2022
Modernisation of preschool education
In February 2022, the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for general education adopted the background documents for the modernisation of the kindergarten curriculum. To support the producing of the background documents, the ministry responsible for education developed in 2020 the “Insight into the challenges of the Slovenian education” (Pogled na izzive slovenske vzgoje in izobraževanja). It identified key challenges of the education system based on the analysis made by the ministry in the scope of the internal diagnostics and in consideration of certain recommendations by the public institutes and school inspectorate. To support the process, the ministry carried out in 2021 a cycle of seven technical consultations on future challenges of education, namely on the premiss of the document mentioned.
Other policy developments
In February 2022, the ministry responsible for education consulted the public on the draft rules on educational qualification of preschool teachers and education staff in preschool education programmes and adapted preschool education programmes for children with special educational needs (SEN). It would introduce new vocational profiles to pursue activities with preschool SEN children: preschool teacher for early intervention, preschool teacher for deafblind, among other. It would specify also that candidate preschool teachers for SEN children in the adapted programmes for preschool children could have a degree in the second cycle study programme in pedagogy, psychology or social pedagogy.
In February 2022, the ministry responsible for education consulted the public on the draft rules amending the Kindergarten documentation Rules. It was a follow-up to the amendment of the Communicable Diseases Act according to which, children without proof of vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella could not attend kindergarten, unless they are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons.
In March 2022, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules on teacher education student grants. It specified the procedure, requirements and criteria for grants available to students in study programmes that lead to the qualification specified by law and other rules as required for education staff. The objectives behind awarding grants according to the rules were set in response to the long-term priority and employment needs of educational institutions. Grants would serve as means for encouraging young people to study for professions in education, as well as for boosting the prestige of the those professions.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In March 2022, the minister responsible for education adopted the Decision amending the Decision on the emergency measures in personnel administration required for smooth operations of educational institution. It allowed higher education students who had completed upper secondary education programme in preschool education to take on temporary assignment in kindergartens in the 2021/2022 school year. Afterwards, this would count for work experience future teachers need to qualify for professional examination.
In March 2022, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Ordinance on the temporary measures for the prevention and control of infectious disease COVID-19. It introduced exemptions from wearing facial coverings in kindergartens, among other. Since March 4, facial coverings are not a condition for kindergarten staff. The condition only applied to outside persons entering kindergartens (parents, suppliers …).
In February 2022, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the new Ordinance on the temporary measures for the prevention and control of infectious disease COVID-19. It waived off from the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule.
2021
Modernisation of preschool education
The Government of the Republic of Slovenian adopted in April 2021 the Recovery and resilience plan (sl). The Council of EU approved it end of July 2021.
It supports the process initiated in February, namely the process of modernisation of education programmes and modernisation of kindergarten curriculum.
End of March 2021, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards of preschool education provision (sl). It provides the underlying basis for a classification of a new job post in kindergartens until September 2021 and employ a technical staff – maintainer of learning technology and/or computer equipment. Kindergartens with several children of Roma background enroled can decide to classify a Roma assistant.
In February 2021, the Ministry responsible for education started the multi-year modernisation of education programmes (sl). By the decision of the Minister, the National education institute Slovenia has to develop background material for the modernisation of education programmes, as well as background material for modernisation of the Kindergarten Curriculum. For more information about the modernisation see subparagraphs Modernisation of basic school education.
In January 2021, the National Assembly adopted the new Kindergarten Act (sl). The new law does away with flaws of current setting that occurred in practice.
The new law seeks to increase the enrolment rate in kindergartens. It reintroduced free kindergarten for the second child attending kindergarten at the same time as the older sibling. It extended the right to a free kindergarten to families of at least three children. The third child (and all the next) now has this right even if none of his or her siblings attend the kindergarten at the same time.
The amended law boosts the institution of childminders at home and marks out the activity of preschool education and the activity of care, as well as other services aimed at preschool children, not of care, but more like animation, organisation of birthday parties, and so forth. It specifies severe sanctions for violating the interdiction, and sets out circumstances for the inspectors responsible for schools to pursue their activities more efficiently.
