By signing the Memorandum of Cooperation, the Pardubice Region confirmed its interest in continuing to develop activities leading to the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards (DofE).
"DofE is a prestigious international non-formal education programme for young people aged 14 to 24. It is not a traditional educational programme, but aims primarily at comprehensive personal development through a range of leisure activities in the field of sport, volunteering or adventure expeditions. By signing the memorandum we want to express our interest and support for these activities not only in our schools," said Martin Netolický, the Governor of the Czech Republic.
More than 12 schools of different focuses are already involved in the programme in the Pardubice Region. "The programme is not targeted only at grammar schools, but is really intended for all children from all fields of education. In our region, it already has a relatively long tradition and I hope that other schools such as the grammar schools in Polička or Moravská Třebová will join the very successful ones. This is also our goal, i.e. to present the possibilities of the programme to school principals and encourage them to get involved," said Josef Kozel, the regional councillor for education.
The programme was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The idea of the programme was conceived by Kurt Hahn, a German educator who promoted experiential pedagogy. The DofE's initial aim was to try to guide British boys towards meaningful leisure activities between leaving school and joining the army. However, the programme quickly opened up to girls and began to spread around the world. It now involves over 8 million young people in more than 130 countries. In the Czech Republic, the programme has been operating since 1995. "Participation in the programme teaches students that it is worth working on yourself and finishing things. After years of dealing with pandemics, this ability is more important than ever. Graduates of the programme receive a certificate and a badge with international validity, which can help them get an interesting job opportunity or study abroad," added Tomáš Vokáč, Executive Director of the DofE programme in the Czech Republic.
