THE SLOVENIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM

PRIMARY EDUCATION: pre school programs and elementary

school, basic music schools;

SECONDARY EDUCATION: secondary general education,

voccational and tehnical education;

TERTIARY EDUCATION: university diplomas, specializations,

masters and doctors studies;

EDUCATION OF ADULTS: on the programs of elementary and

secondary education;

EDUACTION OF PERSONS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: pre school

The education system of Republic of Slovenia is:

• a public service rendered by public and private institutions thatprovide officially recognized programmes;

• schools are SECULAR and the school space is AUTONOMOUS;

• language of instruction is SLOVENIAN. Members of the Italian andHungarian national comunities in ethnically mixed areas have theright to education in their respecitive language.

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION:

• optional;

• from: 11 months to 6 years old;

• early pre school education and care;

• 2 cycles;

• from one year to three years: educator and assistent (6 hours a day), 12 children in the group;

• From three years to six years: educator and assitent (4 hours a day),

22 children in the group.

*Working obligation in a group:

Educator – 30 hours a week, assitent 35 hours a week.

COMPULSARY BASIC EDUCATION

• mandatory;

• nine years;

• from age of 6 to 15;

• compulsary and elective subjects (7th., 8th and 9th grade);

• Days of activites: sports days, tehnical days, science days, culturaldays.

Basic school objectives:

• to provide students with opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills consistent with their abilities and interests;

• to foster personal development; to develop the ability for life-long learning and continous education;

• to foster sense of belonging to one state, national identity and cultural heritage, as well as educate about common cultural values;

• to develop respect for human rights, tolerance and acceptance of diversity;

• to develop communication skills in the Slovenian language and foreign languages;

• educate for sustainable development, for taking responsibility for one's actions, one's health, other people and the environment;

• to develop entrepreneurial skills, innovation and creativity.

UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION

• takes from 2 to 5 years.

• age of students: 15 do 19 years.

• Educational programs include:

• Vocational

• Professional

• General (gymnasium).

Upper secondary education is divided into:

• GENERAL EDUCATION:

different types of gimnazije (upper secondary general education schools) and matura (final examination) course designed to prepare students for studies at universities

• VOCATIONAL and TECHNICAL education:

students acquire qualification for entering labour market; furthermore, technical education and training gives access to tertiary education.

• upper secondary schools can be specialised only in one type of education (for example, general education) or offer a variety of programmes. Schools may be single organisations or school centres with several units because of their offer of programmes and size.

Main objectives of secundary education:

• give all citizens the opportunity to acquire general education and first qualification ;

• develop the highest level of creativity rate possible;

• acquire the highest level of education rate possible;

• empower to participate in the European integration processes, as well.

TERTIARY EDUCATION

• HIGHER VOCATIONAL EDUCATION:

The practice orientated study programmes extend over 2 years and emerge out of actual economic staffing needs. The students develop vocational competences as specified by vocational standards adopted by the minister of labour under the recommendation of the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for vocational education and training. The graduates are qualified to manage, plan, and supervise work processes.

HIGHER EDUCATIONBOLONA PROCESS – THREE CYCLES:• The first cycle study programmes or bachelor degree programmes are

academic or professional;

• The second cycle programmes are master programmes. The common master study programmes that lead directly to master's degree shall focus on education and training for occupations or professions;

• The third-cycle programmes are PhD programmes.

Public or private universities.

GOALS OF HIGER EDUCATION:

• quality and excellence;

• diversity and accessibility;

• diversification of study structures.

ADULT EDUCATION

• Publicly subsidized adult education programmes include:

1) those that target basic skills;

2) programmes aimed at achieving a formal educational qualification;

3) programmes targeting the unemployed or those at risk of becoming redundant; and liberal (popular) adult education programmes.

• Adults can also achieve all levels of formal educational qualifications. Acquiring basic school educational qualification is a legally guaranteed right and is free of charge at any age.

• Adults who wish to complete upper secondary education may enrol in regular upper secondary education programmes with special organisational adjustments for adults, provided they fulfil the requirements regarding previous education or any formally adopted special conditions for enrolment.

• Adults can also enrol in all levels of tertiary education programmes as part-time students.

• Adult education and training targeting the transition to the labour market is organisedwithin the broader framework of active labour market policy, which is under the authority of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

• Employment Service offers access to several programmes targeting registered unemployed jobseekers.

EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS9 different types of children with special needs:

• mentally disordered children;

• blind and visually impaired children;

• deaf and hearing- impaired children;

• speech and language impaired children;

• physically impaired children;

• children with a long-term disease;

• children with learning disabilities in certain areas;

• children with autistic disorder;

• children with behavioural and personality disorders.

EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS• TYPES OF PROGRAMS THAT EDUCATE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

• a programme for preschool children with certain adjustments regarding its implementation and additional professional help,

• modified programme for preschool children,

• education programme with modified implementation and additional professional help;

• modified education programme with educational standards at an equal level;

• modified education programme with educational standards at a lower level,

• special education programmes.

CHALLANGES

• Early school leaving is a rare phenomenon in Slovenia, with 4,2% of early school leavers in 2018, the second best result in EU.

• Nevertheless, the share of early school leavers among foreign-born children has been considerably higher (11.6%).

• Low literacy scores (24.9% below level 2,) of adults in PIAAC are well below the sought after level of literacy. The younger generations scored relatively better.

• Tertiary attainment among 30 to 34 year olds has risen considerably in the last decade, from 31,6% in 2009 to 42.7% in 2018. However the difference between young males and females in tertiary educational attainment is striking, namely only 31.6% of males in this age group have graduated from tertiary education as opposed to 56.3% of females.

• Maruša Majhen, OŠ VIČ, 2021

• LITERATURE:

(https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice)