Rules and Regulations of the Václav Havel Scholarship

Date of effect: 15 December 2020

Article 1 Recitals

1. The Václav Havel Scholarship is hereby established at Charles University.

2. The Václav Havel Scholarship is intended for foreign students and those persons whose repression in totalitarian, authoritarian and restricted regimes anywhere in the world makes it difficult or even impossible to study. The purpose is to provide study opportunities to those who have been illegally denied the right to study, have long been under pressure and repression, or are oppressed by the state and the authorities.

3. Students and persons from countries in which the systematic violation of human rights and freedoms have occurred, as well as oppression, mistreatment, or repression by the state, leading to discriminatory measures in relation to education may apply for the Václav Havel Scholarship.

4. The Václav Havel Scholarship is provided in the form of

   a.	a scholarship for the promotion of studies in the Czech Republic, in accordance with Section 91(4b) of Act no. 111/1998 Sb. on higher education, as amended, and Article 7 of the Scholarships and Bursaries Rules of Charles University (the “scholarship”),
   b.	a contribution for participants in lifelong learning the programmes (the “contribution”).

Article 2 Václav Havel Scholarship Board

1. Applications for the Václav Havel Scholarship are administered by the Václav Havel Scholarship Board (the “Board”).

2. The chair of the Board is the Vice-Rector for International Affairs. Additional members of the Board are appointed by the Rector based on proposals of the Academic Senate of Charles University (the “university”), humanitarian organizations, and on its own initiative.

3. The meetings of the Boards are convened according to need.

Article 3 The scholarship

1. The scholarship is intended for foreigners or persons without citizenship who submit the relevant documents demonstrating oppression or persecution in their native country (e.g. confirmation from a non-profit organization, police records, confirmation of termination of university studies, or an affidavit stating the reasons for not being able to study, etc.)

2. The amount of the scholarship is established by the Rector so that the scholarship covers the necessary costs associated with accommodation and food in university facilities and the basic costs associated with studies and residency in the Czech Republic.

3. The scholarship is awarded to newly admitted students for the standard period of study of one programme of study, or in the case of previous studies, for a corresponding period of study. In very exceptional cases, scholarships may be awarded to students during their studies at Charles University if it has become more difficult to finance their studies due to the persecution of their parents. This situation is also assessed in accordance with Article 3, paragraph 1.

4. The scholarship may be awarded only to students of the university who have been accepted based on admissions procedures at one of the faculties of the university.

5. Applications for the scholarship are submitted no later than 31 March of the calendar year to the Rector’s Office of the university to the attention of the chair of the Board. The application must contain a justification of circumstances, in accordance with Article 1, paragraphs 2 and 3. A copy of the application for studying at a university faculty and the documents confirming oppression or persecution (see Article 3, paragraph 1) must be attached to the scholarship application.

6. Based on a statement of the Board, the Rector decides whether funds for the scholarship will be made available. The dean issues a decision on awarding the scholarship after the applicant has registered for studies.

7. The faculty pays out the scholarship on a monthly basis to the applicant’s account, always by the 15th day of the month, including holiday periods.

8. The scholarship may not be awarded or paid to the student in the following cases:

   a.	for the period of interruption of studies, which includes all calendar months in which the student had interrupted studies for at least one day, or
   b.	if the standard period of study has been exceeded.

Article 4 The contribution

1. The scholarship is intended for foreigners or persons without citizenship to support their participation in a lifelong learning programme or preparation for their studies in Czech at Charles University provided by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies.

2. The amount of the contribution is established by the rector so that the contribution covers the necessary costs associated with accommodation and food in university facilities and the basic costs associated with lifelong learning and residency in the Czech Republic.

3. The contribution to lifelong learning is awarded for the duration of one life-long learning programme organized by a faculty or the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies as a preparatory course for studying at the university taken in accordance with Article 3 of the Rules for Lifelong Learning of the university.

4. The contribution is awarded only to persons who have been accepted to a lifelong learning programme, in accordance with paragraph 3.

5. Applications for the contribution are submitted by the deadline for submitting the application for participation in a lifelong learning programme, in accordance with paragraph 3, to the Rector’s Office of the university to the attention of the chair of the Board. The application must contain a specific justification of circumstances, in accordance with Article 1, paragraphs 2 and 3. A copy of the application for a lifelong learning programme must be attached to the contribution application.

6. Based on a statement of the Board, the Rector decides whether funds for the contribution will be made available. The dean of the faculty or the head of the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies awards the contribution after the applicant has registered for the lifelong learning programme.

7. The faculty or the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies pays out the contribution on a monthly basis to the applicant’s account, always by the 15th day of the month, including holiday periods. The contribution may not be awarded or paid if the student has interrupted or terminated their studies in the lifelong learning programme, in accordance with paragraph 3.

Article 5 Common provisions

1. The Rector decides whether funds will be available for the Václav Havel Scholarship for a new applicant in the respective calendar year. The Rector may also set the maximum number of newly awarded scholarships or contributions.

2. The Finance Department of the Rector’s Office of the university arranges refunds of the funds to the respective faculties and the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies for the scholarship and the contribution.

3. The faculties and the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies are required to announce any termination or interruption of scholarship or contribution payments to the Finance Department of the Rector’s Office within eight days of the occurrence of such circumstances.

4. The Centre for Information, Counselling, and Social Services of the Rector’s Office of the University and the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies, together with humanitarian organizations, assist in executing the administrative acts related to the granting of visas and long-term residence permits, arranging health insurance, as well as other practical matters necessary for the applicant to participate in a lifelong learning programme or to study at the university.

5. Administrative and organizational support of the Václav Havel Scholarship Agenda, including information on the possibility of obtaining a scholarship or contribution, is provided by the International Relations Office of the Rector’s Office of the university, which regularly informs the relevant humanitarian organizations, faculties, the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies, the Centre for Information, Counselling, and Social Services of the Rector’s Office of the university, and the Public Affairs and Communications Department of the Rector’s Office of the university.

6. The Legal Department of the Rector’s Office of the university, in cooperation with the Student Affairs Department, provides consultation to the above-specified departments of the Rector’s Office.

Article 6 Final provisions

1. The Václav Havel Scholarship is one of the projects of the university (in addition to the Václav Havel Europaeum project in European studies and the Václav Havel Edition project) that carries the name of Václav Havel.

2. The scholarship is established with the explicit consent of Ms Dagmar Havlová.

3. Rector’s Directive no. 51/2015, is hereby rescinded.

4. This directive comes into effect on 15 December 2020.

Prof. MUDr. Tomáš Zima, DrSc., MBA

Rector