Rector's letter to the students: update on study matters and volunteer activities

26th March 2020

Dear students,

Considering the current epidemiological situation and the government’s attitude, we assume that the contact teaching will not be possible till the end of this semester. Therefore, we would like to inform you about the following:

Till the end of the semester (the dates might differ on the individual faculties), the teaching will continue in the form of the distance learning.

The examination period will be prolonged at all faculties till the end of August. The form of the examinations will be adapted to the current conditions, so the testing could take place at all.

The dates and the organization of the state final exams are the responsibilities of the individual faculties given that it is generally possible for students to pass their first state final exam attempt even in August.

The internships will be, if possible, replaced in certain programmes by volunteer activity or work obligation. Stay in contact with your thesis supervisor, even though it will not be a personal contact, and consult your thesis together.

The graduation ceremonies at all faculties will probably take place in the autumn.

The realization of the planned stays and internships abroad will depend on the situation in terms of the opening of the borders, however, even at this moment I do recommend to postpone these travels.

After the end of the national quarantine we will try to, at least in some adjusted mode, ensure the opening of our libraries and study rooms and enable individual entrance to the laboratories.

At the Portal, social networks and university and faculties websites, there are continuously posted various up-to-date information about the study matters but also about the current situation in the society. Please, keep an eye on these to stay in the picture.

Finally, I would like to thank you once more for all your volunteer activities which you do for the whole society at the top of all your study responsibilities at these days. Hundreds of you from all faculties are taking part in dozens of activities, I cannot even list all of them. Please, continue doing the good job. The University of Ostrava will help you in these activities. In case you need any help, please contact Ms. Kamila Hýbnerová () from our Counselling Centre.

The following not only weeks but rather months, will be demanding both humanly and economically, as impatience will be increasing and empathy decreasing. However, I strongly believe that our university and society, with your help, will handle this difficult situation.

Warm regards,

prof. MUDr. Jan Lata, CSc.
Rector OU


Rector's letter about volunteer work and work obligation of the students of some study fields

17th March 2020

Dear students,

First of all, I would like to thank you for your responsible behaviour when it comes to problems that the current epidemiological situation brings and I want to share some information with you as well.

The government has imposed a work obligation on some students, mainly the students of the Faculty of Medicine but also Faculty of Social Studies and Faculty of Education. For the University of Ostrava, the coordinator of this activity is the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Arnošt Martínek. The requirements from the Regional Authority Moravian-Silesian Region will be probably communicated directly to the students, in case of any doubt, please contact the deans of the relevant faculties.

I would also like to thank you for your spontaneous volunteer help. In most cases, you organize it by yourself or with some help from the faculties. On the university level, the volunteer help is organized by the Counselling Centre in cooperation with the city and the region. The coordination of all these activities is important. At the same time, in our Welcome Centre at Mlýnská street, there is a dedicated room for the volunteer activities which you can use if you follow certain hygienic conditions. Ms. Kamila Hýbnerova (, tel. +420 608 633 377) or Mr. Martin Kopáček (, tel. +420 775 141 143) can provide you with information about this room. You can contact them if you need or seek any help as well.

We have created website https://pomahame.osu.cz which is devoted to the volunteer work. You can register there as a volunteer and it will also provide further up-to-date information.

On this occasion, I would like to ask you to persevere in these activities. The level of enthusiasm is very high at the beginning and usually declines over time. The current problem is not going to be solved in terms of days. Your activities are very valued not only by the citizens but also by the authorities and especially the work of the Faculty of Medicine can convince all the involved people that the faculty is really important for the society.

Once more, I emphasize to both, to the students and to my colleagues, the importance of limiting the physical contact even after the end of the quarantine. There is a possibility of home office at the faculties. Tips for online communication can be found in the news at the Portal.

I wish everyone good health and if possible, nice following days.

prof. MUDr. Jan Lata, CSc.
Rector OU


Updated: 26. 03. 2020