(CZ) Připravenost učňů ke studiu na střední škole pro pracující
(EN) Preparedness of Apprentices for Continuing their Education at Secondary Schools for Working People

In 1962 the authors of the article carried out a research dealing with the question of pupils passing from Trade Schools and Trade Training Centres on to Secondary Schools for Working People. The main purpose of the research was to find out how apprentices are prepared for further education. The examinations revealed serious gaps in the knowledge of basic subject-matter necessary for further successful studies. Examinations in the Czech language consisted of classifying words (determining the parts of speech) and analysing sentences. While most pupils had no difficulty in classifying nouns, adjectives, verbs and in finding the subject, the predicate and the object, a great percentage of pupils from all types of schools, including the Secondary General School (Academic type) failed to classify correctly the possessive pronoun and the attribute. Examinations in the Russian language revealed the adverse influence of the fact that Russian is not included in the curriculum of Trade Schools and Trade Training Centres. As a result of the three years* break in learning Russian the pupils had forgotten even the most common words, some of them had forgotten even the Russian alphabet. In mathematics pupils showed shortcomings in numerical counting, especially with fractions and decimal fractions, ignorance of units, little ability to solve verbal problems either by judgment or by equations, lack of imagination necessary for checking-up. On the whole the general level of knowledge of the pupils leaving Trade Training Centres and Trade Schools and entering Secondary Schools for Working People at present is lower than that of pupils who enter secondary schools after leaving the Basic Nine-Year School. That is also the main reason why at present more than one third of the pupils do not finish their studies at the Secondary School for Working People. Systematic revision of older subject-matter in all grades of the Basis Nine- Year School, Trade Training Centre and Trade School is the necessary pre-condition for all pupils to master the basic subject-matter permanently, so that they can successfully continue their education at the Secondary School for Working People. A great part of Trade Training Centre and Trade School pupils are capable of acquiring complete secondary education. The most suitable way for apprentices to acquire complete secondary education is through the Secondary School for Working People. The most serious obstacle for many apprentices is at present their unpreparedness for further education, which often results in failures. Nevertheless most pupils succeed in filling in the gaps in their basic knowledge and almost two thirds of the pupils finish their studies at the Secondary School for Working People successfully. At some schools there are as many as 95 per cent of successful pupils.