2026

Reform of school laws  

In October 2025, members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic approved a package of school laws and implemented the most extensive education reform in recent years.   

The changes implemented include the adoption of a new Act on School Administration (Zákon č. 321/2025 Z.z.) and an Act on the Financing of Schools and School Facilities (Zákon č. 322/2025 Z.z.), amendments to the Education Act (Zákon č. 323/2025 Z.z.), the Act on Pedagogical Employees (Zákon č. 325/2025 Z.z) and the Act on Support of Work with Youth (Zákon č.301/2025 Z.z.). The changes will take effect gradually between January 1, 2026, and September 1, 2028.  

A unified electronic platform called "e‑Prihlášky" (e-Applications) is being established for applying to kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools. Parents will be able to enroll their children in school quickly and conveniently online. Schools will gain a unified system that will reduce their administrative burden.  

In primary and lower secondary education, a new system of school districts is being introduced, which will take into account parameters such as school capacity, distance, transport accessibility, the right of children to education in the state language and in minority languages, the prohibition of segregation, and the principle of inclusive education. The changes also affect the system of funding church and private schools. These will be eligible for full funding if they admit pupils according to the rules, do not provide fee-based education, and demonstrably contribute to the public interest.  

The new law on public administration has amended the conditions for appointing and dismissing school principals. A higher education teacher holding the position of associate professor or professor may also become a school principal if they meet the qualification requirements for the school in question. At the same time, the conditions for the merger, amalgamation, and division of schools are being amended.  

A new system of mathematics teaching is being introduced, including a compulsory school-leaving examination. From 2027, a two-level school-leaving examination will be compulsory – basic for everyone and advanced for gymnasium students and secondary vocational school students of selected study fields.  

The amendment to the Act on Pedagogical eEmployees introduces a new category of "pedagogical employee candidate," which will allow higher education students to teach alongside their studies. There are also changes in the conditions for further education of pedagogical employees, additional workloads, and the use of compensation time off.  

The amendment introduces the concept of mental health protection, strengthens the protection of teachers against public ridicule or libel, and extends the responsibility of parents or teachers in cases of refusal to address risky behavior.  

Other changes concern the change in the assessment of pupils in primary and secondary schools, including the extension of the possibility of verbal assessment, changes to compulsory education for foreigners, the creation of suitable opportunities to complete basic education in the form of second-chance education, changes to the rules for individual education and education according to individual teaching plans, changes to external testing, the establishment of an electronic library of educational publications, and other changes. 

2025

Amendment to the Education Act

In January 2025, an amendment to the Education Act (Act No. 290/2024 Coll.) came into effect, introducing the following changes:

• Enrollment in Primary Schools: If a primary school cannot admit all children for primary education (e.g., during the enrollment of first-grade pupils), and if a child is not admitted to a church or private primary school, the municipality must ensure that the child is accepted by one of the primary schools founded by the municipality. If this is not possible, parents will be informed about a primary school with available capacity in another municipality.
• Establishment of Adaptation Classes: Primary schools may establish adaptation classes to compensate for missing educational content, help pupils adapt to the school environment, and support the integration of foreign pupils. These adaptation classes will replace the existing specialized classes, which will continue operating under the current system until the end of the 2024/2025 school year, as pupils can be enrolled in them for a maximum of one school year.
• Elimination of Double-Shift Operation: Compulsory education in primary schools will only take place at a regular time starting in the morning. Afternoon shifts will only be allowed under specific conditions set by law, and this exception will remain in effect until August 31, 2029.
• Assessment Requirements: Schools must specify in their educational programmes the formative and summative assessment methods for each subject, as well as subjects in which pupils of specific grades will not be assessed in any form.
• External Testing for Foreign Students: Foreign students will be exempt from external testing in Slovak language and literature if they receive an unsatisfactory grade in the subject, have not been assessed in the subject, or have lived in Slovakia for less than one year before the testing date, subject to the approval of the school principal.

• Rules on Mobile Phone Use: The use of mobile phones or similar personal electronic communication devices (except for school-owned or school-managed devices) is prohibited during school lessons. This ban fully applies to students in grades 1 to 3. Students in grades 4 to 9 (or grades 1 to 4 of an eight-year secondary school programme) may use such devices for educational purposes only if permitted by a teacher. Exceptions apply to students with disabilities who use communication devices for health-related reasons (e.g., monitoring diabetes devices).

   

Compensation Allowance

The amendment to the Act on Pedagogical Employees and Professional Employees (Act No. 291/2024 Coll.), which came into effect on January 1, 2025, introduces a compensation allowance for certain employees in the education sector. This measure aims to address the shortage of qualified pedagogical and professional staff.

