Overview of Changes in Education in the Slovak Republic Lucia Auxtova Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, Lifelong Learning Division

Reforms Need to change Changes at all levels of education Mainly contentual changes

Latest News Act on Education (School Act) with effect from September 2008; Act on Vocational Education and Training with effect from September 2009; Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff with effect from November 2009; Act on Lifelong Learning – approved by the National Council of the Slovak Republic, December 2009

Act on Education (School Act) 1 creates space for a creative work of teachers and for the development of complex cognitive functions of pupils; openness of the system of education and training; innovation of content, methods and forms of the education; support of the creative thinking through the development of key competencies.

Act on Education (School Act) 2 state curriculum – 70% of the study, - compulsory content of education, - issued and published by the MoE, school curriculum – 30% of the study, - basic document of the school, - issued by the school director, - reflects the concrete contentual focus of a school. Accordance of the school curriculum with the state one and with aims and principles of education is controlled by the State School Inspection.

Act on Vocational Education and Training 1 referring to the School Act, one of the pillars of reform changes in education in Slovakia, regulates conditions of vocational education and training; solves the tasks of governance bodies, employers and employees; conditions motivating employers for the support of VET – through contributions to VET Development Fund;

Act on Vocational Education and Training 2 establishment of National VET Board as an advisory body of the Slovak government + regional and sector boards; system of incentive scholarships, financial compensations and creature comforts for pupils (alimentation, accomodation, travels expenses, providing of protective working tools).

Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 1 one of the pillars of reform changes in education in Slovakia; deals with the teachers´ position in a complex; equalize teaching staff with professional one with regard to their status, continuing education and financing; more distinctive differentiation of teachers´ renumeration according to their continuing education;

Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 2 creates the teachers´ career system based on two career pathways: - first pathway with 4 career levels: teacher- beginner, teacher, teacher with the 1st attestation and teacher with the 2nd attestation; - second pathway: classification of a teacher on the career position of teacher-specialist or head;

Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 3 adjust the rights and obligations of teachers in their continuing education; deals with the position of teachers as public agents in order to raise their protection from an accruing aggressiveness at schools.

Act on Lifelong Learning 1 based on national Lifelong Learning Strategy; completes acts mentioned previously; Lifelong learning as an educational activity performed in formal education, informal education and non-formal learning focused on acquisition and deepening of knowledge, skills and competencies of a person. Creates such an environment where a person will be able to acquire and deepen his/her qualification during his/her lifetime as it will be required by the labour market;

Act on Lifelong Learning 2 Act will regulate: -Accreditation of informal education; -Recognition of informal education outcomes; -Creation of National System of Qualifications; -Creation of credit system – creation of preconditions for the transfer of outcomes of informal education into formal one; -Creation of Information System of Informal Education;

Act on Lifelong Learning 3 Financing of informal education: financial tool – tax bonus - which, after the successful completion of the educational course, retroactively reimburse the part of expenses connected with it; Monitoring and Prognozing System of Educational Needs - results from the need of flexible definition of qualifications currently required at labour market→ tool of guidance and counselling and regulation of the lifelong learning offer.

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