8.2 Administration and governance
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Governance
The central state authority in the field of Culture is the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Creativity linked to innovations and applied industry is also within the competence of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Education for creativity and culture is also in the competence of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The institutions don´t focus on youth and culture specifically in this combination, but youth issues in culture are part of their policies and topics they are dealing with.
Main actors
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic
The Ministry is divided into 4 sections, among which is a section for live arts and for cultural heritage.
There is no separate section of any department focusing on youth issues in culture; however, youth is one of the relevant target groups in most of the related policies. Specifically to educational activities in culture, there is a Department for educational activities in culture.
The Ministry of Culture has established a Commission of the Minister’s Deputy for education in culture in 2017, which has, among other things, debated the recognition of the profession 'Educator in Culture'. Since 2016, a related profession 'Museum Educator' was a recognised qualification in the National Register of Qualifications.
Ministry of Industry and Trade
The Ministry is divided into 9 sections, among which the sections for Business, Digital Economy and Consumers are in relation to creativity and innovations.
The Ministry is responsible for 12 public Agencies, relevant among which are Business and Investment Development Agency - CzechInvest and Czech Agency for Business and Innovations.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
The Ministry is a Central state authority in the field of Education, for details see Chapter 1.4 and for educational policies see Chapter 6.
Main public Agencies relevant in the field of Culture and Creativity
National Information and Consulting Centre for Culture (NIPOS)
NIPOS was created in 1991, by the transformation of earlier structures dating back to 1905 to the 'Svaz osvětový' (Cultural Enlightenment Union). That Union associated the most significant Czech unions, associations, clubs and other subjects, that that undertook enlightenment, cultural and educational activities in a variety of ways and in different areas. The main task of the Union was to coordinate activities of the organisations associated with the Union, to provide organisational help, and later to provide educational and methodological activities.
The basic mission of NIPOS is the support of cultural development. In particular in the field of culture-social and creative citizen activities both local and regional, in view of non-professional culture activities and copyright matters, information service and expert consultations for both authorities and employees of local government, state administration, civic associations, legal and physical entities and other subjects operating in the field of local and regional culture. It is namely on the basis of systematic use of theoretical and practical findings of analytic and research activities in culture, of their own research and with the use of professional knowledge in various branches of cultural activities. The professional activity of NIPOS focuses on gathering and analysing knowledge about the general role and position of the public culture services in the field of the socio-economic development of regions.
There are several departments with a particular focus on young people:
ARTAMA is a department for non-professional artistic activities with a strong focus on children and youth cultural activities.
CIK Department (The Centre of Information and Statistics on Culture) provides the statistical service for the entire area of the culture under the rule of the Act no. 89/1995 Sb. about the government statistical service
KAM Department (Strategy and Planning in Culture) was established in July 2012. The department analyses, researches, and makes expertise and strategic documents in the field of culture.
The Editorial Office is the editor of the journal 'Místní kultura' (The Local Culture).
The Arts and Theatre Institute (Institut umění – divadelní ústav)
The Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) is a state-funded organisation founded by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1959 as the Theatre Institute.
In 2007, the institute changed its name to the Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI).
The ATI collects objects and work relating to theatre, processes and provides access to them, pursues research, initiates and participates in international projects, and publishes scholarly work. The ATI is also the headquarters of the Czech Office of the EU Culture Programme (Czech Cultural Contact Point)
National Heritage Institute (NPU)
The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) is the biggest state-funded organisation under the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Under current laws, it is entrusted with a number of expert tasks related to state heritage conservation.
NPU aims to develop an enthusiasm for historic buildings and other types of cultural heritage in both children and adults. In order to help people them find a path to them and grow to love them, NPU creates learning programmes for both schools and individuals, one-day workshops and year-long courses during which we acquaint people with heritage and its care.
The state heritage institutions usually also provide discounts and special programmes for children and youth.
National Institute of Folklore Culture (NULK)
NULK is the main state organisation focused on traditional folklore culture, its research, promotion at home and abroad, conservation and development. It plays an important role in formulating state policies in this field and cooperates with international organisations like UNESCO or CIOFF.
The important part is also public education and education of children and youth.
Political bodies relevant for culture and creativity
Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Physical Training
This is a committee within the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The committee deals with government control, especially in the fields of education, science, culture and sports.
Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions
This is a committee within the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. ´A fundamental task is to contribute to the development of scholarship and science because to a great extent, conditions for such development are created by legislation. Senators co-operate with educational and scientific institutions of all levels and the bills are debated together with citizens at the constituencies. A new dimension for such work has been created by the new territorial reform so communication with regional administrations will be very important for further activities of the Committee.´
General distribution of responsibilities between top-level and regional/local authorities
Regional and especially local self-governing authorities have their own competencies in cultural issues. There are also some delegated competences of the state that need to be followed and implemented by the regions and municipalities; however, during the transformation in 1990 the role of the state in culture was diminished and individuals were placed at the centre.
In the field of culture, regional and local authorities should follow the state cultural policy, however, they can also develop their own cultural policies, if it is not against the state cultural policy. Most of the regions have developed their own regional cultural strategies. In the case of municipalities, those affected by cultural issues usually do as well.
Cross-sectorial cooperation
There is a long historical tradition of cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports - extracurricular children's and youth aesthetic activities, education of relationship to art and cultural heritage, art and vocational education. Cross-sectorial cooperation is thus in some ways ensured on several levels from the top level within the Government, down to cooperation on projects and relevant activities.
In 2021 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Culture signed a common memorandum about cooperation in the field of cultural education.
The memorandum aims to more practically implement earlier initiatives for coordination of the educational and cultural policies of the Czech Republic.
The State cultural policy 2021 - 2025 aims among others also for strengthening the creative education and use of digital and creative assets of the Czech cultural sector within education. It also wants to support the issue of youth unemployment due to the wider use of opportunities of Creative Culture Industry.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the National Pedagogical Museum and the J. A. Komenský Library, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has launched an experimental evaluation project 'Educational Programmes of Memorial Institutions in Schools'. The experiential pedagogy project was ongoing in cooperation with 72 schools in the academic year 2017/2018. The project allows schools to cooperate with memorial institutions, libraries, galleries, castles and chateaus managed by the National Heritage Institute. A conference reflecting its results was organised on 15. 10. 2018 and a second round of the experimental evaluation was also launched for the academic year 2018/2019.