2025

Modernisation of basic school education and upper secondary general education (gimnazija)

In August 2025, the Ministry of Education submitted the draft Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) for public consultation. The proposed amendments relate, among other things, to the provision of tiered support for students with learning difficulties, the delivery of additional specialist assistance to address deficits, barriers or disorders, the adaptation of textbooks and learning materials, the establishment of a digital repository of teaching resources for children with special educational needs, the option of submitting applications for the initiation of placement procedures electronically, and a new framework for teaching assistants. 

In July, the Act Amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) was published in the Official Gazette. The amendments include, among other matters, the introduction of a new subject in basic schools – Informatics and Digital Technologies – the school’s educational role and the safeguarding of safety in basic schools, the inclusion of Roma students, enrolment, transfers and deferrals of schooling, rules on the justification of students’ absences from lessons, student assessment, and the provision of free transport.

In June, the Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) was published in the Official Gazette. The amendments concern, among other things, the scope of funding for development and investment in the education sector, the provision of educational activities in Slovenian Sign Language, the evaluation and assurance of quality in kindergartens and schools, changes to the procedure for appointing and dismissing headteachers of kindergartens and schools, the professional and career development of education staff, modifications to the competences of the governing board of a public kindergarten or school, as well as the processing of personal data and the keeping of records of such data for the financing of transport.

Adoption of updated subject-curricula

In May and June 2025, the National Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education adopted 41 curricula for compulsory subjects in basic school programmes and 88 curricula for compulsory subjects in upper secondary general (gimnazija) programmes, including those for schools in the ethnically mixed areas of Slovenian Istria and Prekmurje.

The new subject-curricula, revised within the framework of the project Renewal of Education Programmes through the Renewal of Key Programme Documents (Prenova vzgojno-izobraževalnih programov s prenovo ključnih programskih dokumentov), also integrate content set out in the document Common Goals and Their Integration into Curricula and Catalogues of Knowledge. These address six key areas: digital competences, sustainable development, health and well-being, language, citizenship, culture and the arts, and entrepreneurship, including financial literacy. In this way, contemporary educational challenges are embedded in the curriculum, contributing to the holistic development of students and students. 

At the same time, members of the Council were presented with didactic recommendations for individual curricula. Based on current professional findings, these provide essential expert support to teachers in planning high-quality, modern and inclusive lessons. Both the curricula and the didactic recommendations are the result of the work of subject-specific curriculum committees, comprising representatives of teachers, higher education institutions, and advisers from the National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia.

Funding of the education system

The central amendment of the Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act ( Zakona o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) concerns the allocation of funds for development and investment in education, to be tied to a share of gross domestic product (GDP), specifically 0.5 per cent. This statutory provision is intended, in the years ahead, to close the gap that has developed in the education sector over recent decades. The funds will be dedicated to financing development tasks, programmes and projects, as well as investments in educational infrastructure. From 1 January 2027, they will increase annually by an average of 0.025 percentage points of GDP, subject to budgetary capacity, until the target level of 0.5 per cent of GDP is achieved.

In addition to this key amendment, the Act also addresses other significant aspects of education financing. It introduces a provision enabling institutions for students with special needs, music schools, and basic schools with adapted programmes to receive investment not only from their founding municipality but also from neighbouring municipalities. In practice, such institutions often operate as “regional” centres owing to their smaller student populations, offering programmes attended by children and students from multiple municipalities.

Single-phase appointment of headteachers

The key novelty in the procedure for appointing headteachers introduced by the Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) is the replacement of the minister’s opinion with the minister’s consent, thereby establishing a single-phase procedure for the appointment of headteachers or directors. Under the previous system, the school council selected a candidate and sought the minister’s opinion; only after receiving this opinion, or once the deadline for its submission had passed, did the council formally appoint the chosen candidate. This two-phase process (where the council first selected and only later formally appointed the candidate) increased the risk of potential corrupt practices during the interim period – a risk highlighted by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. To limit political influence by the minister in the selection of the most suitable candidate, the amended Act now sets out the circumstances in which the minister may withhold consent to the appointment of a headteacher.

The Act also introduces, for the first time, explicit grounds obliging the school council to dismiss a headteacher or director before the expiry of their term of office. Previously, ZOFVI contained no such provisions, and dismissals were based solely on the general statutory grounds laid down in the Public Institutions Act. In addition to those grounds, the school council will now be required to dismiss a headteacher who fails to comply with an inspector’s decision or a final court ruling, or where the Court of Audit identifies a serious breach of sound management obligations. Since experience has shown that, in some instances, school councils did not fulfil their responsibility and failed to dismiss headteachers despite the existence of statutory grounds, the amended Act transfers this competence to the minister.

Formalisation of the quality assessment and assurance framework

The Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) updates the statutory basis for the framework of quality assessment and assurance in education. The amendment brings together, in a single provision, the key elements of the quality assurance framework. Among other things, it establishes that kindergartens and schools shall monitor and ensure quality through self-evaluation, thereby designating institutional self-evaluation as the principal systemic approach to quality assurance in education.

The amendment allows kindergartens and schools to define their objectives autonomously, in accordance with their specific context, while also requiring them to operate within the prescribed areas of evaluation and the set of standards and indicators determined by the minister. The Act further specifies the main sources of quality assessment and assurance at system level: data from national examinations, the general and vocational matura, national evaluation studies, research, inspection reports and other reports, as well as international studies in the field of education.

Introduction of a new subject: informatics and digital technologies

The Act Amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) introduces a new compulsory subject – informatics and digital technologies. The purpose of this subject is to foster the development of digital skills and to raise awareness of the risks and challenges associated with the excessive use of electronic devices.

The draft Act also establishes a transitional framework, setting deadlines for the adoption of the revised special component of the education programmes. Under the proposal, the competent council of experts must adopt the timetable and curriculum for Informatics and Digital Technologies by 31 December 2027 at the latest, with teaching of the subject to commence no later than 1 September 2028.

As the new subject is intended to be introduced in grade 7 of basic school, the Act also amends the provisions governing compulsory elective subjects. Students in grade 7 will be able to choose up to two hours of compulsory elective subjects (instead of three, as has hitherto been possible with parental consent). In grades 8 and 9, students may, with parental consent, continue to select up to three hours of compulsory elective subjects.

Renewal of the behaviour-related educational role of the school

The Act Amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) defines the school’s behaviour-related educational role. Among other changes, the school’s educational plan as a stand-alone document is abolished, with its content transferred to the plan of educational activities, which forms part of the annual work plan.

The new elements of the educational role that must be included in the annual work plan primarily comprise the definition of educational activities and the methods for their monitoring and evaluation. These cover both preventive and proactive measures, as well as activities undertaken by the school in cases of breaches of school rules.

The amendment also revises the article governing school rules. Within these rules, the basic school must specify in greater detail the duties and responsibilities of students, standards of conduct and behaviour, the measures and procedures for ensuring safety, the educational activities to be applied in the event of breaches, the procedures for educational action, and the organisation of students. The rules must also define where and how students’ electronic devices are to be stored, the justified circumstances in which such devices may be used, the storage arrangements for temporarily confiscated devices, and the procedure for returning them to parents.

The Act narrows the concept of educational measures to the educational warning (vzgojni opomin), defined as a sanction that may be imposed on a student who breaches the duties and responsibilities laid down by law, other regulations or school acts, and where previous educational activities in response to earlier breaches have not achieved their intended purpose. In addition, the Act now specifies a set of serious violations for which an educational warning may be imposed directly. An educational warning is valid for a period of up to 12 months, meaning it may carry over into the following school year. During this period, the school continues to engage the student in educational activities. Students and their parents have the right to appeal against an educational warning.

The Act also provides more detailed regulation of the procedure for justifying absences. It clearly sets out the circumstances in which a class teacher may refuse to excuse an absence, even where a justification has been submitted. Furthermore, it stipulates that in cases of prolonged unjustified absences, the school may take educational measures, notify the competent Centre for Social Work, and submit a misdemeanour proposal against the parents.

Ensuring safety in basic schools

The Act Amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) introduces a new chapter dedicated to regulating safety in basic schools. This framework covers exemptions from attending lessons, transfers to another school, restrictions on the use of students’ electronic devices, inspection of personal belongings, and parental responsibility.

The Act allows for exemptions from regular lessons for students whose behaviour endangers the safety or health of others, by adapting the organisation of teaching and the attainment of educational objectives. It also sets out the conditions for transfer to another school where a student has received three educational warnings.

The Act further restricts the use of students’ electronic devices during educational activities, permitting their use only when necessary for teaching or other activities in line with the annual work plan. The decision on their use lies with the teacher or education professional leading the lesson or activity. Exceptionally, use is permitted if a student requires an electronic device for medical reasons.

The amendment also provides a legal basis for the inspection and confiscation of personal belongings (such as schoolbags or lockers) where there is suspicion of possession of prohibited or dangerous items. Finally, it clarifies parental responsibility, obliging parents to exercise oversight of the items their children bring to school.

Reform of the functioning of the school inspection

In July 2025, the new School Inspection Act (Zakon o šolski inšpekciji) was published in the Official Gazette. It introduces several changes to the functioning of the Education Inspectorate. The two central novelties are the introduction of system reviews and the provision of professional support.

The Act provides that, for monitoring and ensuring the quality of kindergartens and schools, the Education Inspectorate shall carry out system reviews. These involve a comprehensive examination, monitoring and evaluation of compliance in the understanding, organisation and delivery of educational activities within an institution. System reviews are to be conducted in accordance with the annual work programme of the Education Inspectorate and, as a rule, at each institution every five years. Their content is determined based on risk factor analyses carried out by the Inspectorate or on the proposal of the minister. Under the Act, inspectors do not impose inspection measures for identified irregularities or shortcomings during a system review. Instead, where non-compliance with legislation is established, the inspector issues instructions to the institution for the preparation of an action plan to address the irregularities or shortcomings. A report is drawn up on each system review, and at the conclusion of every review cycle, a consolidated report is prepared based on individual reports.

The Act further provides that, in carrying out inspection tasks and system reviews, the Education Inspectorate may now draw on professional support. Such support offers inspectors and institutions additional assistance in implementing legislation falling within the supervisory competence of the Inspectorate.

At the same time, the Act abolishes the former division of inspections into regular, extraordinary and repeated procedures. In its place, it establishes a unified procedure aimed at ensuring the lawful operation of institutions. This procedure may be initiated based on various triggers (initiative, complaint, notification, extraordinary event, risk assessment, or failure to remedy irregularities identified in a system review). Each submission received must, under the Act, be reviewed substantively to determine the existence of risks of breaches of regulations within the Inspectorate’s remit. The Education Inspectorate may also prioritise matters designated as priority areas of work in its annual programme.

The Act also introduces several further novelties, including:

• The inspectorate’s supervisory remit now explicitly extends to residential homes for basic school and upper secondary school students, private providers of officially recognised programmes, and private-law individuals providing preschool childcare services.
• A more explicit provision allowing inspectors to issue only a written warning where this is deemed a sufficient measure.
• An expanded range of explicitly listed measures and proposals available to inspectors during inspection proceedings, including, for the first time, the annulment of a measure imposed as a behaviour-related educational sanction.
• More detailed provisions on the conditions, appointment and obligations of experts, as well as the information contained in the register of experts.

Provision of tiered support for children with learning difficulties

The draft Act Amending The placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) introduces, among other changes, a new article stipulating that a child identified by the school as having learning difficulties, or as needing additional support, shall receive tiered assistance within a continuum of support. A new element of this continuum is learning support, which a child may access without a formal placement decision, thereby enabling the school to respond immediately to the child’s needs. This amendment ensures that children requiring learning support are no longer subject to formal placement procedures. The continuum of support also encompasses adaptations to the physical and social learning environment, teaching approaches, learning aids, materials, equipment, homework, and assessment practices.

Education of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind children

The draft Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) also enshrines the right to education for deaf, hard-of-hearing and deafblind children. It stipulates that, based on a placement decision and taking into account the degree of deficit, barrier or disorder, education for such children who communicate in sign language or deafblind language may be delivered according to an adapted curriculum of the education programme, which may also be tailored individually for each student. 

Additional specialist support for overcoming deficits, barriers or disorders

The draft Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) defines additional specialist support as assistance aimed at overcoming deficits, barriers or disorders. The number of hours of such support is to be gradually reduced as the child develops and acquires compensatory techniques. The draft stipulates that this support must not exceed four hours per week in the first cycle of basic school, three hours per week in the second cycle, and two hours per week in the third cycle of basic school and in upper secondary programmes. At least one quarter of these hours must be provided in the classroom in the form of collaborative, team teaching.

The draft amendments further specify that, in a placement decision, additional specialist support may be delivered by several experts from different professional fields, including special and rehabilitation pedagogy, speech and language therapy, psychology, education of the visually impaired (tiflopedagogy), education of the hearing impaired (surdopedagogy), social pedagogy, inclusive pedagogy, and related disciplines.

Adaptation of textbooks and teaching materials

The draft Act amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) also designates the adaptation and conversion of textbooks and other teaching materials as a public service. This service is provided by basic schools implementing adapted and special programmes, institutions for the education of children and young people with special needs, and specialised libraries which, in accordance with legislation, offer services in adapted formats for persons who are blind or partially sighted.

Under the new provisions, the National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia will be able, when preparing, revising and printing teaching materials for the adapted educational programme with a lower educational standard, and based on expert assessment where specific didactic solutions for children with special needs are required, to invite all interested publishers to participate through a public call for cooperation.

The proposed measure, therefore, introduces an exception to the requirement of a public tender. Ordinarily, the use of public funds for goods and services (such as the preparation of teaching materials) is subject to public procurement rules, which are intended to ensure transparency and competitiveness. Public procurement procedures, however, are often lengthy and highly formalised. In contrast, in the development of specialised materials, it may be essential to allow rapid adaptation and cooperation with a suitably qualified provider – one who already possesses the necessary expertise or even proprietary material.

Digital repository of teaching materials for children with special needs

The proposed amendment to the Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (Zakon o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) provides for the establishment of a protected digital repository of teaching materials by the ministry responsible for education. Its purpose is to enhance the accessibility of educational resources for all children with special needs.

This measure supports the realisation of the principle of inclusive education, as it will guarantee that students with diverse special needs have timely access to school materials in formats adapted to their individual requirements.

Assistance of a companion, group companion and care guardian

The draft Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) introduces a new provision regulating the assistance of companions, group companions and care guardians within individual educational and special programmes. The Act will therefore no longer distinguish between permanent and temporary companions.

It also establishes a new entitlement, under which children with special needs, owing to specific health-related requirements and based on a placement decision, may be accompanied on organised school transport between their place of residence and the school or institution by a companion, group companion or care guardian who has completed the prescribed training.

Possibility of inclusion in a care and education programme for students with emotional and conduct disorders for other children attending the school or institution

To provide some relief for families, the draft Act Amending the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs (predlogom Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) introduces a new provision allowing schools or institutions, within their annual work plan, to designate days on which children who attend the school or institution may, at the request of their parents, take part in the care and education programme for students with emotional and conduct disorders and problems, even if they are not otherwise enrolled in care. This measure is intended to reduce the burden on parents. Staff salaries will be financed from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia, while the costs of meals and transport will be borne by parents or covered from other sources.

Option of submitting an electronic request to initiate the placement procedure

The proposed amendment of the Act amening the Placement of Children with Special Educational Needs Act  (Zakona o spremembah Zakona o usmerjanju otrok s posebnimi potrebami) also permits requests to initiate the placement procedure to be submitted by email, thereby enabling faster, more efficient and less paper-based administration.

Other policy developments

Promoting the inclusion of children in basic school education

In May 2025, the Act Amending the Parental Protection and Family Benefits Act and Acts Amending the Social Assistance Payments (Zakon o dopolnitvah Zakona o starševskem varstvu in družinskih prejemkih and Zakon o dopolnitvah Zakona o socialno varstvenih prejemkih) were published in the Official Gazette. The key amendments to both Acts relate to procedures in cases of unjustified absence of a student from basic school.

The amendments provide that if the education inspectorate determines that a student, without justified reasons, is not attending lessons or other activities within the compulsory basic school programme, it shall notify the social work centre. The centre will then decide that, for a period of three months, child benefit or social assistance shall be paid to the parents or guardians in the form of specific goods or benefits in kind.

Measures to strengthen digital competences, competences for sustainable development and financial literacy

In July 2025, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Action Plan of the Digital Slovenia 2030 Strategy (Akcijski načrt strategije Digitalna Slovenija 2030 za leti 2025 in 2026), adopted in March 2023 by the Government, which sets out the vision and objectives for Slovenia’s digital transformation in the broader societal framework. The corresponding action plan defines the concrete means of achieving the objectives laid down in the strategy, together with indicators. It sets out individual measures, their expected impact on achieving the goals, and the planned public financial resources allocated for this purpose.

The measures presented in the field of digital competences are aimed at supporting the strengthening of digital skills and reducing the digital divide. They aim to ensure the availability and accessibility of computer equipment, support the acquisition of both basic and advanced digital competences within formal and non-formal education, and specifically target social groups in less favourable positions.

In June, in accordance with the National Programme for Financial Literacy (Nacionalnim programom finančnega opismenjevanja – NPFO), the Government established the Council for Financial Literacy (Svet za finančno opismenjevanje), whose primary objective is to address, in a systematic and organised manner, the challenges and opportunities in the field of financial literacy in Slovenia. Among other tasks, the Council will define detailed priorities and measurable objectives, monitor the implementation of the NPFO through regular measurement of results and analysis of the underlying causes, and prepare and adapt action plans. It will also coordinate various financial literacy programmes, assess their effectiveness, and promote cooperation among relevant stakeholders. An essential role of the Council is to promote financial awareness and encourage innovative approaches to financial literacy in collaboration with the academic sector.

In April and May, the Official Gazette published two public calls for proposals: Enhanced Delivery of Quality and Accessible Learning and the Introduction of Circular Content in Educational Institutions of the SAŠA Region and Enhanced Delivery of Quality and Accessible Learning and the Introduction of Circular Content in Educational Institutions of the Zasavje Region (Javni razpis Obogateno izvajanje kakovostnega in dostopnega učenja ter uvajanja krožnih vsebin v VIZ SAŠA regije and Javni razpis Obogateno izvajanje kakovostnega in dostopnega učenja ter uvajanja krožnih vsebin v VIZ Zasavske regije. These calls aim to contribute to improving the quality, inclusiveness and efficiency of education, and to reduce the mismatch between the knowledge and skills acquired by young people during their education and the needs of the labour market. This will be achieved by developing, enriching and strengthening digital, entrepreneurial and sustainable (green) competences in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, basic schools with adapted programmes, and institutions for the education of children and young people with special needs, with a particular focus on career guidance and circular content in the Savinja–Šalek (SAŠA) and Zasavje regions.

The objective of the calls is the development and enhancement of the existing didactic approaches and teaching and learning strategies by integrating good practices in the development and strengthening of digital, entrepreneurial and sustainable (green) competences, with emphasis on career guidance and circular content, and by ensuring a whole-school approach in at least 23 educational institutions in the Savinja–Šalek region and 16 in the Zasavje region, thereby enriching the learning process. Active involvement of professional and managerial staff and the establishment of a professional learning community are essential in this process.

The total indicative amount of available funding for the public call in the Savinja–Šalek region is EUR 6,182,353, and EUR 3,000,000 for the Zasavje region. The public calls are co-financed by the European Union through the Just Transition Fund.

Amendment of educational requirements for teachers

In January and March 2025, the following regulations on the education of preschool teachers and teachers were published in the Official Gazette:

• Pravilnik o izobrazbi vzgojiteljev predšolskih otrok in drugih strokovnih delavcev v programih za predšolske otroke in v prilagojenih programih za predšolske otroke s posebnimi potrebami (relevant for educational qualifications of the preschool teachers and other education staff in the preschool education programmes and adapted programmes for preschool children with special needs)
• Pravilnik o izobrazbi učiteljev in drugih strokovnih delavcev v izobraževalnem programu osnovne šole (relevant to the educational qualifications of teachers and other education staff in basic school education programme)
• Pravilnik o izobrazbi učiteljev in drugih strokovnih delavcev v izobraževalnih programih glasbene šole (relevant to the educational qualifications of teachers and other education staff in the music school programmes)
• Pravilnik o izobrazbi učiteljev in drugih strokovnih delavcev v poklicnem in strokovnem izobraževanju (relevan to the educational qualifications of teachers and other education staff in vocational and technical education)
• Pravilnik o izobrazbi učiteljev in drugih strokovnih delavcev v izobraževalnih programih gimnazije (relevant to the educational qualifications of teachers and other education staff relevant in gimnazija education programmes)

A significant part of the new provisions stems from the expansion and modernisation of education programmes. At the same time, the shortage of teachers in specific subjects or subject areas has also had an impact, necessitating regulations on education staff and the qualifications they must meet.

Among other changes, holders of university study programmes in Translation Studies and in Translation and Interpreting in the relevant fields, as well as holders of second-cycle study programmes in Translation, Translation and Interpreting, Language Mediation, and Translation and Interpreting in the appropriate fields, will now also be recognised as suitably qualified for teaching foreign languages.

In addition, for certain professional staff, a second-cycle study degree in Applied Psychology and the national vocational qualification Interpreter of Slovenian Sign Language are recognised as special competences for teachers engaged in communication in Slovenian Sign Language.

Measures to reduce the shortage of education staff

The Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) introduces, among other things, changes that allow employees in educational institutions to perform supplementary work with the same employer, up to a maximum of one-fifth of full working hours, for a fixed period of one year, in addition to their existing employment. This new measure is intended partly to alleviate staffing shortages. The introduction of supplementary work with the same employer will enable educational institutions to carry out development or research activities that cannot be implemented through new recruitment. As development and research activities are also carried out by employees of public institutions referred to in Article 28 of this Act, the option of concluding an employment contract for supplementary work is therefore also extended to these institutions. 

The Act also introduces the possibility of obtaining appropriate pedagogical, pedagogical-andragogical or special education qualifications through micro-credentials delivered as shorter forms of education and training, in accordance with the Higher Education Act. These programmes are designed for the acquisition of specific knowledge, skills and competences in the fields of pedagogy, pedagogy-andragogy or special education.

In April 2025, the Official Gazette published the Rules Amending the Rules on Traineeships for Education Staff (Pravilnik o spremembi Pravilnika o pripravništvu strokovnih delavcev na področju vzgoje in izobraževanja). The amendment provides that the selected candidate undertakes the traineeship in the kindergarten or school to which they applied for the call. The Rules also now stipulate the procedure for changing the kindergarten or school during the traineeship. In addition, the provision allowing a candidate who disagreed with the selection to appeal to the ministry has been deleted, since it is redundant given that candidates themselves select the institution with which they apply.

In March, the Official Gazette published a Public Call for Traineeships in Kindergartens and Public Call for Traineeships in Schools (Javni razpis pripravniških mest v vrtcih za šolsko leto 2025/2026and Javni razpis pripravniških mest v šolah za šolsko leto 2025/2026). Through these calls, young people at the start of their careers are given the opportunity to enter the planned induction into the teaching profession. A total of 50 traineeships were advertised for work as preschool teacher assistants, 30 traineeships as preschool teachers or counsellors, and 170 traineeships for work as teachers, educators, counsellors or librarians.

