An employee of National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Sofiia Dmytriuk received a scholarship from the Czech Government and from July 13 to August 11, 2024, she studied Czech at the Summer School of Slavonic Studies at Palacký University in Olomouc.
It should be recalled that in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic of 22 November 2022, the Czech government awarded 8 state scholarships for Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and over in 2024 to study Czech language, literature, culture and history at the Summer School of Slavonic Studies in the Czech Republic. A student and a graduate of Poltava Polytechnic are among the scholarship holders.
The Czech government scholarship holder, Sofiia Dmytriuk shared her impressions of the programme:
“This is the second time I’ve participated in the Summer School of Slavonic (Czech) Studies, but I’m as excited as the first time. This is an unforgettable experience of living in another country, getting to know its cultural flavour and meeting new people who are just as passionate about learning new things. I can say without exaggeration that it was the best month of my summer!
Immediately upon arrival and checking into the dormitories, the participants were registered and given an oral exam to determine their level of language proficiency for further division into 9 groups (where group 1 was for beginners and group 9 was for C1 speakers). On Sunday evening, the Official Opening Reception was held with a buffet dinner, where participants had the opportunity to get to know each other.
The entire programme of the Summer School was divided into two parts: an obligatory one (five hours of intensive Czech language learning in the morning) and an optional one (lectures on Czech history, culture and literature, screenings of classic Czech films, various workshops, excursions), for which participants had to sign up independently. Since the afternoon programme was very intense and many events were run concurrently, one had to plan their schedule very carefully. At first, it was difficult because I wanted to be in time for everything and visit as many events as possible, but later I was able to build my own system of priorities and it made planning much easier.
And so, for four weeks, from Monday to Thursday, I attended a corrective pronunciation seminars, which helped me a lot with further learning and practical use of the language. Also, during the first week, the organisers together with the students arranged an International Picnic, where we could present the cuisine of our country and taste delicacies from other participating countries. The third week was the most enjoyable for me, as I attended Czech folk dance workshops for three days in a row in the evening. The dancing workshops ended with a Folklore Evening with a Dulcimer Band, where students as well as teachers and assistants had the opportunity to compete in their skills. I did not stand aside, and together with my partner, one of the assistants, we won an honourable second place.
We also had plenty of time for excursions to get to know the city, its history and baroque buildings. On weekends, we visited the picturesque town of Mikulov on the border with Austria, one of the largest Czech cities, Ostrava, and the Punkevní Caves with the Macocha Abyss (which is 138.4 metres deep).
The last day of the Summer School was marked by a Final Formal Ceremony with the awarding of certificates of completion and memorable souvenirs. Having scored 99 test points out of 100 in the final assessment, I received a certificate confirming my A2 level.
I express my sincere gratitude to the organisers of the Summer School of Slavonic Studies in Olomouc, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the opportunity to gain new knowledge throughout my life, and special appreciation to Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Pavelieva for her help in preparing documents and for inspiring me to participate in international programmes without fear!”
State scholarships for the study of Czech language, literature, culture and history at the Summer Schools of Slavonic Studies in the Czech Republic are available for citizens of about 50 countries and include accommodation and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), enrolment and tuition, trips and excursions. The scholarships do not include international travel costs, insurance costs, or visa processing costs.
It should be noted that students of Poltava Polytechnic have the opportunity to study abroad under the grant programmes of credit academic mobility for a semester or a whole academic year at the leading universities of Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
For more information about the current academic mobility programmes, please contact the International Relations Department (room 320-F, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva (room 310-C, email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +3-8-(095)-91-08-192).
Recently, a philology scientist became a participant of the international project of modern methods of non-formal education “Familiensprachschule”, and a representative of Poltava Polytechnic took part in the Erasmus+ training in Romania.
Earlier, an architectural student participated in the Summer School of Urban Planning and Design in Lübeck, and a student translator was awarded a scholarship by the Czech government and took part in the Summer School of Slavonic Studies.
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
