English for the rich

Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka told Právo that poor Czechs have a far slimmer chance of getting a college education than the poor in many other countries. If there were less bureaucracy, he said, there'd be more money for education. At the same time, the state keeps a grip on education by making it difficult to get accreditation and by charging 19% VAT on private-sector (as opposed to state-run or non-profit) education. The Economist identified education as one of the primary factors in determining a person's social class. Czech officials tend to believe that by keeping education almost entirely in state hands, they're being egalitarian. In reality, they're helping to create even greater class differences. The rich can afford to pay 19% VAT on private language lessons or private nurseries, while most others are forced to make due with the state educational system.