In April, the Official Gazette published a Public Call for Grants for Students of Teacher Education Study Programmes (Javni razpis  za dodelitev štipendij študentom pedagoških študijskih programov v študijskem letu 2025/26). The purpose of the call is to encourage young people to study in those teacher education programmes that lead to qualifications for professions in which there is a mismatch between the current and future supply of available staff and the projected number of jobs in education. The call aims to award 100 scholarships, of which an estimated 75 will go to students enrolled in first-cycle university double-subject programmes in the natural sciences, and around 25 to students enrolled in second-cycle master’s programmes in the field of special needs. The anticipated budget for this call is EUR 420,000. 

In June, the Official Gazette published a Public Call for Study Support for the Co-financing of Tuition Fees for the Further Education of Education Staff in the 2025/26 Academic Year (Javni razpis študijskih pomoči za subvencioniranje šolnin za nadaljnje izobraževanje strokovnih delavcev v študijskem letu 2025/26). This call provides co-financing not only for study in specific continuing education programmes but also for study in certain programmes leading to qualifications. Unlike previous calls, candidates may now apply to study in any programme, provided that the qualification obtained would meet the educational requirements of their current post. The available funds for tuition fee co-financing under this call amount to EUR 1,250,000.

In June, the Ministry of Education published on its website a Public Invitation to Retired Teachers and Other Education Staff to Return to Educational Work in the 2025/26 School Year (Javni poziv upokojenim učiteljem in drugim strokovnim delavcem za ponovno opravljanje vzgojno-izobraževalnega dela na področju vzgoje in izobraževanja v šolskem letu 2025/26). On the closed MVI Portal, which is accessible only to headteachers, the Ministry continuously publishes details of applicants who meet the general requirements of the invitation, with the aim of linking them to educational institutions in need of education staff to teach.

Incentives for the professional development of education staff

The Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) introduces, among other things, the possibility of promotion for those education staff who have previously not been eligible for career advancement, such as laboratory technicians. In this way, equal status in career progression is ensured. In line with this, in July 2025, a draft Rules on the Promotion of  Education Staff to Titles (predlog Pravilnika o napredovanju zaposlenih v vzgoji in izobraževanju v nazive) was submitted for interdepartmental consultation, which, among other provisions, stipulates that laboratory technicians may also be promoted to the title of Mentor or Advisor.

The status of already approved textbooks in the procedures of approving new subject-curricula and knowledge catalogues

In March 2025, the Rules Amending the Rules on the Approval of Textbooks (Pravilnik o spremembi Pravilnika o potrjevanju učbenikov)  were published in the Official Gazette. The amendment concerns the status of already approved textbooks during the process of approving new or amended subject-curricula or knowledge catalogues. According to the amendment, in the procedure for approving a new or amended curriculum or knowledge catalogue for a specific subject, an already approved textbook shall remain valid for no more than three school years from the beginning of the school year in which the new or amended subject-curriculum or catalogue is introduced.

Measures to reduce the physical activity deficit

In April 2025, the Rules on the Co-financing of the Implementation of Annual Sports Programme Nationally in Sports Education of Children and Youth (Pravilnik  o sofinanciranju izvajanja letnega programa športa na državni ravni za področje športne vzgoje otrok in mladine) were published in the Official Gazette. It addresses, among other issues, the physical activity deficit among children and youth. Among other provisions, it includes the co-financing of classes offering additional sports activities across all grades of basic school, newly defines the subject matter, conditions, criteria, and amounts of co-financing for all national leisure sports programmes, and provides for scientific research in the field of children’s and youth sport – the annual monitoring of students’ physical and motor development using the Sports Education Card – as well as the co-financing of a media campaign to raise awareness of the importance of sport, sporting activity, and the promotion of regular participation in sport among children and youth.

Based on these Rules, in April 2025, a Public Call for the Co-financing of Classes with Additional Sports Activities in Basic Schools (Javni razpis  za sofinanciranje oddelkov z dodatno športno ponudbo v osnovnih šolah za šolsko leto 2025/2026) was published in the Official Gazette. The aims are to increase the number of hours of sport for primary school students and to enhance the quality and attractiveness of sports education programmes for children and youth. The planned budget allocation for this public call amounts to up to EUR 1,000,000.00. 

Inclusion of the Slovenian sign language and the language of the deafblind 

The Act Amending the Organisation of Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) introduces the Slovenian Sign Language and the language of the deafblind as languages of instruction within the education system, thereby aligning the legislation with the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. By including a provision allowing education and teaching to be conducted in Slovenian Sign Language or in the language of the deafblind for children and young people who are deaf or severely hard of hearing, or for children and young people who are deafblind, these students are guaranteed their constitutional right to quality education and teaching in their natural language.

Transport of children and young people with special educational needs

The Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) introduces a provision on the financing of transport for children and young people with special needs from the state budget. This merges the transport schemes regulated by various provisions relating to the education of children and students in the Republic of Slovenia. At the same time, the introduction of a personal data register for the financing of transport for children and young people with special needs reduces bureaucracy. It establishes a simplified, transparent procedure for submitting transport needs, which, in accordance with the adopted legislation, are provided by the state.

Inclusion of Roma Students in the Education System

The Act Amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) introduces a provision stipulating that supplementary classes in the Slovenian language and culture are to be organised also for students belonging to the Roma community. Since insufficient knowledge of Slovenian as the language of instruction represents one of the most significant obstacles to achieving learning goals and standards for many Roma students, this amendment aims to ensure more successful integration of Roma students. Based on this legislative amendment, it will be possible through a subordinate regulation to provide schools attended by Roma students with a greater number of Slovenian language lessons.

The amendment to the Basic School Act also supplements the provision on data collections kept by schools. From now on, with the consent of parents, information on whether a student belongs to the Roma community will also be collected. Based on the number of Roma students, schools are entitled to more favourable norms for the formation of classes with Roma students, the formal establishment of Roma assistant posts, and additional education staff to work with Roma students. Until now, the number of Roma students has been assessed only based on estimates.

Enrolment, transfer and deferred schooling

The amendment to the Basic School Act (sprememba Zakona o osnovni šoli) regulates in greater detail the procedure for enrolment in the first grade of basic school and the transfer to another school outside the catchment area in which the student resides before the start of schooling. It also provides more detailed rules for the possibility of transferring to another school during schooling. In addition, the procedure for the deferment of schooling is clarified, both for students who have not yet started basic school and for those already in the first grade. Deadlines are defined by the date by which parents must submit a request for deferment. 

Free transport for students

The amendments to the Basic School Act (sprememba Zakona o osnovni šoli) provide more detailed regulation of school transport, specifying that the manner of transport is agreed between the primary school and the local community, the latter being obliged to adopt rules on this matter. For children with special needs who have life-threatening health conditions, the transport provider must provide an escort in addition to the driver.

Assessment of students' knowledge

The amendment to the Basic School Act (sprememba Zakona o osnovni šoli) also introduces changes in the field of assessment. The amendment provides for the possibility of an appeal not only against marks in the report card or final report card but also against the notice of final marks. It adds the definition that students in grades 7 and 8 must also repeat the grade if they fail to attend a remedial examination, not only when they fail it.

The definition of “unmarked students” is also clarified. Those students unmarked due to excused absences may be given adapted forms of assessment, while those students unmarked due to unexcused absences must sit a subject examination. Failure to attend the subject examination necessarily leads to a remedial exam, and students from grades 4 to 6 who fail to attend or pass the remedial examination must repeat the grade.

Home education for children with special educational needs

The amendment to the Basic School Act (sprememba Zakona o osnovni šoli) stipulates that children with special needs may exercise the right to home education during the school year as well. It also introduces the possibility that children with special needs who, after failing to demonstrate sufficient knowledge, were required to attend school the following year, may again exercise the right to home education.

