THE EDUCATION SYSTEM in the Republic of Slovenia 2016/2017 The EDUCATION SYSTEM in the Republic of Slovenia 2016/2017 Editor: Tanja Taštanoska Translation: Babylon, Jezikovno izobraževanje in svetovanje, d.o.o. Linguistic revision: Saša Ambrožič Deleja Photos: Nada Žgank and Domen Pal Published by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia For the publisher: Aleš Ojsteršek Design: SIMETRIJA d.o.o. Print: Tiskarna Radovljica ISSN (Print ed.) 1408-6948 ISSN (Online ed.) 2536-3352 Edition: 1 500 copies Ljubljana, February 2017 This publication is free of charge. It has been produced with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia. Eurydice The text of this publication has been published under the Slovenian version of the Creative Commons 2.5 licence: attribution + non-commercial + distribution under the same terms. Under the licence, the users are allowed to reproduce, distribute, lease, publicly present or transform the original or adapted text of this publication provided that they credit the author, state that the document is not intended for commercial use and that they can share the original/adapted text under the same terms. You can access the text of the licence at http://www.creativecommons.si or at the following address: Inštitut za intelektualno lastnino, Streliška 1, SI-1000 Ljubljana. The photos in this publication are not published under the Creative Commons licence and are intended solely for the publisher's use. TABLE OF CONTENTS ThE REPUbLIC OF SLOvENIA 6 ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA 10 PRE-SChOOL EDUCATION 19 BASIC EDUCATION 23 UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION 27 ThE gENERAL MATURA AND vOCATIONAL MATURA 35 TERTIARY EDUCATION 37 BASIC MUSIC AND DANCE EDUCATION 44 EDUCATION Of ChILDREN wITh SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS 47 ADULT EDUCATION 53 EDUCATION STAFF 60 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN EDUCATION 69 EURYDICE SLOvENIA 71 ThE REpuBLiC OF SLOvENiA ThE REPUbLIC OF SLOvENIA ThE REpuBLiC OF SLOvENiA Location Slovenia is a small European country that stretches over an area of 20 273 km2 between the Alps, the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonia Plain. Slovenia shares land borders with Austria at 318 km, Italy at 280 km, and Hungary at 102 km and Croatia at 670 km, total border length of 1 370 km. The coastline extends over 46.6 km. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. Population According to the last census (of 2002), Slovenia had the population of 1 964 036, by 1 January 2016, the number had increased to 2 064 188. Population density is 101.6 people per square kilometre. The ethnic population breakdown is as follows: the majority, 83.1 %, is Slovenian; members of the Hungarian (0.3 %) and Italian (0.1 %) national communities are recognised national minorities. In the census of 2002, every sixth person in Slovenia (16.5 %) declared themselves members of a different ethnic group: nearly 2 % as Serbs; 1.8 % as Croats; 1.1 % as Bosnians, of which 0.53 % declared themselves as Muslims and 0.41 % as Bosnians; 0.31 % as Albanians; 0.2 % as Macedonians; 0.14 % as Montenegrins and 0.17 % as Roma. System of government Since 25 June 1991, Slovenia has been an independent country. It is a democratic republic based on the principle of separating powers into legislative, executive and judicial. Legislative power is exercised by the National Assembly and the National Council. Executive power is vested in the government that consists of the Prime Minister and Ministers and is responsible to the National Assembly. When carrying out its judicial function the judiciary is independent, bound by the Constitution and the law. The President of the Republic represents the Republic of Slovenia and is the supreme commander of armed forces. Residents of Slovenia exercise local self-government in municipalities and other local communities. Local matters that only affect the residents of a municipality and can thus be dealt with independently, fall under the jurisdiction of municipalities. The state may impose by law upon the municipalities to carry out individual tasks that are under national jurisdiction, provided the necessary resources are made available. Since 2004, Slovenia has been a member of the European Union and NATO. ThE REPUbLIC OF SLOvENIA God's blessing on all nations, Who long and work for that bright day, When o'er earth's habitations No war, no strife shall hold its sway; Who long to see That all men free (Translated by No more shall foes, but neighbours be. Janko Lavrin) State symbols of the Republic of Slovenia include the flag and the coat of arms; the seventh stanza of Zdravljica (A Toast) written by the Slovenian poet France Prešeren (1800–1849), set to music by Stanko Premrl (1880–1965) constitutes the national anthem. The official languages are Slovenian, and Italian and Hungarian in ethnically mixed areas inhabited by the Italian and Hungarian national communities. Since 2007, the official currency has been the euro (€). In 2015, the Slovenian gDP was worth €38 570 m or €18 693 per capita. In 2015, public expenditure on education reached to 4.9 % of GDP or €1 907 m. 95 % of public expenditure on formal education went directly to educational institutions, while 5 % was spent on public transfers to households and other private entities. Expenditure for educational institutions UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION by stages, 2015 17 % BASIC EDUCATION 43 % TERTIARY EDUCATION 21 % 19 % PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION Source: SURS. ORgANiSATiON ANd gOvERNANCE OF EduCATiON iN SLOvENiA Pre-school education BASiC EduCATiON uppER SECONdARy EduCATiON ThE gENERAL mATuRA ANd vOCATiONAL mATuRA TERTiARy EduCATiON ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA ORgANiSATiON ANd gOvERNANCE OF EduCATiON iN SLOvENiA goals of education in Slovenia The primary goal of the education system in Slovenia is to provide optimal development of the individual, irrespective of gender, social and cultural background, religion, racial, ethnic or national origin, and regardless of their physical and mental constitution or physical and mental disability. Right to free education is enshrined in Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. Basic education is compulsory and is publicly funded. The state is obliged to create opportunities for citizens to obtain proper education. Universities and colleges are autonomous. The language of instruction is Slovenian; the Italian and Hungarian national communities and their members in ethnically mixed areas have the right to education in their respective language. The Constitution also protects the status and gives special rights to members of the Roma community who live in Slovenia. The children of migrants have the right to compulsory basic education under the same conditions as other citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. governance at national and local level In the Republic of Slovenia, the education system is organised mainly as a public service rendered by public and private institutions and private providers holding a concession who implement officially recognised or accredited programmes. By law, public schools are secular and the school space is autonomous; in public schools, political and confessional activities are prohibited. By law, it is allowed to establish private educational institutions that provide their own programmes, thus one may opt for education in line with ones worldview. Concerning the governance of public institutions, the state and the local communities have several roles given that they are the regulators, founders, main financiers and supervisors. The state’s main concern is public institutions that provide a public service. Public institutions are bodies governed by public law and state-controlled by various mechanisms such as appointment of representatives to management bodies, public funding and adoption of common rules and guidelines on public service by primary and subordinate legislation. Education staff at public education institutions enjoys professional autonomy over his or her teaching practice. ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA Public upper secondary schools, short-cycle higher vocational colleges, higher education institutions, educational institutions for SEN children and residence halls for upper secondary and tertiary students, as well as supporting professional institutes in education are founded and financed by the state. Public kindergartens, basic schools, residence halls for pupils, music schools and adult education organisations are founded by municipalities. Pre-school education programmes are financed by municipal funding, fees charged to parents and other sources. Basic education is financed by municipal and state funding, as well as from other sources. The same applies to adult education. There are also supporting public institutions in education, set up by the state that pursue, primarily, activities in the scope of development, professional support and supervision, as well as quality monitoring, counselling and so forth. These institutions are: • National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia • Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training • National Examinations Centre • Educational Research Institute • Slovenian Institute for Adult Education • Centre of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes • Centre for School and Outdoor Education • National School of Leadership in Education, and • Slovenian School Museum. Ministry of Education, Science and Sport In Slovenia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport is responsible for education. It has authority to formulate and implement education policies, as well as make system regulations. The Ministry directly or indirectly outlines national programmes and draws up budgets for preschool, basic, upper secondary, higher vocational and higher education. Furthermore, it lays down criteria for financing public services, oversees budget implementation, supports the salary system administration and standardization of staff statuses, and develops investment and major maintenance programmes. It renders decisions on allocation of different educational programmes to institutions for upper secondary and adult ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA education and seeks consent from the Government before publishing to calls for enrolment for upper secondary, higher vocational or higher education programmes. The Ministry undertakes the development of the information systems at all levels of education and has its representatives appointed to the governing boards of public institutions. It has other obligations and responsibilities specified by law relevant to specific field of education. It is also the responsibility of this ministry to develop and establish relevant policies for the domains of science and sports, as well as to make system regulations respectively. It is involved in outlining national programmes of sports and research, as well as drawing up budgets for financing public services. