Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

Education is provided in compliance with the state and school educational programmes. The state educational programme sets out the objectives, educational areas, standards and the framework teaching plan. The school elaborates on these in its school educational programme, which takes into account the pupils’ needs, the school’s circumstances and the local environment. Compliance of the school educational programme with the state educational programme is monitored by the State School Inspection.

The National Institute for Education and Youth (NIVAM) is responsible for developing the state educational programme. NIVAM has established central subject committees for individual subjects or areas of education. Their members include pedagogical employees and professional employees from various types of schools. NIVAM also works closely with professional organisations – such as the Association of Basic Schools of Slovakia and the Association of Private Schools and School Facilities – as well as with school heads and expert practitioners when developing these educational documents.

In the 2026/2027 academic year, depending on the grade and the year in which the school joined the reform, either the 2015 State Educational Programme (Štátny vzdelávací program 2015) or the 2023 State Educational Programme ( Štátny vzdelávací program 2023) is used.  The framework teaching plan covers the areas of Language and Communication, Mathematics and Computing, Man and Nature, Man and Society, Man and Values, Man and the World of Work, Art and Culture, and Health and Physical Education. Compulsory subjects are taught, and the school uses available teaching hours to reinforce subjects, offer its own subjects, support pupils’ needs or develop the school’s profile.

Transversal topics, which usually spread across more educational areas, are a mandatory part of the educational content. The transversal topics can be implemented in several forms – as an integral part of the educational content of educational areas and suitable subjects, as a separate subject within lessons forming the school’s focus, as a project (within the number of lessons allocated to the topic), or as a course.

Foreign languages are part of the ‘Language and Communication’ educational area. The state programmes also include specific framework teaching plans for schools where the language of instruction is that of a national minority and for schools where a national minority language is taught. Some schools offer bilingual or international programmes in which some subjects are taught in another language.

The state educational programme also includes educational standards. An educational standard comprises a content section and a performance section. The content section defines the elements of the core curriculum for individual thematic units. It represents the part of the curriculum for the relevant thematic unit within a subject that is to be made available to all pupils in every school. The performance component of the educational standard consists of requirements for pupils’ knowledge and skills – that is, the part of the curriculum which all pupils are expected to master, even if at qualitatively different levels.

The 2023 State Educational Programme specifies the minimum time allocation for educational areas across the entire cycle and gives schools greater flexibility to distribute the content and lessons across the years of the cycle.

The current minimum numbers of lessons are set out in the framework teaching plans of the relevant state educational programme and in the annually updated Eurydice platform ‘Recommended annual instruction time in full-time compulsory education in Europe’.

Framework teaching plans for basic schools from the 2015 State Educational Programme  – ISCED 1, ISCED 2

Subject to the informed consent of the pupil’s parent, the school may organise skiing or snowboarding lessons, swimming lessons, school trips, excursions and schools in nature. Compensation lessons will be provided for pupils who do not take part in these activities.

Teaching methods and materials

The choice of teaching methods is fully up to the teachers. Teachers select teaching methods in accordance with the educational programme’s objectives and standards, the pupils’ age and needs, and classroom conditions. The 2023 State Educational Programme promotes active learning, collaboration, inquiry-based and project-based activities, cross-curricular learning, feedback, and the development of pupils’ ability to reflect on their own learning. Digital technology and AI are used in an age-appropriate, safe and thoughtful manner.

It is recommended that digital educational content approved by NIVAM, which is available on the ‘Učíme’ methodology portal, be used as a supplement. The portal offers basic school teachers specialist methodological materials, lesson ideas, examples of good practice and a space for sharing experiences. Its main purpose is to support schools and teachers in implementing the new state educational programme and applying curricular changes in the classroom.

The school heads are recommended to encourage the involvement of their teachers and pupils in competitions oriented at the development of their gifts and talents, independent creative professional theoretical skills and abilities, and various events connected with deepening their knowledge and skills and with preparation for career choice. Further, to create conditions for the realisation of classes and extra-curricular activities in the school library. To actively support and build the school library as the information, communication, and cultural centre of the school. Schools are also encouraged to take part in international school partnerships. 

In compliance with Act no.245/2008 Coll. on education and training (Zákon  č. 245/2008 Z. z. o výchove a vzdelávaní), schools use educational publications approved by the Ministry of Education and other educational publications and software that are not approved by the Ministry of Education and that follow the principles and goals of education and training. Educational publications approved by a state-recognized church or religious society can be used to teach religion or religious education. Teachers may also use other materials, provided they are consistent with the educational objectives. The rules governing the setting of homework are not standardised across all schools; they are based on the educational decisions of the school and the teacher, and should take into account the pupil’s age and an appropriate workload.

Schools can order textbooks through the publication portal (edičný portál) from the list of registered textbooks published on the ministry website. There might be more types of textbooks for each subject, and it is up to the school which textbook it will choose for its pupils. Textbooks are created by experienced teachers, who ask the ministry to issue the approval clause. A textbook is entered into the register based on the textbook reviewer’s recommendation. According to Act 597/2003 Coll. on financing primary schools, secondary schools, and school facilities (Zákon č. 597/2003 Z. z. o financovaní základných škôl), the Ministry of Education can allocate a subsidy to public school founders throughout the calendar year for purchasing educational publications listed in the register of educational publications with the clause issued under special legal regulation. The ministry can also allocate funding for educational publications to church and private school founders. Schools provide their pupils with educational publications, they can use them free of charge.