Professional employees in schools and school facilities provide help and counselling to pedagogical employees, children, pupils, and legal representatives.

These are the school psychologist, school speech therapist, special pedagogue and therapeutic pedagogue.

A qualification prerequisite  for the pursuit of activity of a professional employee is higher education of the second level of the respective branch.

School  psychologist in school or school facility performs psychological diagnostics and counselling; helps children, pupils, parents, and teacher in overcoming barriers in education and training; and assists the psychologist.

School speech therapeutist  provides intervention and counselling to children and pupils with impaired communication ability and to their legal representatives and teachers.

Special pedagogue provides help to children and pupils with special educational needs or risk development, focuses on the correction of learning disorders and behaviour, and provides counselling to the legal representatives and teachers.

Therapeutic pedagogue provides therapeutic-educational  help and counselling to children and pupils with impaired or threatened psychological, emotional, or social development and behaviour disorders, and to their legal representatives and teachers.

In schools and school facilities, headteachers create specialised positions for professional employees which support the education-training process and assist in solving problems that have arisen. 

These specialised career positions include:

• educational counsellor,
• career advisor, and
• supervisor. 

The school psychologist can perform specialised activities as an educational counsellor and career advisor in the school and school facilities. 

Specialised positions require the completion of appropriate specialised education. The headteacher will decide on establishing specialised career positions in the school. 

The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the SR highlights the priorities for every year in the pedagogical organisational guidelines, thus enabling schools to appropriately choose required specialised positions, which provide support to the school management in their implementation.  

Legislative references

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2019. Act No. 138/2019 on pedagogical employees and professional employees and on the change and supplement to some acts (Zákon č. 138/2019 Z.z. o pedagogických zamestnancoch a odborných zamestnancoch a o zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov) (last accessed 23/10/2020).

National Council of the Slovak Republic, 2008. Act No. 245/2008 on education and training (Education Act) and on the change and supplement to some acts as amended by subsequent provisions (Zákon č. 245/2008 Z.z. o výchove a vzdelávaní (školský zákon) a o zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov v znení neskorších predpisov) (last accessed 23/10/2020).