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport is supported by six directorates: • Pre-School and Basic Education Directorate • Upper Secondary, Higher Vocational and Adult Education Directorate • Higher Education Directorate • Science Directorate • Sports Directorate, and • Investments Directorate. Furthermore, within the ministry’s organisational structure we may find several autonomous departments (Public relations, International cooperation and EU Office, HR development in education, and Internal auditing and Financial department), two offices (Education Development Office and UNESCO Office), Service for the Implementation of Cohesion Policy and the Secretariat. The Minister and Minister’s closest advisors constitute the Minister's cabinet. The Ministry works closely with the Slovenian Research Agency. There are two other bodies affiliated to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport: Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth and Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia for Education and Sport. The Government establishes several councils of experts to support the Ministry in taking decision on expert matters in specific areas of education, planning and implementing education policies and making regulations or developing national programmes. ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA Councils of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for: • General education • Vocational and technical education • Adult education • Higher education (it addresses matters of short-cycle higher vocational education to a certain extent). ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA The organisation chart applies from 1 October 2016. ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA Bodies affiliated to the Ministry: ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA governance at institutional level The governance body of public kindergartens and schools is the council, and the management body is the head teacher. Kindergarten and basic school councils are composed of representatives of the founder, employees and parents, while councils of upper secondary schools also include representatives of students. The founder – municipality or state – participates in the governance of kindergartens and schools through representatives appointed to the council and directly in administrative procedures. Among other responsibilities, the council of a public kindergarten or school shall appoint and relieve from office head teachers, adopt the development plan, annual work plan and implementation report thereof. Public kindergartens, basic and upper secondary schools also establish a council of parents; it consents to above-standard services and appoints its representatives to the council; otherwise, its function is essentially consultative. The council of parents gives suggestions and opinions to the institution’s bodies. As of 2008, parents have the right to adopt their own programme of co-operation with schools and associate with local and national associations of parents. Higher vocational colleges shall establish governance and management bodies depending on the founder (state, private) and organisation (independent college, unit of another institution or company). The management body is the director or head teacher, whereas the council (or strategic council) is the governing body. Apart from representatives of the founders and employees, at this level councils also include representatives of students and employers. In addition, each school sets up a quality assurance committee; it co-operates with evaluation bodies in higher education. Universities and independent higher education institutions are autonomous institutions; it is so enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and specified by the higher Education Act. This means that in addition to the freedom of research, artistic creation and transmission of knowledge they the right to self-govern their internal organisation and practices of relevant bodies. The law defines the most important bodies and relevant functions only. Bodies of a university: • rector • senate • management board, and • student council. ORgANISATION AND gOvERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN SLOvENIA Bodies of members of a university (e.g. faculty): dean, senate, academic assembly and the student council. Private education Private kindergartens or schools and higher education institutions may be set up by domestic and non-domestic natural or legal persons. This does not apply to basic schools, which may only be set up by domestic natural or legal persons (not relevant for schools accredited to deliver international programmes). There are no private kindergartens and schools in Slovenia that are entirely financed from private sources. They are all financed or co-financed entirely by public funds. Most private higher vocational colleges are financed entirely from private sources, that is, tuition fees. To private higher education institutions, which have been granted a concession the state allocates resources for study and extracurricular activities. They are not entitled to resources for maintenance and capital investments; however, they may participate in tenders for co-financing of development projects. These can also be obtained by private higher education institutions without a concession. PRE-SChOOL EDUCATION Pre-school education Pre-school education is aimed at children aged one to six or the starting age of compulsory primary education and it is not compulsory. It is up to parents to decide whether to enrol their child or not. Pre-school education is provided by public and private kindergartens. Where necessary, a network of public kindergartens is complemented by private kindergartens that hold a concession. Public kindergartens are founded by local communities in line with the needs of the local population. Kindergartens may implement as to the needs of parents and children and in agreement with the municipality various programmes: full-day, half-day and part-time programmes. The programmes are carried out by pre-school teachers and pre-school teacher assistants. In the school year 2016/20171, children pursued pre-school education in 1 136 kindergartens and their units: 108 independent public kindergartens, 196 school based kindergartens and 85 private kindergartens. The vast majority of children (95 %) attend public kindergartens. Participation rate of kindergarten children continues to improve. Over the last ten years, the number of children increased by nearly 50 %, namely from 58 127 in 2006/2007 to 85 407 in 2015/2016 or 78.1 % of all pre-school children attended kindergartens or stayed with education and care families. The proportion of five year olds who attend pre-school education was at 92% this year. Public kindergartens welcome children aged 11 months or more. Children remain and receive pre-school education and care in the same institution until they start basic school. Kindergartens provide Education and care in two age groups: • first age group: children aged 1 to 3 years and • second age group: children aged 3 years to basic school age. goals of pre-school education Pre-school education goals in kindergartens seek to: • develop the ability to understand and appreciate oneself and others • develop the ability to debate and resolve, appreciate diversity and cooperate or interact in a group • develop the ability to recognise emotions and encourage emotional experience and expression • foster curiosity, exploratory spirit, imagination and intuition, as well as develop critical thinking • nurture language development for effective and creative use of speech, later also reading and writing 1 MIZŠ data as on 16 December 2016 PRE-SChOOL EDUCATION • cultivate appreciation of artistic works and the artistic expression • share the knowledge of different scientific fields and everyday life • motivate physical and locomotive development, and • develop sovereignty in keeping personal hygiene and care for one’s health. Kindergarten curriculum Principles of pre-school education in kindergartens: • democracy • pluralism • autonomy, professionalism and responsibility of employees • equal opportunities for children and parents by respecting diversity amid children • right to choice and being different, and • balance various aspects of the child’s physical and mental development. Education and other professional staff of public and private kindergartens that hold a concession adhere to the Kindergarten Curriculum, that is, the essential programme document adopted in 1999 that specifies pre-school education as part of the education system. The introduction of the curriculum defines the principles to be respected by the education and other professional staff of kindergartens, as well as basic professional principles such as, physical laws of the child's development and learning, democratisation of everyday (routine) activities (e.g. eating, resting), positive interaction and respectful communication. The importance of the hidden curriculum is also highlighted; it comprises many elements of educational influence on children that are not defined elsewhere, but appear in the form of indirect education to be more effective than direct educational activities. The curriculum also provides guidelines about how to arrange and use space, as well as co-operate with the parents. The second part of the curriculum includes the presentation of the areas of activity in kindergartens. The areas are common to all children aged 1 to 6 years. The common “subject” areas defined for both the first and the second age group: movement, language, nature, society, arts and mathematics. In accordance with the prescribed standards, pre-school teachers shall earn a bachelor's degree, and the pre-school teacher assistants shall have completed a relevant upper secondary education programme. This stipulation, in addition to the norms on the size of the kindergarten groups, and norms and minimum technical PRE-SChOOL EDUCATION Classes and children in pre­school education, 2015/2016 school year Classes Children total Age group 1 Age group 2 Total 5 040 4 773 267 85 407 81 146 4 261 24 413 22 923 1 490 60 994 58 223 2 771 Public kindergartens Private kindergartens Source: SURS. Kindergarten Age participation rate of children by age, 6 years 2015/2016 school year Total 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years or more Total 78.1 79.0 77.0 45.1 45.4 44.8 69.9 70.3 69.5 83.7 84.5 82.9 89.6 90.4 88.7 92.0 92.7 91.3 7.3 9.1 5.3 Boys Girls Source: SURS. requirements for kindergarten premises and equipment and the curriculum, secure high standards in working with children. On average, one pre-school teacher or pre-school teacher assistant has 8 children to mind. home-based childcare Pre-school education may also be organized at a home of a pre-school teacher and a pre-school teacher assistant employed at a kindergarten, or at a home of a private pre-school teacher. Private pre-school teachers shall meet the same requirements as pre-school teachers, pre-school teacher assistants or counsellors at public kindergartens and they shall register