Penalties

The amendment to the Basic School Act (sprememba Zakona o osnovni šoli) expands the scope of fines for schools and parents in cases of breaches of statutory provisions. Schools may be fined for violations in the field of behaviour-related educational practice. In contrast, parents may be fined if they fail to fulfil their responsibility to supervise the items that students bring to school.

Supplementing the components of education and other programmes in education

The Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) also contains provisions modifying the components of education programmes, thus affecting the special part of the programmes. While the elements of this special part remain broadly defined, additional programme documents have been included, which form the basis for an essential segment of educational work (e.g. guidelines, instructions, recommendations).

Changes to the competences of the institutions' councils

The essence of the changes to the competences of institutions' councils under the Act Amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act  (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja) is to ensure effective and professional legal protection for employees with regard to their employment rights, while at the same time relieving institution's council members of the responsibility of deciding on breaches of employment contracts by school staff, for which they generally lack the necessary training or competences. This applies in cases of regular or extraordinary termination of an employment contract, where the institution's council will no longer act as the appeal body, and employees will instead be able to seek judicial redress before the competent court.

Amendments to the norms and standards

In April 2025, the amendments to the following regulations were published in the Official Gazette:

• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne šole (relevant to norms for the implementation of the basic school programme)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne šole v dvojezičnih osnovnih šolah in osnovnih šolah z italijanskim učnim jezikom (relevant to the norms for the implementation of the basic school programme in bilingual schools and schools with Italian as the language of instructions)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje vzgojno-izobraževalnih programov za otroke s posebnimi potrebami (relevant to the norms for implementation of the education programmes for children with special educational needs)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa glasbene šole (relevant to the norms for implementation of the music school programme)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje izobraževalnih programov in vzgojnega programa na področju srednjega šolstva (relevant to the norms of implementing education programmes and behaviour-related education programme in upper secondary education)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih v dvojezični srednji šoli (relevant to the norms in bilinugal upper secondary schools)
• Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih v srednjih šolah z italijanskim učnim jezikom (relevant to the norms in upper secondary schools with Italian language of instruction)

The amendments to regulations published in April 2025 concern, among other things, the systematisation of new accounting and administrative posts in line with the Annexe to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Aneks h Kolektivni pogodbi za dejavnost vzgoje in izobraževanja v Republiki Sloveniji), the provision of additional professional support, and the introduction of a mentoring allowance for the induction of secondary-school students and tertiary students during compulsory practical training.

In the field of basic education, the regulation deletes the paragraph stipulating that the share of additional education staff for work with Roma students only be allocated among counselling staff or teachers of additional professional support. This gives basic schools greater autonomy, as they may now allocate such staff time for work with Roma students across all education staff.

In addition, the regulation introduces the possibility of a reduced teaching norm for teachers who are members of the subject commission responsible for preparing and selecting tasks for the national assessment in grade 3 of basic school. The amendment to the Basic School Act (Novela Zakona o osnovni šoli), which entered into force on 1 March 2024, introduced compulsory national assessment in basic school grade 3, for which a subject commission was appointed. The change to the regulation places members of this commission on an equal footing with members of the subject commissions for mathematics, Slovenian, and foreign languages, who already benefit from a reduced teaching norm of three teaching hours. 

Provision of ICT equipment for educational institutions

In April 2025, the Official Gazette published a Public Call for the Co-financing of Additional Active Network Equipment within the framework of the project Modernisation of Computer Networks in Educational Institutions (Javni razpis za sofinanciranje dodatne aktivne omrežne opreme v okviru izvedbe projekta »Posodobitev računalniških omrežij na VIZ« v okviru Načrta za okrevanje in odpornost) under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Through this call, educational institutions will be provided with additional active network equipment. The aim is to modernise computer networks in as many institutions as possible, thereby improving the quality of the educational process and updating digital infrastructure.

The target groups of the project are basic schools, upper secondary schools, independent higher vocational colleges, institutions for children and young people with special needs, independent residence halls for upper secondary students, and organisations for adult education. For the implementation of the project and the additional distribution of equipment to educational institutions, fixed funding of EUR 800,000.00 and variable funding of up to EUR 600,000.00 have been allocated.

In July, a Public Procurement Portal published a Public Tender for the Purchase of ICT Equipment for use in public educational institutions (Nakup opreme IKT za uporabo na javnih vzgojno-izobraževalnih zavodih). The tender comprises five lots: two for the purchase of laptops, two for the purchase of tablets, and one for the purchase of interactive displays. The tender is linked to the project Digitalisation of Education in Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and Adult Education (Equipment) (Digitalizacija izobraževanja na ravni osnovnih šol, srednjih šol in izobraževanja odraslih (oprema)), which forms part of the measures financed under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.

Cultural and arts education

In May 2025, the Official Gazette published a Public Call for the Selection of a National Project for Cultural and Arts Education (Javni razpis za izbor nacionalnega projekta kulturno-umetnostne vzgoje za povezovanje vzgojno-izobraževalnih zavodov in kulturnih ustanov na regijski ravni). The purpose of the call is to select a national project that will improve cooperation between educational institutions and cultural organisations, enable the development of regional cultural and arts education networks, and ensure better collaboration among cultural organisations, artists, educational institutions, and local communities within the national network. The aim is to enhance access to high-quality cultural and arts content and activities at both regional and national levels.

The target groups of the public call are students in the third educational cycle of basic school, upper secondary-school students, education and management staff in educational institutions, cultural organisations and local communities responsible for education, culture, and youth, artists and cultural workers, as well as the educational institutions, cultural organisations and local communities themselves.

The general objectives of the public call are:

• To contribute to the development of the key competence of cultural awareness and expression, as well as other competences among the target groups, through high-quality cultural and arts content and activities.
• To increase access to cultural and arts education for children and young people and integrate it into the educational process by improving equal opportunities for access to quality cultural content and activities.
• To raise awareness of the importance of cultural and arts education at national, regional, and local levels, and its role in the holistic development of the individual.

The total planned funding available for the implementation of the public call is EUR 2,545,000.00. The operation will be co-financed under the public call by the European Union, through the European Social Fund+, and by the Republic of Slovenia.

2024

Modernisation of basic school and gimnazija education

Reform of the wage system

In November 2024, representatives of the government and public sector unions signed collective agreements or annexes to contracts and agreements, which form the basis for the reform of the wage system. The annex to the Collective Agreement for the Education and Training Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Aneks h Kolektivni pogodbi za dejavnost vzgoje in izobraževanja v Republiki Sloveniji) is being concluded in order to convert the salary grades and to classify the salary grades of posts and titles in salary group D - Posts in the education and training sector in accordance with the Act on the Common Foundations of the Public Sector Wage System (Official Gazzete of the Republic of Slovenia, No 95/24). This annex provides for the alignment of the job classification and employment contracts, the criteria for filling new and upgraded posts, the payment of increased and reduced teaching and additional teaching duties, the amendment of the provisions on annual leave and the protection of older workers, and the alignment of the conditions for the payment of the allowance for regular work in the afternoon with the collective agreement applicable to the public sector.

In addition to the annex to the Collective Agreement for Education and Training, an Agreement on the Classification of Posts and Grades in the Pillar of Salaries of Civil Servants in Research, Education and Culture (Dogovor o uvrstitvah delovnih mest in nazivov plačnega stebra javnih uslužbencev v raziskovalni dejavnosti, izobraževanju in kulturi) was signed. The signatories to the agreement will endeavour to regulate more appropriately the increased teaching obligation for teachers whose weekly teaching obligation is unequally distributed in accordance with the regulations by the beginning of the next school year. According to the agreement, the Ministry of Education undertakes, among other things, to start drafting amendments to the regulations laying down the conditions for promotion to the post of laboratory assistant within one month of the entry into force of the amendment to the law governing the organisation and financing of education and to coordinate with the representative trade unions in this respect. The amendments to the Regulations will apply from 1 September 2025 at the latest.

The reform of the salary system is also linked to changes in the upper secondary education regulations. 