Other policy developments
In December 2021, the National Assembly adopted the Act amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act. The amendment related to the objectives in education, personal data processing for setting up and operations of the security national information system for managing schools and school documentation of learners, as well as to the composition of councils of schools and kindergartens. Furthermore, the amendment introduced a new option for promotion to the title Mentor and Counsellor for preschool teachers and preschool. The law laid down additional objectives of education: education with an emphasis on the Slovenian culture and European values, and fostering curiosity, inquisitive spirit, imagination and intuitions, as well as developing independent thinking. It set up a single national information system of the highest standard of data protection and includes among other: enrolment in kindergarten, basic school and upper secondary school, central civil register, mark book, daybook, school’s annual work plan, national school calendar, agreement on school meals, decision, notifications, and school certificates. The councils of kindergarten and school would now include three representatives of a founder, three representatives of staff (five before) and three representatives of parents; in upper secondary school, two representatives of parents (three before) and on representative of students (two before).
In November 2021, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules on the definition and registration of the preschool education activity and care of preschool children, as well as requirements for child minders and personal supplementary work.
In October 2021, the ministry responsible for education adopted the Action plan to work out the proposal for the installation of the Slovenian sign language in the system of preschool education, basic school education and upper secondary education in the period 2021–2024. It was developed by the working group consisted of representatives of professional community (institutes that provide education programmes adapted to deaf and hard of hearing learners, higher education institution), interest groups, National education institute, and ministry responsible for education. The aim was to address the individual aspects of education of deaf and hard of hearing learners comprehensively: contents of the education programmes as well as mechanisms necessary to support the provision. The action plan included four sets of activities:
- Analysis of the situation and mechanisms of on-going monitoring
- Duties and responsibilities related to education programmes for deaf and hard of hearing learners
- Promotion of learning and teaching of Slovenian sign language
- Planning, coordinating and monitoring of activities.
Under each individual set, it specified the objectives and expected outcomes, as well as type of foreseen activities including indicators, operators, dates or timeframe and funds. Operators have started the activities in 2021 and 2022. There has been a study ongoing on evaluation of the current model of education for deaf learners. The capturing of data on deaf and hard of hearing basic school and upper secondary students has been improved; the existing and new programmes of training for education staff have been carried out. For more information please consult the working group's report.
In September 2021, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules on allocating state funds to kindergartens for co-funding payment by parents. The Rules specified the allocation process, set up of special ministry’s application “Subvention of payments by parents (SPS)”, and it listed explicitly information and data on persons eligible to co-funding of payments by parents from the state budget.
In July 2021, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rule on additional professional and physical assistance for children with special needs (sl). It relates to the Act Regulating the Integrated Early Treatment of Preschool Children with Special Need. The provisions related to placement of preschool teachers were deleted, because the new law does not forsee the placement.
In June 2021, the Education, Science and Culture Trade Union of Slovenia signed with the Government of the Republic of Slovenian the Annex to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (sl). It amended and/or defined the time lag for the salary to be paid out on day 10 of the relevant month at the latest.
Further, it amended the commuting, meal and holiday allowances, daily and off-site allowances, allowance per kilometre covered by a personal vehicle for work, holiday allowance, compensation for upper secondary and higher education students in compulsory practical training, and threshold for acquiring the right to solidary help for members of the representative union. Now, the amount of the meals allowance will be adjusted twice a year, the amount of the separation allowance, daily allowance for business travels within the country, long-service bonuses and solidarity help once a year, and for acquiring the right to long-service bonus one shall also allow for the years of employment with the concessionaires that pursue activities in the public service network.
In May 2021, consulted the ministrieas and the public on the draft new Rules on early treatment in educational institutions and with other providers of preschool education programmes for SEN children (sl). It introduces help and support for children with various factors and children with special needs, cooperation paths for educational institutions and other providers of programmes for children with special needs with an early treatment center, criteria for approving individual forms of help, as well as form sheets required.
In January 2021, one published the Rules on the process and criteria for the award of titles to education staff in the adapted programme for preschool education children and the special education programme for SEN children and youth in social welfare institutions (sl). The Minister responsible for education passed it. The staff in such settings now can be promoted to a title the same as the education staff in mainstream education.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In December 2021, the National Assembly adopted the Act on Additional Measures to Stop Spreading and Mitigate, Control, Recover and Eliminate the Consequences of COVID-19. It allowed the educational institutions to on account of pressing work enter into employment fixed-term agreement without being compelled to make a public announcement about job vacancy, until 31 August 2022.
In October 2021, the minister responsible for education adopted the Decision on the emergency measures in personnel administration required for smooth operations of educational institutions. It allowed kindergartens to cooperate in the school year 2021/2022 on temporary or occasional basis with students of the 1st cycle study programme in preschool education. The temporary assignment can later count for work experience teachers need to sign up for the professional examination.