with the ministry of education. Childcare services may also be provided by child-minders who do not need to be qualified for the implementation of the pre-school education programme, but have to be qualified to take care of children. They too, shall register with the ministry of education. Child-minders may organise care at their homes, but for not more than 6 children. They may, however, register to provide individual in-home care. The number of registered home-based child-minders continues to rise each year, also due to difficulties in supplying places in public kindergartens. In October 2016, there were 313 registered child-minders. bASIC EDUCATION BASiC EduCATiON Primary and lower secondary education is organised in a single-structure nine-year basic school attended by pupils aged 6 to 15 years. It is provided by public and private schools (less than 1 % of pupils attend private basic schools), as well as educational institutions for SEN children, and for adults adult education organisations. As specified by the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, basic school education is compulsory and state-funded. Local communities set up basic schools. A widely branched out public network of basic schools gives all residents of Slovenia access to education. In the 2016/2017 school year, 178 633 children attended 772 basic schools and branches, as well as 57 specialised schools, basic school based settings and institutions for SEN children. In total, there were over 16 000 teachers employed in basic education. basic school education goals The key basic school education goals seek to: • provide pupils the opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop skills consistent with their abilities and interests • foster personal development • develop the ability for life-long learning and continuous education • foster the sense of belonging to one state, national identity and cultural heritage, as well as educate about common cultural values • educate about respecting human rights, understanding diversity and teach tolerance • develop skills of communicating in Slovenian and foreign languages; • educate for sustainable development, for taking responsibility for one's actions, one's health, other people and the environment • develop entrepreneurial skills, innovation and creativity. basic school programme The basic school programme is specified by the timetable and curricula of compulsory and optional subjects, as well as by guidelines and educational concepts that define other methods of working with children (morning care, after-school classes, extra-curricular activities, outdoor school), cross-curricular contents (days of activities, how to use libraries and information technologies) and other documents to guide the work of the education staff. The programme also specifies the knowledge teachers have to have of specific subjects. bASIC EDUCATION Along with compulsory and compulsory optional subjects, class discussion periods and days of activities (cultural, sports, technical, science days), all basic schools undertake activities of the extended programme. These include extracurricular activities, non-compulsory optional subjects and morning care for pupils in grade 1, as well as after-school classes for pupils of grades 1 to 5. Assessment and grading of knowledge Teachers assess pupils throughout the period of instruction of the subject. In grades 1 and 2, teachers assess pupils' progress with descriptive grades. From grade 3 onwards, teachers assess the achievement of knowledge standards in accordance with the prescribed curriculum with numerical grades 1 to 5, whereby 1 is a negative grade and all others are positive grades. At the end of grades 6 and 9, pupils take national examination in mother tongue and mathematics and foreign language in grade 6 or third subject chosen by the minister in grade 9. Assessment is mandatory for pupils. Results do not have any bearing on the grades; they are only additional information about the level of pupils’ knowledge. Schools organise remedial classes for pupils in need of learning assistance and supplementary classes for pupils who exceed the prescribed knowledge standards. Schools may adapt assessment to pupils who at the same attend music schools, pupils who are promising athletes, SEN children and immigrant pupils. At the end of the 2014/2015 school year, 17 574 pupils completed successfully the regular education programmes of basic school. Of those, 1.5 % of pupils fulfilled their legal obligation to attend school 9 years and left the basic school without having acquired their final certificate. Age levels and grouping of pupils The basic school programme is divided into three educational cycles; each cycle covers three grades. In a separate grade, there are pupils of the same age Pupils of the same grade are further grouped into classes. Smaller schools form multi-grade classes in which they place pupils of two or three different grade levels. According to norms and standards that apply to basic schools, there may be no more than 28 pupils in one class. Lower limits may apply for multi-grade classes, schools of ethnic minorities or classes attended also by Roma or SEN bASIC EDUCATION Pupils in basic education, beginning of the 2016/2017 school year Type of institution Pupils Institutions Classes Basic schools without branches Public Private Total Public Private Total 157 188 1 152 158 340 16 652 184 16 836 448 5 453 317 2 319 7 529 54 7 583 1 098 10 1 108 Basic school branches Basic school Total 175 176 780 8 691 Basic school with adapted education programme* Public Private Total Public Private Total Total Public Private Total 2 235 0 2 235 502 0 502 2 737 720 0 720 27 0 27 21 0 21 48 10 0 10 330 0 330 84 0 84 414 120 0 120 Mainstream basic schools that implement adapted education programme* Basic school with adapted education programme* Educational institutions for SEN children Source: MIZŠ. Total 178 633 * Data on pupils and classes of special education programme included. children. In the 2016/2017 school year, on average, there were 20.2 pupils per class. At the beginning of the 2016/20172 school year, 10 072 SEN children pursued education at mainstream basic schools or 5.75 % of the basic school population. In the first educational cycle, pupils are taught by a general (class) teacher. In grade 1, there is another teacher present during half of the lessons; usually, it is a pre-school teacher. In the second educational cycle, the instruction is primarily provided by a class teacher, but instruction of individual subjects is provided by specialist teachers. In the third cycle, specialist teachers deliver all lessons. Instruction in specific subjects may be provided in smaller groups. 2 MIZŠ data as on 30 September 2016 UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION uppER SECONdARy EduCATiON The next stage after nine years of compulsory basic education is two to five year non-compulsory upper secondary education that begins at the age of 15. The main goals of upper secondary education in Slovenia seek to allow: • entire population to attain general educational qualification and an occupation, • the largest possible share of population to attain the highest level of creativity possible, • the largest possible share of population to attain the highest level of educational qualification, and facilitating the inclusion in the European integration processes. The upper secondary education encompasses: • general education, with different types of four-year gimnazija programmes (gimnazija, classical gimnazija, technical gimnazija, gimnazija of economics, gimnazija of arts) and a one-year matura course, and • vocational and technical education, with educational programmes of different levels of difficulty, such as short upper secondary vocational (2 years) and upper secondary vocational education programmes (3 years) in which students shall pass the school-leaving exam to successfully complete the programme; upper secondary technical education programmes (4 years), vocational technical education programmes (2 additional years after completing a vocational programme) and the vocational course (1 year) in all of which students shall pass the vocational matura to successfully complete the education programme. In the 2016/2017 school year, 111 public upper secondary schools (organised in single upper secondary schools or school centres), 6 private upper secondary school, and 6 educational institutions for SEN children. Schools may implement programmes of the same or different types at one or more levels of upper secondary education. Public upper secondary education schools may be arranged into unified organisations; however, due to programme diversity or size measured in the number of classes and students they may be organised in school centres with more schools, i.e. organisational units. UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION The system of upper secondary education is centralised; decisions about the foundation and financing of upper secondary schools, as well as agreement on and distribution of education programmes are adopted at the national level. However, schools and teachers enjoy autonomy in determining teaching content, choosing teaching methods, staffing and managing employment relationships. The enrolment of new students shall be approved by the founder. At the end of the 2015/2016 school year, 17 055 students received upper secondary educational qualification. In the 2016/2017 school year, there were 36% of young people enrolled in the upper secondary general education, among them 60 % girls. Upper secondary technical educational captured over 46% of students, and short-vocational and vocational education 18%. Enrolment in upper secondary education by programmes, 2016/2017 Technical 42% Source: MIZŠ. Enrolment in upper secondary education by gender, 2016/2017 40% 60% 58% 42% General education Vocational and technical education Source: MIZŠ. Students enrolled at the beginning Enrolled graduates of 2016/2017 school year, and 2016/2017 2015/2016 students graduated at the end of 2015/2016 school year. Total Male Female Total Male Female Total 74 010 1 033 12 293 34 398 30 797 3 368 233 26 286 25 912 374 38 238 720 8 525 18 584 16 075 2 417 92 10 409 10 293 116 35 772 313 3 768 15 814 14 722 951 141 15 877 15 619 258 17 055 292 2 935 7 536 6 315 1 090 131 6 292 6 183 109 8 747 212 1 992 3 990 3 191 766 33 2 553 2 523 30 8 308 80 943 3 546 3 124 32498 3 739 3 660 79 Short vocational vocational Technical technical (4-year programmes) vocational technical programmes vocational course general general and technical gimnazije matura course Source: MIZŠ. Age levels and grouping of students As a rule, students enrol at the age of 15 years. Education is structured as a single-cycle education programme of two to five years, depending on the programme type. Students of the same age are grouped into years. Most of the time, same teachers teach same students same subjects for several school years. Classes contain 17 to 30 students; however, with the consent of the respective Minister classes may contain up to 32 students. If there are SEN students in a class, then