History

The department preparing teachers of biology has been an integral part of the faculty since its inception. During the fifty years of the Faculty of Education’s existence, the department changed its name several times and always employed prominent educational and scientific personalities. Among them, we can mention at least Professors Oldřich Hykeš (general biologist), Zdeněk Černohorský (botanist), Jaroslav Lang (zoologist), and Jaroslav Suchý (anthropologist). The department fulfilled its basic role, i.e., subject-specific teacher training, until 1978, when it was forcibly liquidated, both in terms of personnel and material resources.

The department was reestablished in the early 1990s by RNDr. Eva Lišková, CSc. and doc. PhDr. Petr Dostál, CSc. Teaching of the first year began in the 1994/95 academic year. The first graduates received their degrees in 1999. The education of pre-service biology teachers continued without interruption. Currently, each year 50-60 students complete their bachelor’s studies in biology, geology, and environmental studies with a focus on education, and 30-40 students complete their master’s studies in biology teaching for lower- and upper-secondary schools at our department.