In December 2024, the Official Gazette published amendments to the Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards for the implementation of educational programmes in the field of upper secondary education (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje izobraževalnih programov in vzgojnega programa na področju srednjega šolstva), the Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards in bilingual upper secondary schools (Pravilnika o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih v dvojezični srednji šoli), and the Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards in upper secondary schools with Italian as the language of instruction (Pravilnika o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih v srednjih šolah z italijanskim učnim jezikom), which are related to the recruitment of new accounting and administrative posts in salary subgroup D9 and the post of computer equipment maintenance technician, newly established at grade VII/2 (computer equipment maintainer VII/2), and the post of cleaner in III. at grade VII. The following new posts are added: secretary viz vii/1, chief accountant VI, chief accountant VII/1, chief accountant VII/2, chief accountant vi and computer equipment maintainer VII/2 and cleaner III. The following changes are also related to this.

To the new or alternative posts defined in the above-mentioned amendments to the regulations on norms and standards (chief secretary VIZ VII/1, chief accountant VI, chief accountant VII/1, chief accountant VII/2, computer equipment maintainer VII/2, cleaner III) and the Annex to the Collective Agreement for the Education and Training Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Aneks h Kolektivni pogodbi za dejavnost vzgoje in izobraževanja v Republiki Sloveniji) are also related the amendments in December to the Rules amending the Rules on the methodology for financing educational programmes and the educational programme in the field of upper secondary education (Pravilnika o spremembah in dopolnitvi Pravilnika o metodologiji financiranja izobraževalnih programov in vzgojnega programa na področju srednjega šolstva), the Rules amending the Rules on the methodology for financing educational programmes in upper secondary schools with Italian as the language of instruction (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvi Pravilnika o metodologiji financiranja izobraževalnih programov srednjih šol z italijanskim učnim jezikom) and the Rules amending the Rules on the methodology for financing educational programmes in bilingual upper secondary schools (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o metodologiji financiranja izobraževalnih programov dvojezične srednje šole). In addition, in line with the new wage legislation, the amendments to the Regulations establish new wage grades for all posts. The addition of new accounting-administrative and technical-maintenance posts also redefines the ratios or proportions of individual posts to be taken into account in determining the per-pupil price of the upper secondary education programme.

The above-mentioned Regulations on the on the methodology for financing were previously amended in November 2024 (Official Gazette No 110/2024) as on 1 April 2023, the job classifications or grades were increased by one grade, which necessitated amendments to the Regulations.

Inclusion of Roma in the education system

In December 2024, the Slovenian Government adopted the Baselines for the preparation of draft laws on Roma issues (Izhodišča za pripravo predlogov zakonov glede romske tematike). The baselines address key challenges facing the Roma community and include measures in the areas of education, employment, housing and strengthening cooperation between key stakeholders. The measures envisaged in the field of education include the inclusion of Roma children in the preschool education system in the year before they enter compulsory basic education, additional support for integration into the basic education system through the teaching of the Slovenian language, and more consistent measures to ensure attendance at classes. 

Planned amendments to the Basic School Act:

• Organisation of Slovenian language and culture classes for Roma pupils in the first educational period;
• collecting data on the basis of ethnicity to enable the right of Roma children to education to be implemented;
• ensuring the safety of pupils in such a way that the school can, from time to time, ensure the achievement of the educational objectives by other forms of organised work with the pupil outside the classes or group, if necessary;
• more precise definitions of the monitoring and justification of absenteeism, with the possibility of earlier involvement of the social work centre in family dynamics.

Strengthening the mental health of children and adolescents

In December 2024, the Ministry of Health launched the Call for Proposals "Development of a programme to overcome anxiety in children and adolescents" (Javni razpis »Razvoj programa za premagovanje anksioznosti otrok in mladostnikov«), which aims to create supportive environments to promote mental health in the family, kindergartens, schools and programmes to prevent the development of mental disorders. This will improve the accessibility, availability, comprehensiveness, interconnectedness and quality of mental health services. The implementation of the project will go beyond the health sector and will contribute to a more comprehensive cross-sectoral implementation of mental health interventions.

The main objectives of the call are:

• Systemic implementation of early, proven effective interventions; projects to overcome anxiety, including for particularly vulnerable groups of children and adolescents and their parents,
• upgrading the competences of different professionals in the health, education and social care sectors who come into contact with children, adolescents and their families in their work on overcoming anxiety,
• to upgrade the knowledge of professionals in order to improve early identification of high anxiety or anxiety disorders in the population of children and adolescents,
• understanding and recognition of anxiety,
• developing competences to manage anxiety.

The total amount of funding foreseen for this purpose is up to EUR 508,740.00. The project is co-financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

Changes to the music education regulations

In November 2024, amendments to three music education regulations were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. 

The amendment to the Regulations on school rules for music schools (sprememba Pravilnika o šolskem redu za glasbene šole) allows the head teacher to take such measures by means of house rules to ensure a healthy, safe and stimulating learning environment in the school premises, and to prevent the bringing and distribution on school premises of prohibited substances and objects which could endanger the life or health of a pupil or the life or health of another. 

The Regulation amending the Regulation on the examination and assessment of pupils and the promotion of pupils in music schools (Pravilnik o dopolnitvi in spremembah Pravilnika o preverjanju in ocenjevanju znanja ter napredovanju učencev v glasbenih šolah) provides, inter alia, for the possibility for candidates not enrolled in a music school to take an examination in the subject of chamber music. This entitles them to a certificate of completion of lower or upper level of education if they have not obtained an annual grade during the school year. 

The amendments to the Regulations on the conduct of lessons in music schools (Spremembe Pravilnika o izvajanju pouka v glasbenih šolah) are aligned with the Regulations on norms and standards for the conduct of the music school programme and the syllabus of the music education programme, which stipulate that music lessons or solfeggio lessons shall be conducted for 1 school hour (45 minutes), 1.33 school hours (60 minutes) or 2 school hours (90 minutes). In addition, the amendments to the Regulations provide for the teaching of new subjects in accordance with the amendment to the Music Schools Act. More specifically, the obligation for pupils to participate in musical groups (chamber ensembles, orchestras, choirs) is laid down in order to ensure that all pupils enrolled in a music school have the experience of playing or singing in a group.

Draft National Education Programme 2023–2033

In July 2024, the relevant working group developed the final draft National Education Programme for 2023–2033 (končni predlog Nacionalnega programa vzgoje in izobraževanja za obdobje 2023–2033). Its strategic objectives and actions for a system of quality and sustainable education are based on scientific evidence; they build on good practices of education staff at Slovenian kindergartens and schools and respond sensitively and flexibly to the challenges of modern society. The document identifies 21 strategic objectives, 55 sub-objectives, and 306 actions under 6 priority areas: social development and the role of education, provision of a safe environment to support the optimal development of the individual, teaching, learning, monitoring progress, assessment, professional and career development of education staff and leaders in education, system of quality assessment and assurance, and the education system.

The proposed strategic objectives and actions direct the education system, among others, in the following direction of development:

• Activities of education and guidance in kindergartens and schools
• Promotion of reading literacy and culture
• Development of digital literacy
• Supporting education in culture and arts
• Supporting psycho-social development and social-emotional learning of children and adolescents
• Promotion of inclusive attitude
• Provision of proper conditions for good mental and physical health
• Quality teaching and learning
• Quality trained, competent and content education staff and school leaders
• Upgraded system of quality assessment and assurance with self-evaluation
• Better cooperation among institutions and professionals in support of professionalism, and
• Better harmonised in terms of content activities of institutions: priority areas (development plan, annual work plan), continuous professional development, support of external professionals, and self-evaluation.

The main changes of this final draft compared to the initial draft of February concern, among others, secondary vocational and technical education, general and vocational matura, physical activity of learners, preschool education, music education, residence halls for secondary students, and the inclusion of migrant learners in the education system.