lower numbers may apply. UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Type of programme goal School programme characteristics graduation Transition to higher levels of education Upper secondary general education To prepare for continuing education at a university. gymnasium 4 years In Slovenia, there are general and technical gimnazija programmes. The latter include gimnazija of technics, gimnazija of economics gimnazija of arts, while the former include general gimnazija and classical gimnazija. All programmes have a basic structure of both compulsory and elective parts. In all gimnazija programmes, students learn at least two foreign languages. The syllabus of general gimnazija includes: • compulsory four-year subjects: Slovenian (Italian/Hungarian) language, maths, first foreign language, second foreign language, history, and sports • Compulsory subjects: music, visual arts, geography, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and information science • Classes of elective subjects: the number of hours of elective subjects in, e.g. in gimnazija programmes, is greater every year from year 2 to year 4; in the last year the hours are allocated to studying for the matura examination. In classical gimnazija and gimnazija of economics the hours of elective subjects are only determined for years 3 and 4; in various fields of gimnazija of arts, there are less hours of elective subjects compared to other gimnazija programmes. general matura Short-cycle higher vocational study programmes, professional higher education study programmes, academic higher education study programmes, and integrated postgraduate master’s study programmes Upper secondary vocational- technical and technical education To obtain qualifications for a specific oc­cupation to enter the labour market or to continue education at the tertiary level. vocational and technical school 4 years (or 2 years after a completed 3-year vocational programme) Programme entails: • general subjects (40 % of total hours), • technical modules (25 % to 30 % of hours); some modules are compulsory, others are elective • practical training, in part school based in the form of practical lessons, in part as employer based practical training (15 % of hours) • interest activities, (5 % of hours) • open part of the programme determined by the school in cooperation with companies (10 % of hours). vocational matura Professional higher education study programmes, short-cycle higher vocational study programmes; as well as academic higher education study programmes on condition that candidates pass additional exams of general matura UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Upper secondary vocational education To obtain qualifications for a specific occupation to enter the labour market vocational and technical school 3 years Programme entails: • general subjects (28 % of total hours) • technical modules (28 % of hours), over half of this time is dedicated to school based practical lessons; some modules are compulsory, others are elective • employer based practical training with an employer (25 % of hours) • interest activities (4 % of hours) and • open part of the programme determined by the school in cooperation with companies (15 % of hours). School-leaving exam Vocational-technical education Short upper secondary vocational education To obtain qualifications for a specific occupation to enter the labour market vocational and technical school 2 years Programme entails: • general subjects (30 % of total hours), • technical modules (40 % of hours) about two thirds are dedicated to school based practical lessons; some modules are compulsory, others are elective • employer based practical training; (6 % of hours) • interest activities (4 % of hours) • open part of the programme determined by the school in cooperation with companies (20 % of hours). Short upper secondary vocational programmes are open to students who have completed at least the first 7 years of nine- year basic education, and thus met the basic school obligation. In the 2011/12 school year, only 1 % of students enrolled on this type of education programmes. School-leaving exam Vocational or technical education and further educational pathways Type of programme goal School programme characteristics graduation Transition to higher levels of education UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Entry requirements and choice of school Children who complete compulsory basic school may continue their educational pathway at any upper secondary school. The Ministry of Education shall issue a common call for enrolment in gimnazije and the matura course, short upper secondary vocational and upper secondary vocational, upper secondary technical and vocational-technical education programmes and the vocational courses no later than 6 months before the beginning of the school year. After the issue of a call for enrolment, schools organize information days to inform the candidates about • options and requirements of education • qualification and occupation programme • options for further educational pathways • entry requirements • procedure and selection criteria in the case of limited enrolment • important dates and terms of enrolment, and • other significant information about enrolment. Information days for vocational programmes in case of education vacancies with employers are also organised by the Chamber of Craft and Small Business and Chamber of Commerce. Candidates shall successfully complete basic school to enrol in the upper secondary school to which they have applied. Schools may limit enrolment in the first year if the number of candidates exceeds the human resources and capacity of the school. With the consent of the Minister, the school may put a cap on places. UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION Matura course The one-year matura curse is aimed, in particular, at candidates who had completed the four-year upper secondary technical education and would like to take matura and pursue academic education. The enrolment is open also to candidates who had finished: • three-year upper secondary vocational education • year three of gimnazija and then left education for at least one year • basic school and had passed the examination at the level of year three gimnazija • officially recognised programme of private gimnazija for which the council of experts for general education agreed that it provided minimum knowledge requirements to complete the school, but who had not taken matura. vocational course The one-year vocational course is available to candidates who: • completed year four of gimnazija or • the education programme to attain upper secondary technical education and would like to attain additional qualification. ThE gENERAL MATURA AND vOCATIONAL MATURA ThE gENERAL mATuRA ANd vOCATiONAL mATuRA The general matura is a national examination at the end of upper secondary general education. The general matura also grants access to higher education to adults who have either dropped out of education or their prior education does not allow them to enrol in higher education programmes. The general matura is an external examination at the national level that students take at the end of the gimnazija programme. Students take exams in five subjects. Three subjects (Slovenian (Italian/Hungarian) language, mathematics, and a foreign language) are compulsory, while students choose two additional subjects from an approved list. The general matura is led by the National Committee for the General Matura, which is appointed by the Minister. The administration of the matura examination is the responsibility of the school matura committee at individual schools, presided over by the head-teacher. The responsibility for technical and professional support for the preparation of examination materials and assessment is vested in the National Examinations Centre. The successful completion of the general matura examination grants candidates the right to enrol in first cycle academic and professional study programmes, and short-cycle higher vocational study programmes. Students who have successfully completed a technical upper-secondary education programme take a vocational matura. This is a final examination taken before a school examination committee that may contain external professionals as nominated by the competent chamber of employers and representative unions, as well as teachers. The vocational matura examination is a two-part examination, with one part comprising the compulsory exams in Slovenian (Italian/Hungarian) language and theoretical-technical subject, while the elective part consists of exam in either foreign language or mathematics, and a seminar, product or service with oral defence to demonstrate the practical skills for a chosen occupation. The general part of the vocational matura is an examination in the mother tongue and foreign language or Mathematics. Passing the vocational matura examination gives students the right to enrol in professional higher education study programmes or short-cycle higher vocational study programmes. Students may pursue their studies in certain academic higher education programmes, but they first have to take and pass another exam in one of the general matura subjects. TERTIARY EDUCATION TERTiARy EduCATiON Slovenia is actively involved in the Bologna process and as a member of the European Union committed itself to the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy. It aims to establish a high quality, diverse and accessible, as well as internationally comparable tertiary education system. Among the most important fundamental objectives of tertiary education are quality, employability and mobility in Europe and the world, fair access, diversity of institutions and study programmes. The tertiary education in Slovenia consists of short-cycle higher vocational education and higher education. Both subsystems of tertiary education are interrelated in that they are linked by a system of quality assurance, students' progression from lower to higher level education, and also partly by institutional and programme compatibility. According to Eurostat, Slovenia surpassed the specific target of the Europe 2020 Strategy in 2015, namely 40% of 30 to 34 year olds with tertiary educational qualification. The percentage of population in Slovenia was at 43.43 . The percentage share of population with tertiary education continues to increase. In 2002, there were 215 000 (12.9 %) of population older than 15 years with tertiary education, and at the beginning of 2015, nearly 375 000 or over one fifth of all over 15 years of age. Short-cycle higher vocational education In 2016/2017 school year, 28 public and 20 private higher vocational colleges advertised open places in year one of 31 various study programmes. In 2016/2017, 10 670 students pursued short-cycle higher vocational education in various study programmes. The practice-oriented programmes, which were developed to meet the needs of the economy, are of two years' duration. They provide students with vocational competencies in accordance with vocational standards. Graduates are trained for managing, planning and controlling work processes. 