overview of changes in education in the slovak republic lucia auxtova ministry of education of the...
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Overview of Changes in Education in the Slovak Republic
Lucia Auxtova
Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, Lifelong Learning Division
Reforms
• Need to change
• Changes at all levels of education
• Mainly contentual changes
Latest News
• Act on Education (School Act) with effect from September 2008;
• Act on Vocational Education and Training with effect from September 2009;
• Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff with effect from November 2009;
• Act on Lifelong Learning – approved by the National Council of the Slovak Republic, December 2009
Act on Education (School Act) 1
• creates space for a creative work of teachers and for the development of complex cognitive functions of pupils;
• openness of the system of education and training;
• innovation of content, methods and forms of the education;
• support of the creative thinking through the development of key competencies.
Act on Education (School Act) 2
• state curriculum – 70% of the study,
- compulsory content of education,
- issued and published by the MoE,• school curriculum – 30% of the study,
- basic document of the school,
- issued by the school director,
- reflects the concrete contentual focus of a school.
• Accordance of the school curriculum with the state one and with aims and principles of education is controlled by the State School Inspection.
Act on Vocational Education and Training 1
• referring to the School Act,• one of the pillars of reform changes in education in
Slovakia,• regulates conditions of vocational education and training;• solves the tasks of governance bodies, employers and
employees;• conditions motivating employers for the support of VET –
through contributions to VET Development Fund;
Act on Vocational Education and Training 2
• establishment of National VET Board as an advisory body of the Slovak government + regional and sector boards;
• system of incentive scholarships, financial compensations and creature comforts for pupils (alimentation, accomodation, travels expenses, providing of protective working tools).
Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 1
• one of the pillars of reform changes in education in Slovakia;
• deals with the teachers´ position in a complex;• equalize teaching staff with professional one
with regard to their status, continuing education and financing;
• more distinctive differentiation of teachers´ renumeration according to their continuing education;
Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 2
• creates the teachers´ career system based on two career pathways:
- first pathway with 4 career levels: teacher- beginner, teacher, teacher with the 1st attestation and teacher with the 2nd
attestation;
- second pathway: classification of a teacher on the career position of teacher-specialist or head;
Act on Pedagogical and Professional Staff 3
• adjust the rights and obligations of teachers in their continuing education;
• deals with the position of teachers as public agents in order to raise their protection from an accruing aggressiveness at schools.
Act on Lifelong Learning 1
• based on national Lifelong Learning Strategy;• completes acts mentioned previously;• Lifelong learning as an educational activity performed
in formal education, informal education and non-formal learning focused on acquisition and deepening of knowledge, skills and competencies of a person.
• Creates such an environment where a person will be able to acquire and deepen his/her qualification during his/her lifetime as it will be required by the labour market;
Act on Lifelong Learning 2
Act will regulate:
- Accreditation of informal education;- Recognition of informal education outcomes;- Creation of National System of Qualifications;- Creation of credit system – creation of preconditions for
the transfer of outcomes of informal education into formal one;
- Creation of Information System of Informal Education;
Act on Lifelong Learning 3
• Financing of informal education: financial tool – tax bonus - which, after the successful completion of the educational course, retroactively reimburse the part of expenses connected with it;
• Monitoring and Prognozing System of Educational Needs - results from the need of flexible definition of qualifications currently required at labour market→ tool of guidance and counselling and regulation of the lifelong learning offer.