Furthermore, secondary education is considered a national standard; the state should make it possible for every individual to obtain at least a secondary educational qualification at any point in their lifetime.

Sports in school will increase by an hour a week in the last three-year period of the basic school programme, and students should be provided with proper settings for physical activity of five hours a week (within compulsory subjects, non-compulsory subjects, basic school extended programme, interest activities, sports day, and compulsory elective content). Further to the total increase of stable sources for funding educational institutions, the programme foresees additional funding for institutions that due to special circumstances within which they operate (e.g. geographical distance from economic and cultural centres, the social and economic prosperity of the locality, a higher number of migrant students, etc.) require added funds to respond adequately to their diverse needs.

Modernisation of education programmes by modernising subject-curricula

In May 2024, the National Education Institute appointed 917 members to the various curricular committees (different areas of work, common objectives, areas, subjects, 1^st three-year period – 63 in total) for the modernisation of education programmes (prenova izobraževalnih programov), of which almost a fifth (166) were the Institute’s advisers, others were members external to the Institute, 224 of whom were from the higher education institutions. In July 2024, the report on the progress of modernising the education system for green and digital transitions was published (Poročilo o napredku).

The revision of the subject curricula for basic schools and gimnazije has been ongoing in parallel. In August 2024, the curricular commissions introduced draft subject curricula and study groups of teachers and other education staff (študijske skupine) had the chance to discuss and examine them before the start of the new school year. In August 2024, at a conference of headteachers (konferenca ravnateljic in ravnateljev), the National Education Institute introduced the changes we strive to achieve with the modernisation of curricular documents, highlighting the role of headteachers and assessment of knowledge.

Reform of the National Assessment of Knowledge

The role of the national examination will be partially modified as of school year 2024/2025, but it retains the purpose of providing additional feedback on students’ knowledge. Taking the national examination will now be compulsory also for grade 3 students. Currently, only grade 6 and 9 students must sit it. The outcomes of the national examination in grade 9 will now be considered notably more in the selection criteria for upper secondary programmes under the cap on enrolment. The school calendar was amended to move the national examination to March and April.

In August 2024, the Rules on the national examination in the basic school (Pravilnik o nacionalnem preverjanju znanja v osnovni šoli) were published in the official gazette following the amended basic school law (novela Zakona o osnovni šoli). The Rules define in greater detail, among others, the responsibilities and duties of the state and subject commissions, the National Education Institute and the National Examination Centre. The Rules provide for students’ infringements, measures and relevant procedures of imposing; absence or ungraded assignments, additional points for one or more assignments for missing or ungraded assignments and avoiding errors in announcing outcomes. The method and duration of the national examination, access to assessed assignments, re-assessment of individual assignments, announcing the students’ outcomes and method and time limit for keeping documentation are defined in more detail, too.

In August 2024, the relevant Ordinance on the selection criteria for upper secondary vocational education, technical education and gimnazija programmes with a set cap on enrolment was published in the official gazette (Odredba o merilih za izbiro kandidatov v primeru omejitve vpisa v programe srednjega poklicnega izobraževanja, srednjega strokovnega izobraževanja ter gimnazij). It laid down that candidates will be allotted a place based on the sum of final marks in all compulsory subjects of grades 7 to 9 (up to 60 per cent of the total) and the achievement in the national examination in the language of instruction (Slovenian or Italian or Hungarian in nationally mixed areas) and mathematics (each up to 20 per cent). A special formula will be applied to calculate the total percentages for allotting a place. The new criteria also apply to the enrolment in programmes for which candidates must pass an aptitude test, and the latter results shall be considered an additional criterion.

Modified concept of the basic school extended programme

In February 2024, the Act amending the Basic School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli) was published in the official gazette. The law introduced the revision of the basic school extended programme concept. The amendments specify that the current elements of the extended programme (after-school classes, remedial and supplementary lessons, individual and group learning support and non-compulsory elective subjects) will be superseded by the contents in physical activity, health, cultural and citizenship education, and learning to learn. The law is linked to the adopted curricular document, which defines the areas in greater detail. The selection of content and pursuing activities is voluntary for students. The content will not be marked. Upon the law entering into force, schools could implement the programme before, during and after school hours. Schools must offer those contents to students in grades 1 to 3 before and after school (lessons). In this sense, structured activities will be provided to children before and after school ends (care with structured activities).

In August 2024, the Rules on educational qualification of teachers and other education staff in the basic school programme were published in the official gazette (Pravilnik o izobrazbi učiteljev in drugih strokovnih delavcev v izobraževalnem programu osnovne šole). It introduces new requirements for educational qualification of certain subject teachers within the extended programme, a teacher of additional support to talented students and a teacher for additional support to students with learning difficulties. Furthermore, it added to the requirements for the teacher of Slovenian sign language, teacher of individual and group support, teacher of communication in Slovenian sign language, counsellor, computer technician – organiser of information activities, and laboratory assistant.

In June 2024, the Rules on norms and standards for providing the basic school programme were published in the official gazette (Pravilnik o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne šole). It specified modified norms following the introduction of the revised extended programme concept (prenovljeni koncept razširjenega programa). Due to putting an end to the after-school classes on which the job positions of accounting and administrative job posts and the post of a headteacher, assistant headteacher, and housekeeper, the relevant articles shall be accurately reassessed to only account for the compulsory programme classes and hospital classes.

The Rules defined unambiguously the functions of the headteacher and assistant headteacher in their role as pedagogical leaders. It specified the method of calculating hours of the extended programme based on the number of classes and students. Furthermore, the norms for setting up groups in the extended programme were defined and the norm for pursuing activities of the outdoor school programme during night rest.

Setting up home-schooling

In February 2024, the amendments to the Basic School Act were published (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o osnovni šoli). They pertain also to home education. Among others, they specify equal educational standards that homeschooled students must achieve, the same as their peers in school. This means that homeschooled students will now have to take exams in all subjects of a grade.

Earlier start of foreign language learning

With the amended Basic School Act (novela Zakona o osnovni šoli) of February 2024 the compulsory start of first foreign language learning was moved from 2^nd down to 1^st grade following the trial introduction of foreign language learning into the compulsory programme and testing of the concept of the basic school extended programme. At that time, it was determined that in the 2016/2017 school year, 92.73 percent of first graders had already opted to take lessons in the first foreign language, and that share only increased in the following years.

Modification of the system for greater inclusiveness of education

The amended Basic School Act (novela Zakona o osnovni šoli) of February 2024 made provisions for lessons of Slovenian sign language and tactile sign language in basic schools.

In June 2024, the Rules on norms and standards for providing the basic school programme (Pravilnik o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne šole) were published in the official gazette. They made provisions for a job post of a teacher for communication in Slovenian sign language, a teacher to support deafblind students, and the option to assign a classroom assistant following the recommendation by the mobile team. Furthermore, they specified a transitional regime applying to schools that will have assumed the revised extended programme concept by 2028.

The latter amendments are supported by relevant rules on norms and standards for provision of education programmes for SEN children (Pravilnik o normativih in standardih za izvajanje vzgojno-izobraževalnih programov za otroke s posebnimi potrebami), rules on home education of SEN children (Pravilnik o izobraževanju učencev s posebnimi potrebami na domu), and rules on norms and standards for provision of the basic school programme in bilingual schools and schools with Italian medium of instruction (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne šole v dvojezičnih osnovnih šolah in osnovnih šolah z italijanskim učnim jezikom).

In June 2024, the Act amending the Gimnazija Act was published in the official gazette (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o gimnazijah). It specified the reason in point of law to run the Slovenian language course for newly arrived upper secondary students who have not completed the basic school education in Slovenian or who started basic education in grade 9 for the first time in Slovenia and failed to pass the test of proficiency in Slovenian at level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It has been shown in practice that students who entered basic education in Slovenia in grade 9, failed to reach proficiency in Slovenian needed to do well in upper secondary education.