3 Data from EUROSTAT were collected in the Labour Force Survey. Using a single methodology, the data were collected for all EU Member States, which, like Slovenia, committed to pursuing the Europe 2020 Strategy. According to data SURS for 2015, collected with the register-based census, the share of young people aged 30 to 34 years with tertiary educational qualification was at 36.8 %. TERTIARY EDUCATION Enrolment in short-cycle higher vocational education, 2016/2017 Full-time Part-time Total Public higher vocational colleges and concessionaires 6 126 6 126 1 826 2 718 4 544 7 952 2 718 10 670 Private higher vocational colleges Total Source: MIZŠ. higher education Higher education is organized at public and private universities and independent higher education institutions. In the 2016/2017 academic year, over 68 500 students pursued studies at faculties, art academies and higher education professional institutions. The number of higher education institutions has increased markedly in the last decade. In 2016/2017, there were three public and two private universities, one independent public higher education institution and 46 private higher education institutions in Slovenia. The main tasks of higher education institutions – scientific or artistic work, and education - are determined by law. Strategic objectives for individual five- to ten-year periods are determined by the national higher education programme adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. Higher education is organized in three study cycles. The first-cycle features professional and academic undergraduate study programmes; the second-cycle features postgraduate master's study programmes (second cycle or integrated), and the third-cycle postgraduate doctoral study programmes. The introduction of the new Bologna study programmes in all cycles was completed in the 2009/2010 academic year. Study programmes are carried out as full-time or part-time studies or in the form of distance learning. Studies on old programmes had to be completed by end of the 2015/2016 academic year. In the 2015/2016 academic year, over 12 000 students completed their studies on old programmes. Tertiary education study programmes take 2 to 6 years. Credit points – ECTS are awarded according to student workload. One full-time study year corresponds to 60 ECTS, whereby 1 ECTS equals 25–30 hours of work or a total of 1 500 to 1 800 hours of work per year. TERTIARY EDUCATION Enrolment in higher education, 2016/2017 academic year (initial data) Full-time Part-time Total public higher education institutions 53 321 33 768 22 254 11 514 19 213 4 725 14 488 340 3 247 2 114 446 1 668 883 883 250 250 56 568 6 384 3 761 1 235 2 526 941 46 895 1 682 5 627 4 559 240 4 319 802 802 266 266 12 011 59 705 37 529 23 489 14 040 20 154 4 771 15 3832 022 8 874 6 673 686 5 987 1 685 1 685 516 516 68 579 Undergraduate programmes (first cycle) Academic Professional Postgraduate programmes (second cycle) Integrated master Master Postgraduate programmes (third cycle) private higher education institutions Undergraduate programmes (first cycle) Academic Professional Postgraduate programmes (second cycle) Master Postgraduate programmes (third cycle) Doctorate of science Total Source: eVŠ, MIZŠ, enrolment as on 30 October 2016 (initial data). Type of tertiary education study programme Duration ECTS Entry requirements Short-cycle higher vocational study programmes 2 years 3–4 years 3–4 years 1–2 years 5 years 3 years 120 Certificate of general matura or vocational matura or title mojster (master craftsman), foreman or shop manager and 3 years of work experience, as well as passed examination of knowledge in the general part of the vocational matura 180–240 Certificate of vocational matura or general matura 180–240 Certificate of general matura or vocational matura with an additional general matura subject 60–120 Bachelor’s degree in respective study fields, or bachelor’s degree in other study fields and bridging obligations of 10 to 60 ECTS 300 Certificate of general matura or vocational matura and an additional subject of the general matura 180 Second cycle master’s degree or an integrated master’s degree Professional undergraduate study programmes (1st cycle) Academic undergraduate study programmes (1st cycle) Master’s study programmes (2nd cycle) Integrated master’s study programmes (2nd cycle) Doctoral study programmes TERTIARY EDUCATION Enrollment Tertiary education entry requirements are specified by law and study programmes. Commonly, candidates shall have a certificate of general matura. The general matura gives students access to any short-cycle higher vocational or bachelor's or integrated master’s higher education study programme. In case, the number of applicants exceeds the capacity, candidates with better overall grade in the matura or vocational matura and the overall grades in years 3 and 4 or grades of individual subjects in upper secondary education are selected. Candidates' success from prior studies is also taken into account even when they enrol in masters' and doctoral study programmes. Students apply to short-cycle higher vocational and higher education study programmes upon a public call for enrolment which is issued at least six months before the beginning of the new academic year. Public higher vocational colleges shall obtain consent of the Minister of education to their proposed number places. The maximum number of places in private higher vocational colleges is specified by the decision on entering the relevant institution in the official register of tertiary institutions. Enrolment in tertiary education by study fields, 2016/2017 academic year Education science and teacher training Arts and humanities Social, business, administration and legal sciences Natural science, mathematics and computer science Engineering, manufacturing technology and building industry Agriculture, forestry, fishery, veterinary medicine Health and welfare Services Note: Enrolment data are collected as of 15 October and for a specific year shown (e.g. 2009), they relate to the current academic year (e.g. 2009/2010) Data indicate decimals, because students may take double major programmes, thereby, they are related to two fields. TERCIARNO IzOBRAŽEvANJE Quality The Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (SQAA) was founded in 2009 and registered in the European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (EQAR) in 2013. The SQAA is part of the European system of quality assurance in higher education. It allows for the direct improvement of quality of European higher education, promotes greater mobility of students and facilitates trust between higher education institutions. BASiC muSiC ANd dANCE EduCATiON EduCATiON OF ChiLdREN wiTh SpECiAL EduCATiONAL NEEdS AduLT EduCATiON bASIC MUSIC AND DANCE EDUCATION BASiC muSiC ANd dANCE EduCATiON Slovenia has a well-developed system of non-compulsory basic music and ballet education. It is provided outside mainstream formal education and, pupils may attend school simultaneously. The education is uniform in terms of organisation, but is internally differentiated in terms of content in order to enable students finish their education at the basic level and allow talented students to continue their music and dance education. It is provided by public and private music and ballet schools; they may also organise other music and dance activities. They cater for pre-school children, basic school pupils, upper secondary school students, tertiary students and adults, as well. Candidates are required to pass an entrance aptitude test. Basic school pupils who attend music schools may be exempted from attending an elective subject and all the same, have their elective obligations of the basic school programme recognised. Officially recognised programmes provided by public and private music and ballet schools are primarily financed by public funds; however, schools may charge parents material costs. Schools established by local communities and private providers allow students to gain artistic experience, encourage students to perform solo, set up chamber music groups and orchestras and dance groups; the most talented students are prepared to participate in music and dance competitions. At the beginning of the 2016/2017 school year, there were close to 25 500 students enrolled on the basic music and ballet education programmes, of which some 1 300 on the dance programmes. Basic school pupils make up for 14% of all music school students. In the 2014/2015 school year, 3 165 students completed basic music and ballet education programmes. In the same school year, music and ballet schools had a staff of 1 920 teachers and accompanists: on average 13 students per teacher. basic music and ballet education programmes include: • 1-year pre-school music education • 1-year preparatory music school • 3-year preparatory dance school • 4-, 6- or 8-year music programme • 6-year dance programme. bASIC MUSIC AND DANCE EDUCATION Ballet and music education programmes comprise compulsory subjects, accompaniments and student performances as well as supplementary lessons for exceptionally talented students. Orchestral and other instruments are taught, as well as singing, dancing (ballet, modern dance), chamber and ensemble music, orchestra (string, wind, accordion, and symphony), music theory, as well as solfeggio and folk instruments: zither, tamburitza, and diatonic harmonica. The pre-school level is comprised of pre-school music education, music and dance preparatory school. The maximum number of hours per week at the pre-school and preparatory levels is 2 or 3 lessons in dance education, and later on, 4 to 9 lessons or not more than 13 in dance education. An individual lesson takes 20, 30 or 45 minutes and a group lesson 45 or 60 minutes. At music schools, educational provision is organised in grades, classes and groups. Lessons of instruments and singing are taken individually, while lessons in other subjects are taken in groups. Programmes Enrolment in basic music and dance education, beginning of the 2016/2017 school year Total Pre-school music education Preparatory music school Preparatory dance school Music Dance Total 25 482 23 895 1 587 633 558 75 1 745 1 584 161 1 198 1 161 37 20 630 19 342 1 288 1 276 1 250 26 Public music schools Private music schools Source: MIZŠ. EDUCATION OF ChILDREN wITh SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS EduCATiON OF ChiLdREN wiTh SpECiAL EduCATiONAL NEEdS The education of children with special educational needs (SEN children) is based on the principle of equal opportunity, whilst taking into account the diversity of children’s needs, inclusion, parental involvement, individualised method of work, as well as all other conditions to ensure the best development of the individual child. In Slovenia, the education of SEN children is provided exclusively as a public service, namely at public kindergartens, schools, specialised public schools or public institutions. The government provides officially recognised education programmes from the pre-school level to the end of upper secondary education. In accordance with