councilors are afraid of the impact this decision will have on some families. “Unlike City leadership, we want to support and develop nature’s classroom projects, which are very often the only opportunity to get out of Prague, at least for a while, for kids from poorer families,” said Poche.

He also criticized the speed at which City Hall leaders dealt with the issue. There was practically no time for discussion and negotiation, Poche said, because individual resorts learned of the proposed closures only three weeks before the vote.

Schools are also unhappy with the plan, but have long had to deal with constant budget cuts. As a result of scarce city subsidies, Prague schools often turn to commercial travel agencies to arrange their nature’s classroom trips.

However, the number of children who can afford to go on these trips is expected to drop. “Subsidized trips cost about 50 percent [less than] commercial ones,” said Jana Novotná, a Prague elementary school teacher.

She also dismissed City Hall’s arguments that the subsidized resorts are underused. “It is almost impossible to book a subsidized resort, as there are long waiting lists.”

Childhood memories

Nature’s classroom has a long history in the Czech Republic, and many people remember their trips fondly, even after many years. “It was always a great opportunity to get away from the dirt of the city,” recalled Prague 6 resident Eliška Mužíková. “It didn’t really feel like school at all, because, after classes, we’d spend the rest of the day outside.”

With her own daughter now in elementary school, she has a chance to compare. “Nature’s classroom has changed a lot since I was a kid,” she said. “In the 1970s, we’d go for two weeks, and I remember my uncle said that in the 1950s he went for even a month or two, while their school underwent reconstruction. Now it’s usually just one week.”

Her daughter’s school employs private travel agencies to organize the trips. “There are definitely more options available than we used to have, but we have to carefully consider whether we can afford each trip,” Mužíková said.

Her 10-year-old daughter has also begun to notice economical differences between classmates. “Each year, I look forward to going,” she said. “We always have a lot of fun hiking after classes, but some of my friends couldn’t afford it, and they had to stay in Prague. That was a pity.”

With a second daughter growing up quickly, Mužíková is afraid of what the future might bring. “I hope we’ll be able to afford the trips even when my second daughter goes to school. I can’t imagine her growing up without the experience,” she said.

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at obouda@praguepost.com

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