A third of graduates of military courses for schoolchildren chose the army

The Czech Republic has summed up the results of voluntary military courses for senior high school students: of the 740 graduates of the 2024 and 2025 programmes, 258 people, or 35%, went on to tie their lives to the military in one way or another — becoming professional soldiers, joining the reserves, or enrolling at a military university. This was reported, upon request, by the press service of the Czech Army General Staff.

The month-long course is designed for high schoolers who have already turned 18, and in intensity matches the training given to professional soldiers. Those who complete the course successfully and take the military oath automatically become reservists. "They have completed basic training and can join a military unit right away," confirmed Aleš Čapal, deputy commander of the Náměšť nad Oslavou helicopter air base. According to him, graduates can also go on to study at a military university.

According to the General Staff, 110 people completed the voluntary military training course for secondary schools in 2024, and by summer 2025 that number had already grown to 630 people. Of these, 60 are serving as professional soldiers, another seven are studying at the University of Defence in Vyškov, thirty have been enrolled in the active reserve, and two are taking part in the Ministry of Defence's scholarship programme. "In total, that's 99 service members," said press service spokeswoman Zdeňka Sobárňa Košvancová.

In addition, another 159 graduates have submitted applications: twenty for service as professional soldiers, 112 to enrol at the University of Defence, 26 for the active reserve, and one for the Ministry of Defence's scholarship programme.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz