Czech students may shift to remote classes due to electricity costs
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The head of the Czech Council of Higher Education Institutions says universities will not be able to pay the costs of electricity and students may be learning remotely.
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Czech universities may switch to distance learning due to soaring electricity prices
Czech universities may switch to distance learning in the new academic year due to soaring electricity prices, Milan Pospisil, the head of the Czech Council of Higher Education Institutions, said on Thursday.
"According to our calculations, the total electricity costs in the coming academic year in the universities of the republic may quadruple compared to the previous year and reach 8 billion crowns [$323 million]," Pospisil told reporters.
According to the official, "Universities will not be able to pay such high amounts without the help of the state. In this regard, we are considering the option of distance learning for students, at least for the winter, when lighting in classrooms is used almost all day."
Since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been rising rapidly following a global trend of post-COVID economic recovery.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Brussels imposed several sanctions packages against Moscow, which pushed the energy situation in the EU to deteriorate further and prompted European countries to look for alternatives to cheap Russian energy supplies.
It is noteworthy that in on June 10, Czech Minister of Defense, Jana Cernochova, confirmed that the Czech Republic provided military material worth more than 3.5 billion korunas to Ukraine, in addition to preparing new shipments.
"The Czech government has so far sent more than 3.5 billion koruna worth of military materials to Ukraine. This amount increases almost after every cabinet meeting," Cernochova indicated.
Read more: Prague to offer Ukraine millions in arms, France to send troops to Romania
