Petice in support of PhDr. Marek Příhoda, Ph.D.

Dear Mgr. Pavla Špondrová, dear Mgr. Eva Lehečková, Ph.D., dear PhDr. Stanislav Tumis, M.A., Ph.D.!

We, the undersigned,

are deeply concerned about the situation with PhDr. Marek Příhoda, Ph.D., who currently can be fired.

In April 2008, he finished his studies at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. From November 2004, he became an assistant (from May 2008 was a professional assistant) at the Institute of Slavic and East European Studies of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague (now the Institute of East European Studies, i.e. ÚVES). From February 2011 to December 2017, he was the director of the Institute of East European Studies of the FF UK.

On July 28, 2023, students and staff received a letter about the inappropriate and unethical behavior of one of the ÚVES employees; they said that they agreed to implement a preventive adjustment to the format of partial exams and also Bc. exams and Mgr. exams in the sense that partial exams in a one-on-one format will, where possible, be implemented by another qualified teacher, at the same time, where is not possible, they will be carried out by the given teacher, however accompanied by another member of the institute designated by the director of ÚVES. The teacher also will not be appointed to the position of commission chairman on Bc., Mgr., and entrance exams.

Then we figured out that the letter concerned PhDr. Marek Příhoda, Ph.D., and that he was in danger of being fired. One anonymous complaint without a public, transparent investigation is not a sufficient argument for such severe sanctions in the form of dismissal.

Please do not fire a person with a good reputation just because of one anonymous complaint. We demand transparent conduction for this whole matter, and we would like students to have their say in this situation.

Stanislav Kucherenko    Contact the author of the petition