the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act, SEN children are: • children with mental disabilities • deaf children and children with hearing impairments • blind children and children with visual impairments • children with speech and language impairment • children with physical disabilities • children with problems in specific fields of education • children with long-term illness • children with emotional and behavioural problems, and • children with autistic disorders. Programmes of all types and stages of education with the adapted implementation and additional professional assistance are provided at kindergartens and schools in regular classes. The majority of SEN children (75 %) enrol in the above-mentioned programmes. There has been a decline in the number of SEN children enrolled in the adapted and special programmes for SEN children provided at special class units (or units) within regular kindergartens and basic schools (21 schools), specialised basic schools (27), public institutions for the education of SEN children and youth (15), and public social care centres (5). The education programmes for children with emotional and behavioural problems are provided only by public institutions for the education of SEN children. The education of SEN children is financed by public funds. Specialised public basic schools for education of SEN children may be founded by local communities; public institutions for SEN children are founded by the state. EDUCATION OF ChILDREN wITh SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS SEN children in specialised programmes, beginning of the 2016/2017 school year Classes/pupils in mainstream kindergartens or basic schools Basic schools with adapted programme Institutions for SEN children Adapted pre-school programme or pre­school education in an institution classes No data No data --53 324 31 178 ---- ----167 1 248 163 987 --20 157 14 71 69 416 25 149 26 155 47 287 96 725 pupils Adapted basic school programme of an equal educational standard classes pupils Adapted basic school programme of a lower educational standard classes pupils Special education programme classes pupils Adapted upper secondary education programmes of an equal educational standard classes pupils Educational groups at institutions for children with emotional and behavioural problems classes pupils - no occurrence of event Source: MIZŠ. In 2016, there were 28 residence halls for permanent or temporary accommodation, 5 of which were social care institutions, available to SEN children. They cater to various groups of children and their specific needs: children with mental disabilities, children with physical disabilities, blind and visually impaired children, deaf and children with hearing impairments, and children with emotional and behavioural problems. EDUCATION OF ChILDREN wITh SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS In the 2016/2017 school year, the percentage of SEN children included in regular basic school programmes was at 5.8% of basic school population. In Slovenia, the participation of SEN children in the regular school system is based on the concept of inclusive education by the right of all children to develop optimally their potentials, and by their right to non-discrimination. At the beginning of the 2016/2017 school year4, 10 072 SEN children or 5.8 % of all basic school pupils followed regular education programmes. In regular education programmes, various groups of SEN children are provided with partial individualisation through adapted implementation or an adapted programme and additional professional assistance. The latter is provided as assistance to overcome handicaps, impairments or disabilities, as learning assistance and as assistance aimed at creating a supportive environment. The adjustments may refer to organisation of teaching, methods of assessment, progression and the schedule of lessons. If necessary, the adjustments can also include spatial layouts and learning or teaching tools and materials. A SEN child may have a permanent or temporary assistant assigned to him or her. In the adapted education programmes with equivalent education standards, the timetable and external assessment may be adapted, as well, and in the 4 MIZŠ data as on 30 September 2016 EDUCATION OF ChILDREN wITh SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS adapted education programmes with lower educational standard, the subject curricula, educational cycles and completion requirements. Any SEN children, for whom the instruction at the location of their residence and transport due to the great distance from the location of schooling cannot be provided, may be placed in an institution for the education of SEN children, social welfare institution, and residence hall for such children or a foster family. Age levels and sizes of classes with SEN children At kindergartens, no more than two SEN children may be included in a regular class, and such classes can be smaller than the usual. A class with an adapted programme for pre-school children, however, may include a maximum of six SEN children. In classes with an adapted basic school programme with an equal or lower education standard for SEN children and in classes carrying out a special programme for children with moderate or severe mental disabilities, the class sizes are considerably smaller than ordinary classes, ranging from 5 to a maximum of 12 pupils, and differ by programmes and the special needs of the children. A special education programme is provided for children with moderate and severe mental disabilities to the age of 26. At upper secondary schools providing adapted education programmes, typically, classes contain 10 students, and learning groups 4 to 12 students. Basic and upper secondary school classes that contain SEN pupils or students may be smaller than specified by regulations. Placement of SEN children The placement of SEN children is initiated based on a written request by either parents or the school. In the first instance, the decision on the placement of SEN children is taken by the National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. Children are placed in education programmes by taking into consideration their physical, cognitive, emotional, social and health-related needs. Furthermore, their attained level of development is taken into account as well as their learning abilities, achievement of knowledge standards and further development outlook in light of their handicaps, impairments or disabilities. Commissions at the first and second instance draft an expert opinion suggesting the placement of SEN children in an adequate education programme. In the second instance, the SEN children placement commission responds to the complaints against the commission’s decisions in the first instance. The commission is set up at the ministry of education. IzOBRAŽEvANJE OTROk S POSEBNIMI POTREBAMI ADULT EDUCATION AduLT EduCATiON Adult education comprises the education, training and learning of individuals who have fulfilled the legal compulsory basic school education obligation and wish to acquire, update, expand and deepen their knowledge, and do not have the status of a regular pupil or student. A wide variety of programmes and training providers are available within the adult education system in Slovenia. The Adult Education Act regulates adult education, whereas some other programmes available to adults are governed by sector-specific law. A public organisation providing adult training may be founded as a public institution or an organisational unit of an educational institution, another institution or another legal entity. They are founded by local communities or the state. Adult education is provided by adult education institutions, schools or their units, specialised adult education institutions, as well as other public or private institutions on the register of adult education institutions, by company training centres and private individuals enjoying a status of a private teacher. According to Eurostat, 11.9 % of the population aged 25 to 64 years participated in lifelong education and training. goals of adult education Principles behind adult education: • life-long education • access to education under the same conditions • freedom and autonomy to choose the path, content, forms, means and methods of education • secularism of adult education provided as a public service • professional and ethical responsibility of education staff • respect of the personality and dignity of every participant, and • achieving the same educational standards of officially recognised educational qualification as they apply to youth. Programmes of formal educational qualification Adults who wish to acquire basic school educational qualification take lessons of the basic school programme for adults. Acquiring basic school educational qualification is the right at any time in life and free of charge at any age. In the 2014/2015 school year, 174 adults successfully completed the basic school programme for adults. ADULT EDUCATION Enrolled Completed Adults in upper secondary education, end of 2014/2015 school year 13 327 6 604 6 723 2 291 1 037 1 254 7 533 4 020 3 513 1 200 684 516 ---52 37 15 464 221 243 102 25 77 - no occurrence of event Source: SURS. Adults who wish to receive upper secondary educational qualification may enrol in regular upper secondary education programmes with special adjustments for adults. The organisation of education is adapted to meet the needs of adults. In the 2014/2015 school year, 13 327 adults were enrolled on upper secondary adult education programmes. The institutions that organise the adult education that leads to an educational qualification are primarily upper secondary schools with adult education units; the enrolment percentage of adults in these institutions was at 57 % of all adults in upper secondary education. Of the 2 291 adults who completed upper secondary education, as many as three quarters finished upper secondary technical education and slightly less than a quarter (24 %) the upper secondary vocational education. Mojster (master craftsman) exam Mojster exams are open to candidates with: • upper secondary vocational education certificate and at least three years relevant work experience • upper-secondary technical education and at least two years relevant work experience • short-cycle higher vocational education and at least one year relevant work experience. Foreman and shop manager exams Foreman and shop manager exams are open to those with upper-secondary vocational education and at least three years of work experience from the relevant field. ADULT EDUCATION Those who successfully pass the master craftsman, foreman or shop manager exam officially complete their upper secondary technical education. Special education programmes Adults may also acquire knowledge and skills within special officially recognised adult education programmes, which constitute only a small portion of the range of informal adult education programmes. The officially recognised programmes targeted at special groups of adults, particularly those needing to improve their basic competences or literacy skills or