Tachov and the Plzeň Region are preparing a campus for a new secondary school for 600 students

Tachov – Tachov is preparing a new high school campus in collaboration with the Plzeň Region for more than 600 students. It aims to raise the educational level of Tachov's residents, which is one of the lowest in the Czech Republic. The school will offer more fields of study, including non-technical ones. Young people will no longer have to leave the region as often. The project, whose main investor will be the region, will see the city contribute land. In the spring, both parties are expected to sign a memorandum, with a study scheduled for 2027 leading to the project. This was stated by Deputy Governor Vladimír Kroc (ANO). According to him, construction costing over a billion crowns could begin no earlier than 2029.

"The multi-disciplinary high school is our main topic. It should help address structural deficits. These are mainly based on the low educational structure of the population, which is linked to economic poverty, stemming from the fact that citizens have low education and so do their children," said the city's deputy mayor Vendula Machová (Volím Tachov). According to her, the region's development is not systematically supported, and there are insufficient opportunities for developing human capacities.

"The land has already been selected, and both the region and the city are preparing the memorandum. It must be approved by the top authorities of the region and the city, and it will be signed immediately after," said the head of the regional education department, Jaroslava Havlíčková.

A modern school, which Kroc believes will attract students and teachers from other districts, is also important as a defense against students leaving directly from primary school to work in assembly plants in the zones along the D5 motorway. "So that they have a modern and attractive school and do not flee from the region," he said.

Tachov, which has nearly 15,000 residents, including over 4,000 foreigners, will contribute an attractive plot of land next to a residential area near Mohyla, where according to the land-use plan there is to be housing, and the school would revitalize that area. According to Machová, a change in the land-use plan will likely be necessary. At the beginning, Tachov identified six plots, which were assessed by architects based on the land-use plan, transportation, and suitability for a high school. "We will donate land to the region that should allow the development of the entire campus, including a dormitory,” she stated. The generous area is according to her 35,000 square meters, with a minimum of 13,500 square meters.

The construction costs, according to Kroc, will come from a competition for suppliers. "The idea is that the total construction of the campus would exceed a billion crowns. It should be built in phases. First the school, then dormitories and playgrounds and gymnasiums that could also be used by people from the surrounding area," he said. The region will seek grants for structurally disadvantaged areas, as Tachov has the most large industrial zones in the region.

An industrial school with 300 students would move from Světců to Tachov. It is full, outdated, and cannot be expanded due to the limits of the historic monastery building. The city, together with the Regional Development Agency, has conducted an analysis of the fields that children most often leave the region and city for. "We will try to combine the current fields from Světců, engineering, electrical engineering, and business, with economic, educational, social, and health fields," said Machová.

Tachov has also preliminarily agreed with the West Bohemian University on a university field of study. "But for now we are aiming for high school education, which should expand into higher vocational education. The new school will be oversized and will allow for further development," added the deputy mayor.