Spot a problem, come up with a solution and get the chance to try it out. That might be your first experience of thinking and acting in an enterprising way, whether you’re leading a student project or exploring a business idea. At NEWTON University, we help students build these skills. By joining Podnikavé Česko, we’re taking part in a wider conversation about how schools can do the same.
How much room do pupils get to come up with solutions of their own? In PISA 2022, 49% of Czech 15-year-olds said their teachers gave them enough time to find creative solutions to assignments. The OECD average was 63%. PISA 2022 results for Czechia
Giving pupils time and space to develop their ideas was one of the themes at the fourth Podnikavé Česko conference, held in Prague on 21 October 2026. Renáta Šejnová and Soňa Dočekalová represented NEWTON University. Conference programme on gaps in enterprise education in Czechia (in Czech)
Who gets the chance to try something new at school?
The first panel looked at how early children start to develop an enterprising mindset. Even young children can build these skills when they are free to come up with their own ideas, decide what to do with them and have another go after their first attempt.
The second panel asked how schools could give the same opportunities to pupils who might never put themselves forward for a competition or a selective programme. One way is to give pupils a say in decisions about school life. The third panel looked at how evidence from lesson observations and pupil surveys can help schools see whether their classrooms give pupils room to think creatively and act independently. The association’s conference report (in Czech)
One brief, three visions for the future of universities
At NEWTON, our Business Leadership hackathon gave first-year students 24 hours to answer one question. What might a university look like in 2036? The teams came up with three distinct visions. Along the way, they had to weigh up different views, decide what to prioritise and present their proposals to a panel of experts. How our Business Leadership students developed their ideas
We work on similar skills with secondary school students through NEW Gen Academy. Those who already have a business idea can develop it through mentoring and workshops at the NEWTON Business Accelerator. How we help students combine study and business at NEWTON
As members of Podnikavé Česko, we want to share our experience of these projects and learn from schools and organisations that give young people the chance to take the initiative long before they reach university.
Watch the full conference recording (in Czech)