requiring assistance integrating in society, have been approved by the Council of Experts for Adult Education and are mostly available free of charge. The main officially recognised programmes include programmes for learning foreign languages, digital literacy, Slovenian language for foreigners, development of literacy and basic competences of adults and family literacy Education programme for success in life (UŽU). A special officially recognised one-year programme called Project learning for young adults (PUM) is designed for young people who have dropped out of school before attaining their vocational qualification. The programme helps them reintegrate into the formal education system, develop their professional identity and enter the labour market. Informal education may be of a professional nature, i.e. further training and educational pathways in connection with job promotion or of a general nature aimed at personal development. Study clubs and independent learning centres constitute an important type of informal education. Many adults in Slovenia are involved in occasional self-learning. Overview of the adult education provision The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education is the supporting institute for adult education founded by the state. Each year, it publishes a catalogue of formal and non-formal adult education. The catalogue contains information about programmes that are available to adult learners, as well as information ADULT EDUCATION - no occurrence of event Source: SURS. about providers of education programmes, namely for a separate school year. In December 2016, the catalogue for the 2016/2017 school year contained information about 194 providers and 3 455 educational programmes. The majority are private providers, followed in number by public upper secondary schools and public specialised adult education centres. Informal programmes, primarily language courses and managerial training, constitute the majority of the courses offered and are followed by computer courses, courses for personal growth and communication. The Slovenian qualification framework (SOK) is a unified system of qualifications reached with the educational, vocational or supplementary qualification of the Republic of Slovenia. It is made of 10 levels as defined by learning outcomes. The SOK qualifications correspond to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA). The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for vocational education and training (CPI) is the competent SOK-EQF national coordination point. Recognition of informally acquired knowledge Slovenia has developed a system for the recognition of non-formal learning and established the national vocational qualification system for recognising competencies on the labour market. The system is administered by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs. The national vocational qualifications are developed from vocational standards, namely at the request of employers. Persons who acquired specific knowledge and skills in a non-formal manner may apply to have their knowledge certified. In this procedure, they have to demonstrate knowledge as specified by the relevant catalogue for a specific vocational qualification; i.e. by producing a personal portfolio and taking a test. Upon the successful completion, the candidate is awarded a certificate of national vocational qualification. EduCATiON STAFF QuALiTy ASSuRANCE iN EduCATiON EDUCATION STAFF EduCATiON STAFF Education staff at kindergartens and schools that provide officially recognised education programmes include pre-school teachers, pre-school teacher assistants, teachers, counsellors, school librarians and other education staff. Both public and private kindergartens and schools shall ensure that their education staff is adequately qualified, that is they have a perfect command of Slovenian (and/or the language of the relevant ethnic minority); hold a relevant educational qualification and they have passed the professional examination. • Pre-school teachers, second teachers in the first grade and teachers of professional subjects in vocational and technical education shall hold an educational qualification of no less than the first cycle study programme. • Teachers, counsellors, school librarians and other education staff shall hold an educational qualification of the second cycle study programme. • Pre-school teacher assistants in kindergartens, laboratory assistants and teachers of practical lessons and skills in vocational and technical education shall have no less than upper secondary technical education. All education staff shall hold a relevant pedagogical-andragogical educational qualification, while education staff in education of SEN children shall hold special pedagogical educational qualification. Pre-school teachers acquire a suitable educational qualification in first-cycle study programmes, which usually last 3 years (180 ECTS), while study programmes for teachers of professional and theoretical subjects usually last 3 or 4 years (180 or 240 ECTS). Other teachers, school librarians and counsellors acquire their educational qualification in second-cycle study programmes of total 5 years or 300 ECTS (integrated programmes, 3+2, or 4+1). There are two pathways to a teaching qualification: under a concurrent model (in parallel with the subject of instruction) or under a consecutive model in a supplementary study programme after receiving the degree in a subject of instruction. EDUCATION STAFF Education staff at kindergartens, 2015/2016 school year Total Men Women Total 11 797 5 174 1 902 3 272 5 727 2 301 3 426 417 155 324 292 54 12 42 196 53 143 19 1 22 11 505 5 120 1 890 3 230 5 531 2 248 3 283 398 154 302 Pre-school teachers – total Age group 1 Age group 2 Pre-school teacher assistants Age group 1 Age group 2 Management Counsellors Other education staff Source: SURS. Education staff at basic schools, 2014/2015 school year Total Men Women basic schools basic schools and institutions providing adapted education programmes EMPLOYEES 17 819 6 503 6 673 2 128 805 844 866 2 237 181 1 370 237 217 23 209 15 582 6 322 5 303 1 891 588 821 657 Teachers of the educational cycles 1 and 2 Teachers of the educational cycle 3 Teachers of after-school classes Management Counsellors Other education staff EMPLOYEES 1 047 323 284 103 53 87 197 128 12 69 14 11 2 20 919 311 215 89 42 85 177 Teachers of the educational cycles 1 and 2 Teachers of the educational cycle 3 Teachers of after-school classes Management staff Counsellors Other education staff Source: SURS. EDUCATION STAFF Education staff at public upper secondary schools, 2014/2015 school year Total Men Women Total 6 994 6 088 253 198 455 2 323 2 069 110 9 135 4 671 4 019 143 189 320 Teachers Management Counsellors Other education staff Source: SURS. Education staff at higher vocational colleges include lecturers, instructors, laboratory assistants and librarians. • Candidates for the lecturer title shall hold no less than a master’s degree, and have three years of relevant work experience and significant achievements in the respective profession. • Instructors shall hold no less than a bachelor’s degree, lab assistants a degree in short-cycle higher vocational education. Education staff in short-cycle higher education shall have relevant pedagogical-andragogical educational qualification. Lecturers are appointed for a term of five years by the college’s panel of lecturers. 1) full Time Equivalent Source: SURS. EDUCATION STAFF In higher education teaching and/or scientific research are pursued by teaching faculty and research faculty respectively, as well as by faculty assistants. higher education teaching faculty includes assistant professors, associate professors, full professors and lectors; in professional higher education study programmes teaching may be pursued by lecturers and senior lecturers. Candidates for election to the title of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor shall hold a doctorate of science; in the field of art, the candidates shall have an acclaimed artistic production. Candidates for other teaching titles shall have no less than a master’s degree. Moreover, all candidates shall attest their pedagogical skills. Research faculty that implements a scientific research programme of a higher education institution shall hold a doctorate of science. The titles include researcher, senior researcher and research advisor. Source: SURS. EDUCATION STAFF Faculty assistants include assistants, librarians, expert advisors, senior experts, junior experts and instructors. Faculty assistants shall hold a master’s degree and attest their pedagogical skills. The titles are awarded by the senates of higher education institutions, namely for a term of 5 years or indefinitely in case of the titles full professor or research advisor. The criteria for awarding a title are specified by the senate of the university and/or higher education institution, whereby it complies with the standards and criteria of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Employment and working conditions Education and other staff in public kindergartens, schools, higher education institutions, and other institutions have the status of public servants. Policies concerning salaries, employment relationships and retirement are uniform for the entire country. The Slovenian Employment Relationship Act sets forth employment by means of entering into and terminating agreements, 40-hour work week, types and forms of relationships under labour law, rights, obligations, and responsibilities in connection with the working time, payments, leave of absences, and similar. Specific rights arising from relationships under labour law are subject to collective negotiations between the Government and labour unions, and they are governed by collective agreements of a respective sector. A special law governs the pension and disability insurance obligation in view of intergenerational solidarity. The salaries of education employees based on the principle of equal pay for comparable jobs within the entire public sector are governed by the Public Sector Salary System Act. Employees are recruited via public advertisement of a post that is set forth according to the staffing structure of posts, defined norms and standards, as well EDUCATION STAFF as the consent of the competent administrative body; in higher education, it is set forth according to the provisions of the higher education institution’s statute. The employment agreement may be a fixed-term or open-ended, full-time or part-time; the agreement about working conditions is governed by an employment contract. Education staff may take their first job in kindergartens and schools as beginners or trainees as a rule, for 10 months if they hold a bachelor or master’s degree and 6 months if they have an upper secondary technical educational qualification. Assisted or guided by a mentor they shall train in order to be able to perform their work independently and prepare for their professional examination. Only after they have passed the professional examination they fully meet the requirements to do the educational work. Education