The Ordinance on the approach to meeting the recovered-vaccinated-tested requirements to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (sl) came into force on September 6. It imposed on the staff in education (higher education, too) a mandatory recovered-vaccinated-tested requirement. To be able to assume work duties and responsibilities the staff can self-test with antigen testing kits at one-week intervals. Employers in education provide funds for self-testing and specify the time and place of self-testing that can be at home or at work. Employers can according to the ordinance act against the employees who do not meet the RVT requirement, namely according to the rules on occupational health and safety, rules on employment relations, and relevant collective agreements. Persons and employees who fail to meet the RVT requirement shall not be allowed to use services and participate or be present during the provision of a service.
On 1 April 2021, the deteriorated epidemiological situation and by the relevant ordinance of the Government (sl) kindergartens closed. They were only allowed to provide the needed care. Kindergartens welcomed back all children on 12 April 2021. The activities in kindergartens have been taking place according to the recommendations by the National institute of public health.
In February 2021, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Rules on the method of funding the protection equipment and room disinfection for providers in education and science (sl). It applies to the state funding. The funding criteria are number of employees and number of children and students as per standard cost of each employee and participant. The period of funding eligible costs of protection equipment takes from 1 March 2021 until the stop of compulsory use of protection equpment and disinfection of rooms for spread prevention of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
On 25 January 2021, kindergartens opened doors in regions with better epidemiological situation. This meant that all enrolled preschool children could return to kindergarten. On 15 February 2021, all kindergartens in Slovenia reopened. By the Ordinance temporarily prohibiting gatherings of people in educational institutions and universities and independent higher education institutions (sl) as of February 2021, the staff of educational institutions have to get weekly rapid SARS-CoV-2 test.
2020
Modernisation of preschool education
In November 2020, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on the organisation, operation and financing of state-funded short programme preschool groups (sl). The rules did away following the implementation evaluation of the free short programme for children who do not attend kindergarten in the year before they will reach compulsory school age, with the obstacles that, to some extent, rendered the organisation of such programmes impossible.
Key amendments:
- Parents shall now sing only the enrolment statement and not the agreement on enrolling a child in a kindergarten, as before.
- The rate of the short programme is now higher: from 1.5 to factor 2, namely the rate used for the calculation of the programme price. The factor 2.5 for a short programme class with also Roma or migrant children and/or classes with bilingual delivery (Slovenian and Hungarian) was adjusted to 3.
- Exceptionally, the head teacher may decide to include in the short programme the younger sibling of the child who just turned four, as well.
- The short programme can be delivered outside a kindergarten setting if this is the way to be able to include children in a kindergarten.
Other policy developments
End of December 2020, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Act on the Intervention for Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioural disorders in Education (sl). The new law sets out the operations of behaviour related educational institutions that will in the future, pursue the activities of professional centres in four geographical areas and will on their own or in cooperation with other professional centres provide the integrated help to children and youth with emotional and behavioural disorders. The law provides for several possibilities of flexible support, cooperation of individual sectors, as well as introduces mechanisms for better protection of rights and safety of children, youth and staff. Chiefly, the law seeks to establish a single setting for integrated treatment of children with emotional and behavioural disorders in behaviour related educational institutions that are in the realm of different ministries, and facilitate the establishment of professional centres to provide the preventive activities for children in kindergartens and schools. In this way, children will receive help and support needed sooner rather later and it will facilitate eventual placements later.
In August 2020, one adopted the amendments to the Education staff promotion Rules (sl). The amendments support the agreement signed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Independent Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture in December 2018. The Government undertook to cooperate with the representatives of the Union in modernising the career development of education staff. The Rules provide for smoother promotion of education staff to the highest title.
In July 2020, the Ministry of education coordinated inter ministries the draft new law on the intervention for children and young people with emotional and conduct disorders and problems in education.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In December 2020, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Decision on the emergency measures in personnel administration required for smooth operations of educational institutions (sl).
According to the decision, a new staff category has been systematised, namely for technical staff: maintainer of learning technology with a minimum educational qualification of the EQF level 5 required and/or maintainer of computer equipment with a minimum educational qualification of the EQF level 7.
In October 2020, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Ordinance temporarily prohibiting gatherings of people in educational institutions and universities and independent higher education institutions (sl). On 26 October, because the second wave of the epidemic, all kindergartens closed their doors. Kindergartens provided only care for children of parents working in crucial infrastructure and/or parents in urgent need of care for their children.
By the Communicable Diseases Act of October 2020 (sl), the public and publicly co-funded kindergarten can reject a child who has not been vaccinated. The paediatrician’s certificate has to evidence that the child has been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, or state eventual medical reasons why not.
