RNDr. Jan Břížďala, Ph.D.

Honza Břížďala is a teacher, school founder, and passionate education reformer. He dislikes the status quo and enjoys finding new ways to move education forward. He founded two modern vocational secondary schools—one focused on agriculture and the other on engineering—which are among the pioneers of dual education in the Czech Republic.

As a regional councillor responsible for education, he helped create more than **2,500 places in high-demand secondary school programmes** in the Vysočina Region. His projects focused on data-driven decision-making and digitalisation in education have repeatedly received the **E-Government The Best** award. He later led a team of 70 people working to bring a modernised curriculum into classrooms across Czech schools. He continues to teach and, as a Ph.D. in Chemistry Education, contributes to the training of both current and future chemistry teachers.

Today, he is taking his experience beyond the Czech Republic. Through EduTrailBlazers, z. s., he helps secondary school students discover new educational opportunities abroad, explore different cultures, and gain experiences that no textbook can replace.

And when he is not working on education, he enjoys taking on challenges beyond the classroom. He combines travelling with via ferrata adventures in the mountains, and regularly goes running and cycling. Simply put, he loves discovering new paths—whether they lead through the mountains, to distant countries, or towards better education.