staff continues with their professional education and training throughout their career, and successfully completed programmes of continuous professional development are a prerequisite for any promotion to higher salary grades or titles. Education staff may be promoted to the job titles Mentor, Advisor and Councillor. Teaching time of teachers and other Teaching time in hours (60 minutes) per week education staff Pre-school teacher 30 hours Pre-school teacher assistant 35 hours Slovenian (Italian, Hungarian) language teacher 15.75 hours Teacher 16.5 hours Teacher of after-school classes 20.8 hours In-hospital teacher 18.75 hours Slovenian (Italian, Hungarian) language teacher 14.25 hours Teacher 15 hours Accompanist 15 hours Teacher of practical lessons and skills 18.75 hours Laboratory assistant 22.5 hours Educator (at residence hall) 30 hours Lecturer 8.5 hours Instructor 10.6 hours Laboratory assistant 13.9 hours Assistant professor, associate professor and full professor 3.75-5.25 hrs. Senior lecturer, lecturer and lector 6.75 hours Assistant 7.5 hours EDUCATION STAFF Counselling service All public kindergartens and schools shall have a counselling service provided by counsellors. These may be professionals in the field of psychology, pedagogy, social work, social pedagogy, special pedagogy, rehabilitation pedagogy, etc. Larger kindergartens and schools have several counsellors on staff and smaller ones have at least one, employed part-time. Counsellors perform three commonly interconnected and intertwined types of activities: supportive, developmental and preventive, as well as activities of planning and evaluating. They perform pedagogical, psychological, and social counselling. They help children, pupils, upper secondary students, teachers, parents and management. Furthermore, they are involved in developing and implementing individualised programmes for SEN children. School librarians All schools shall have a library and a school librarian. School librarians are qualified teachers holding a certificate of the supplementary study programme in library science or librarians holding the pedagogical-andragogical educational qualification. Management staff Public kindergartens and schools are managed by head teachers. They assume two roles: that of a pedagogical leader and that of an executive manager. A kindergarten head teacher candidate shall meet the requirements for a kindergarten teacher or counsellor, and a school head teacher candidate shall meet the requirements for a teacher or a counsellor, namely at the school where he or she shall assume the position of a head teacher. They are also required to have at least 5 years of work experience in education, the title Advisor or Counsellor or at least 5 years the title Mentor, and have a headship license. Head teachers are appointed by a kindergarten or school council based on the opinions offered by the assembly of pre-school teachers, teachers or lecturers, local community, council of parents, and the Minister of education. Upper secondary students and students of short-cycle higher vocational education also offer their opinion about head teacher candidates in upper secondary schools and higher vocational colleges. Public adult education organisations are managed by a director, and organisational units by a head teacher or head of unit. The head shall have a degree in higher education, passed their professional examination, and have at least 5 years of work experience, of which three years in adult education. A university is managed and represented by a rector elected by all members EDUCATION STAFF of teaching and research faculty, and by one-fifth of votes students, as well. Professional leaders of higher education institutions that are members of the university are deans. They are appointed by the university rector upon the recommendation of the senate of the member institution. The dean of an independent higher education institution that is not a member of the university is both manager and professional leader. Technical and administrative staff Kindergartens and schools may employ accountants and administrative assistants to do the accounting and administrative work. However, the founder of a kindergarten or school may organise accounting, administrative, maintenance and other work to be done by respective divisions; kindergartens and schools may sign on a subcontractor from outside the school / a company or not an employee of the school. Kindergartens and schools employ cleaning staff and a caretaker to do the technical, maintenance and other housekeeping related work. Upper secondary schools employ a maintenance keeper for IT and other computer equipment, and at kindergartens, there is a laundress. Kindergartens and basic schools employ cooks to prepare food, and kindergartens employ a cook assistant, as well. Schools that implement a special education programme for children with special educational needs may employ minder – carers. Institutions that implement education programmes for deaf and hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired, and children with physical disabilities employ maintenance workers to maintain, adapt and rent out computer, electro-acoustic and other equipment. Kindergartens and schools may also employ an attendant of a child with physical disability (pupil or upper secondary student) if it is so specified by the SEN child placement decision. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN EDUCATION QuALiTy ASSuRANCE iN EduCATiON Slovenia shall endeavour to provide all participants in education with access to a high quality education and to this end, it has developed a system of quality assurance in education. The regularity or legality of management and education activities at public and private institutions holding a concession is supervised by the school inspectorate. It carries out regular and extraordinary inspections and examines legal, organisational and other administrative procedures. Kindergartens and schools carry out regular self-evaluations. Self-evaluation reports are reviewed and approved annually by the councils of respective institutions. In the process of self-evaluation, education institutions evaluate, in particular, education processes, and compare students' results of internal assessment to those of external assessment of knowledge. Findings of the self-evaluation are then considered when developing a work plan in the following school year, as well as when long-term planning (e.g. when developing a development programme). All documents are adopted by the council of the institution. By law, upper secondary technical and vocational schools shall establish quality committees based on the principle of social partnership. According to the indicator of quality adopted by the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for vocational and technical education, schools publish online annual quality reports by the school quality committee. The Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training is responsible to monitor the process of quality assessment and assurance in vocational and technical education. At the end of the second cycle (grade 6) and at the end of basic school education (grade 9), an organised national assessment takes place. At the end of upper secondary upper secondary education, students in technical education take vocational matura and students in gimnazija take general matura. Both types are external final examinations, either completely or in part. Every year, the National Examination Centre makes a thorough analysis of the final examination outcome by subjects, municipalities and by schools. The analysis results are communicated to the ministry of education and respective schools. The information about the achievement of pupils and students in school is not public. Schools apply the information to assess the level of quality achieved in their work. They may compare the achievements of their pupils or upper secondary students to the average and highest outcomes on a national level. QUALITY ASSURANCE IN EDUCATION The Quality and evaluation council is a body appointed by the minister to cater for the coordination of evaluation programmes in pre-school education, basic school education, and upper secondary education; it reports to the minister. It shall also establish criteria and procedures for assessing and assuring quality in kindergartens and schools, at a national level. It shall define strategies and the course of evaluation activities. It shall identify basic dilemmas of evaluation, recommend the commission of evaluation studies, and propose call for tenders and selection of evaluation studies. The final decision is made by the Minister of education. Furthermore, the council shall monitor the course of evaluation studies and report to the council of experts, the minister and other professionals. Information on the enrolment of children, pupils, upper secondary students and tertiary students, employees, institutions and programme structure are collected and administered by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. They are published in a form that prevents the identification of a specific statistical unit. In tertiary education, internal evaluation is the responsibility of higher vocational colleges and higher education institutions, and external evaluation of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in higher Education has the main role in external evaluation. EURYDICE SLOvENIA EuRydiCE SLOvENiA Eurydice Slovenia, which is responsible for this publication, is the national unit of the network for the exchange of information on education systems. It is a part of the Education Development Office at the ministry of education. The Eurydice network operates within the Erasmus+ programme and has 42 national units in 38 countries and a central office in Brussels. The network's mission is: • to provide reliable and relevant information from the field of education • to analyse different aspects of education systems • to contribute to European understanding of education, and • support evidence-based political decisions at the national and European level. Products of the network include: • comparable and up-to-date descriptions of national education systems • comparative studies (Thematic Reports) • publications with indicators and statistics Key Data • publications with information on the structure and main characteristics of educations systems (Facts and Figures). Eurydice Slovenia publishes all works on its website, www.eurydice.si. In addition to studies prepared by the network, the Eurydice website also publishes regular news from the field of education, information of reforms in other countries and links to collections of education legislation. NOTES ThE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN ThE REPUbLIC OF SLOvENIA ISCED-A 2011 840 760 640 650 550 344 354 353 244 100 020 General access Access subject to speci.c conditions Compulsory education Vocational course Matura course Study programmes Master cra.sman exam Foreman exam Shop manager exam From school/academic year 2016/2017 ISSN 2536-3352 ThE EduCATiON SySTEm iN ThE REpuBLiC OF SLOvENiA