National Reforms in School Education
2024
With Act No. 91/2023 a new education directorate was established on April 1st 2024: The Directorate of Education and School Services, replacing the former Directorate of Education. The new entity operates as a service institute with the overall aim of providing comprehensive support to schools and teachers nationwide. The new directorate’s operation is furthermore underpinned by the 2021 Prosperity Act (Act No. 86/2021), effective since 2022. Similarly, as the previous directorate, the new directorate will offer schoolchildren nationwide modern schoolbooks and testing materials, but amongst novelties is that it will provide hands-on assistance to schools with pupils in need.
2023
There were no major reforms.
2022
In February 2022, a decision was made to halt standardized obligatory testing in their current form, following a proposal from a working group on the future policy of standardized assessment in compulsory schools. In July the same year, the decision was followed up with the repealing of regulation no. 173/2017 on the organization and implementation of standardized testing in compulsory schools. Instead, efforts will be made to develop a new assessment scheme, named Matsferill, which will serve as a toolkit for pupils, teachers and schools to monitor progress and improve students’ learning and academic performance. The goal of Matsferill is to bring assessment closer to the users, as well as to serve as a school development tool.
Amendments to the National Curriculum Guide
2024
Also, in the spirit of a new 2030 education policy; to provide excellent education with an emphasis on perseverance, courage, knowledge, happiness and sustainability in an environment where everyone can learn, changes were made in 2024 to some of the subject areas of the National Curriculum Guide (NCG), chapters 17-26, for the compulsory school level (ISCED 1-2). The changes were introduced in March 2024 and are to be implemented in 2025.
2023
There were no major reforms
2022
No significant reforms were made to the National Curriculum Guide. Changes were made to regulation no. 173/2017 on the organization and implementation of standardized testing in compulsory schools was repealed and standardized testing was halted.