In the school year 2020/2021, the education activities in kindergartens, basic schools, upper secondary schools started on 1 September, as normally and according to the B model (all go to school). The Ministry of education developed together with the National education institute and National institute of public health and issued the publication "Education in the Republic of Slovenia relevant to COVID-19" (sl). Four possible models of instruction and relevant recommendations have been introduced, namely to answer questions on how schools can plan and implement educational activities. It applies by analogy to kindergartens, too.
The education models of instruction and/or education activities shall apply according to the epidemiological situation in the country:
- Model A: all follow instruction in school
- Model B: all follow instruction in school, but recommendations to prevent infection apply
- Model C: some follow instruction in school, others do distance learning
- Model D: all do distance learning
End of August, the public institutes (e. g. National education institute (ZRSŠ): project "Improving competence of education staff in managing the innovative educational institution", and the Institute for vocational education and training – CPI) implemented various training to support kindergarten and school teachers, head teachers and other education staff in their endeavours to make distance learning work.
With the improved epidemic situation, kindergartens reopened their doors on 18 May and started educational activities for half of their children. On 3 June, kindergartens invited back all their children.
In April and May 2020, the Ministry of education in cooperation with the Ministry of health, National institute of public health, National education institute, Institute for vocational education and training, Slovenian institute for adult education, representatives of the head teacher associations, representatives of the Independent trade union of education, science and culture, as well as other stakeholders joined forces to set conditions for quality education, care for vulnerable groups, and safe reopening of kindergartens and schools. For this purpose, specified measures and actions were specified in the legislation on intervention measures to supress the epidemic spread and contain the epidemic and reduce or do away with negative impacts; the educational institutions received circular letters, instructions and recommendations for the implementation of the educational process, assessment and completion of the school year.
Instructions and recommendations (sl) for kindergartens, schools, as well as schools and educational institutions for SEN children, higher vocational collages, residence halls for upper secondary students, music schools, and information and professional recommendation for adult education institutions (sl) have been published online.
In April and May 2020, one held distance training for kindergarten education staff. They have been organised by the National Education Institute, under the common title "Paths to better learning outcomes" (sl) and in the scope of the project "Improving competence of education staff in managing the innovative educational institution for the period 2018 to 2022" that has been part funded by the Republic of Slovenia and European Union’s ESF. Different webinars have been set up in online classrooms, all education staff had the opportunity to participate in one of the listed seminars per week:
- Planning the educational activities in kindergartens with modern didactical approaches in preschool education
- Let us broaden our view on how we comprehend the diversity in kindergartens (seminar for counselling staff)
- Communication and participation of kindergarten teachers in the children’s play and working with parents
- Implication a kindergarten has on the family
- Creativity based approach in early learning: talking, playing, exploring in nature
- Cooperative kindergarten – A child is how he or she is, but in my opinion he or she is …
In May 2020, one adopted the the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Mitigate and Remedy the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic (sl). It made provision for the exemption of payment for all parents for the time their child had not gone to kindergarten during the epidemic; it allowed for the extension of deadlines to enrol in higher education institutions and to consider the extreme circumstances in the procedure of obtaining and maintaining the right to scholarship.
In April 2020, the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia adopted and amended the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (sl) that among other, provided the legal background for the implementation of distant teaching and regulated funding for providers of public service, as well as private kindergartens, that had not operated during epidemic.
According to the Ordinance on the temporary prohibition of assembly in educational institutions and universities, as well as independent higher education institutions (sl), all kindergartens, schools, and most of institutions of education of SEN children, all adult education organisations, universities, and independent higher education institutions, residential halls for basic school, upper secondary and/or higher education students, and music schools closed their doors and have remained closed since 16 March 2020. All childminders, too stopped their operations.
In March 2020, the National Education Institution Slovenia (ZRSŠ) after a month-long public debate of experts published the proposed revision of the concept of identifying gifted and talented learners and educational activities for them. The group of experts on education and educational activities for gifted and talented children at ZRSŠ elaborated the document, and the focus groups gave their critical input, assessment and recommendation. The draft new document is the revised concept of identifying gifted and talented learners and educational activities for such learners at basic school (1999) and upper secondary school (2007). It was premised on appropriate expertise. It provides for identifying potential gifted and talented learners in schools, as well as in kindergartens, and it further outlines the role of mentors, pedagogical coordinators, school counselling service and teachers. It underlines individualisation, differentiation and personalisation in the scope of mainstream instruction and the significance of continuous education and training.