The compensation allowance is primarily intended for employees working in environments with a significant staff shortage or high turnover rates. The allowance will be paid to pedagogical or professional employees by their employer from funds allocated for this purpose by the Ministry of Education. The ministry will announce the specific amount of the allowance and the categories of eligible employees annually, within 30 days of the approval of the state budget. The compensation allowance is not considered part of the salary of pedagogical or professional employees.

National Project: Support for Educational Opportunities

The Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic has launched the national project Support for Educational Opportunities (Podpora vzdelávacích príležitostí), addressing the issue of the disproportionately high representation of pupils from marginalized communities and socially disadvantaged backgrounds in special education in Slovakia. The project's goal is to transition pupils—whose intellectual disabilities have been ruled out—into mainstream education through a newly developed system of adaptation classes and the provision of adequate support.

The implementation of this national project, aimed at reintegrating pupils with the potential to complete lower secondary education, is crucial to ensuring equal access to quality education for all children and pupils. The project involves a systematic and structured identification of pupils capable of completing lower secondary education, followed by their gradual integration into mainstream schools and classes. This process is supported by training programmes for pedagogical and professional staff. Additionally, the project provides methodological support and covers necessary wage expenses for pedagogical and professional employees, creating the foundation for a support system through so-called adaptation classes. These classes ensure continuous assistance for pupils during the sensitive transition from special education to mainstream education.

The Ministry is implementing the project in cooperation with the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology and the National Institute for Education and Youth. The approved non-repayable financial contribution amounts to €10,513,668.03, and the project is scheduled to run from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.

2024

National Project Early Warning System for Preventing Early School Leaving

The Ministry of Education has launched a call for a national project titled: "Creation and Testing of an Early Warning System for Preventing Early School Leaving and Targeted Support for Students in the Counseling and Prevention System" („Vytvorenie a overenie systému včasného varovania pred predčasným ukončením školskej dochádzky a adresnej podpory žiakov v systéme poradenstva a prevencie (NP PUŠD)“). This tool will enable schools and the Ministry to identify students at risk and offer them specific assistance.

The new national project aims to create and test an innovative early warning system for preventing early school leaving. This tool will enable schools and the Ministry to identify students at risk and offer them specific assistance. By timely identification and interventions, the number of students who end their school attendance early can be significantly reduced.

The project will run for four years and is divided into four phases:

1. An in-depth examination of the causes of early school leaving,
2. Development of a Slovak version of the early warning system based on the obtained data and foreign experiences, which will then be tested in twenty pilot schools,
3. Collaboration between so-called regional coordinators and class teachers and members of school support teams to provide targeted support to students at risk of early school leaving, and
4. Training of pedagogical and professional employees.

By the 2028/2029 school year, the system will be ready for implementation in all primary and secondary schools in Slovakia.

The national project has been allocated 7,672,788.20 EUR and will be overseen by the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology.

National Project Aimed at Eliminating Segregation in Education

The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic has announced a new call for a national project titled "Opportunity for All" („Príležitosť pre všetkých“). The goal of the project is to eliminate segregation in education and bring positive changes for children and pupils from marginalised Roma communities.

The project focuses on pilot verification of innovative solutions to prevent educational segregation. A key component of the project is the preparation and implementation of local desegregation initiatives, which will serve as the foundation for creating a systemic and sustainable desegregation process. This process aims to support the development of fully inclusive schools where all students have equal chances for success. Additionally, the project will facilitate educational mobility and improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

The national project will concentrate on identifying and addressing the causes of segregation in various locations. Solutions will be tailored to local needs and conditions, with a participatory approach that involves communities and local stakeholders in the process.

The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, with a total of 6,902,780.64 EUR.
 

National Project Mental Health and Prevention

In September 2023, the national project entitled Systemic Support of Mental Health and Prevention in Children, Pupils and Students through the Counselling and Prevention System (Systémová podpora duševného zdravia a prevencie detí, žiakov a študentov cez systém poradenstva a prevencie) was launched. The project is being implemented by the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology, an organisation directly managed by the Ministry of Education. The project aims to create and disseminate practical prevention tools. It also aims to provide education and conduct a campaign advocating for the support of professional and pedagogical employees in prevention. The project focuses on preventing current problems such as cyberbullying, drug abuse, or eating disorders. Children will receive support throughout the education system – classes in regular schools, counselling and prevention centres, special education centres, and family and children’s centres.

The project plans to support more than 1100 pedagogical and professional employees and organise at least 7000 hours of education by 2027. It will positively impact more than 10000 children, pupils and students. The national project will introduce systematic and long-term monitoring of the mental health of children, pupils, and students in Slovakia. The first outputs of the project should be available in 2025, and the complete report in 2026. The tools of support and help for children, pupils, and students in the area of mental health can then be adjusted.