In August 2024, following the amended Gimnazija Act (Zakon o gimnazijah) and Vocational and Technical Education Act (Zakon o poklicnem in strokovnem izobraževanju), the Rules amending the Rules on the Slovenian course for upper secondary students (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o tečaju slovenščine za dijake v srednjih šolah) were published in the official gazette.

Proposal for one-stage appointment of headteachers

In May 2024, the Ministry of Education published the draft Act amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja). The proposed amendment relates, among other, to the modified procedure of appointing and dismissing a school or kindergarten headteacher, modified competences of the council of a public school or kindergarten, and the treatment and record keeping of personal data to fund student transportation and records of information about physical mobility and morphological characteristics of basic school and upper secondary students.

The most important change in the procedure for appointing the headteacher or director is replacing the Minister’s opinion with the institution of consent. Thus, it became a one-stage procedure. Previously, the institution’s council selected the candidate and sought the opinion of the Minister; after obtaining the opinion or the deadline for giving the opinion expired, the Council appointed the chosen candidate. The two-stage procedure (the institution’s council first select the candidate, and then appoints them after obtaining the opinion) imposed an increased risk of possible corrupt practices within the interim period, which was also determined by the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. To prevent the Minister from exerting political influence on the selection of the candidate, the law now specifies the cases the Minister can refuse to consent to the headteacher’s appointment.

The draft law now also sets out the reasons that bind the Institution’s council to dismiss the headteacher or director before the end of the term of office. To date, these grounds have not been specified in the umbrella law and the statutory grounds laid down in the act governing institutions have been considered in the dismissal. In addition to the reasons already arising from the law governing institutions, the council would now be required to dismiss a headteacher who fails to implement an inspection or final court decision and a headteacher who has been convicted by final judgment of a criminal offence against human rights and freedoms, against honour and goodwill, against human health, against the employment relationship and social security, and against official duty, public authority and public funds. As practice has shown, in certain cases the councils of institutions did not perform their duties and responsibilities and, despite legal reasons, did not dismiss the headteacher, with the proposed amendments this power is now given to the Minister.

Formalisation of the Quality assessment and assurance framework

With the May 2024 draft Act amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act, the Ministry of Education also published an exposure draft reason in point of law for the quality assessment and assurance framework in education. The proposed amendment summarises the basic elements of the quality assessment and assurance framework in one place. It stipulates, among others, that kindergartens and schools determine and ensure quality through self-evaluation, thereby establishing institutional self-evaluation as a fundamental systemic approach to determine and ensure quality in education. It places external examinations, inspections, international research and the activities of the Quality and Evaluation Council within the quality framework.

In June 2024, the Act amending the Gimnazija Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o gimnazijah) was published in the official gazette, introducing a new body – a five-member team of experts in quality assessment and assurance – into basic schools. The law stipulates that schools pursue self-evaluation and set quality indicators by themselves as part of their annual planning, the expert team develops a self-evaluation report in cooperation with the headteacher, which is published on the school's website as part of the annual report.

Other policy developments

Amendments to the basic school calendar: Standardisation of the pedagogical hour’s length, pushing back the national examination, new exam terms for homeschooled students

In July 2024, the Ministry of Education published the Rules mending the Basic school calendar Rules (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o šolskem koledarju za osnovne šole) following the amendments to the concept of the basic school extended programme and its integration in the amended basic school law (novela Zakona o osnovni šoli). The Rules standardised a pedagogical hour at 45 minutes. The amendment introduced updated terms for the national examination that shall be moved to March and April. Homeschooled students will have the option to take exams in individual subjects for a longer time.

The transitional regime shall apply to schools that will not yet provide the extended programme by law, and the provisions of the current rules that specify the length of an hour of after-school class, an hour of morning care, and organisation of remedial lessons for students who must retake exams shall apply.

Modification for a more stable planning of providing the programme of the European School Ljubljana

In July 2024, the Minister of Education published the Rules amending the Rules on the implementation of the programme of the European School Ljubljana (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o izvajanju programa Evropske šole Ljubljana). The amendments concern, among others, amendments to the norms and standards for combined classes, groups for second language – first foreign language, third language – second foreign language, and elective subjects. In addition, the Rules provide for reduced teaching time for the European matura coordinator, the coordinator of additional activities, the assistant headteacher, the counsellor, and the librarian.

Changes in norms mean more predictable and thus more stable planning, organisation, and implementation of the programme and more efficient management of the education staff. They consider the personal circumstances of the European Schools programme students, including the European School Ljubljana programme. As a rule, these are likelier to change school and educational settings, and do so faster and oftener, which, for this type of school, means constant fluctuation and a change in the dynamics of planning, organisation and implementation of the programme.

Improvement of competition setting to support excellence

In June 2024, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities published the Zois Scholarship Act (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o dodeljevanju Zoisovih štipendij), which, among other things and under requirements for the award of the Zois scholarships, defines selection and interest competitions, while at the same time, adding new ones to the existing requirements that must be met by national competitions in knowledge and research, namely:

• Gold and silver awards are presented to a maximum of 60% of competitors or competition groups;
• They are provided in ethnically mixed areas by the law governing the special rights of the Italian and Hungarian national communities in the field of education;
• Provide design and technical modifications for children and adolescents with special needs.

Furthermore, under requirements for an international competition in knowledge, research, development or art, the Rules now stipulate that at least 15 countries must participate (previously 5). The regulation enters into force with the school year 2026/2027.

Assessment for homeschooled migrant students

In July 2024, the amended Rules on assessment and progression of basic school students (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o preverjanju in ocenjevanju znanja ter napredovanju učencev v osnovni šoli) were published in the official gazette. They have been harmonised with the amendments of the Basic School Act (spremembe in dopolnitve Zakona o osnovni šoli). Among others, the amendments relate to home education and knowledge assessment for migrant and SEN students.

New subjects in music schools

In June 2024, the Act amending the Music School Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o glasbenih šolah) was published in the official gazette. It defines new subjects in jazz and popular music. Furthermore, it specifies homeschooling procedures and updates to collecting and protecting data by entering the child's personal registration number and parent's tax identification number. The content-related amendment defines competence and criteria in greater detail for implementing supplementary lessons for the individual student. It specifies the progression in the first period at a lower level of music education programme. The new law specifies equal rights for second-grade students after extending their education for a year in case of prolonged justifiable absence.

Development of digital competences and computer thinking

In June 2024, the Ministry of Education published the invitation to apply for co-funding the project on developing computer thinking by integrating STEM kits in kindergartens and schools for classes 1 to 5 (Javni razpis »Razvoj računalniškega mišljenja z vključevanjem STEM kompletov v vrtcih in osnovnih šolah od 1. do 5. razreda«). Its purpose is to improve digital competences and basic knowledge of computer science and informatics by developing computer thinking of education staff and children or students in kindergartens, and basic schools, basic schools with adapted programme and institutions for the education of children and adolescents with special needs, with an emphasis on the role of modern learning approaches and methods of work and cross-curricular integration. The objective is to develop computer thinking by including STEM kits for achieving kindergarten curriculum objectives or the operational objectives of the subject-curricula from basic school grades 1 to 5. The amount of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility available up to and including 2026 is €700.000,00.

In May 2024, the Ministry of Education published an invitation to apply for co-funding the project for 2024–2026 (Javni razpis Razvoj digitalnih kompetenc in temeljnih znanj računalništva in informatike 2024–2026) to develop and assess digital competences and basic knowledge of computer science and informatics of learners in educational institutions, considering the results so far at home and abroad. The target groups are children, basic school, upper secondary and higher education students, and education staff and leaders in educational institutions. The invitation to apply is divided into three lots:

• Lot 1: Development and assessment of learners’ digital competences
• Lot 2: Development and assessment of digital competences of learners in basic schools with the adapted programme and institutions for the education of children and adolescents with special needs
• Lot 3: Development of basic knowledge of computer science and informatics of learners

The amount of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility available up to and including 2026 is €3,100,000.00.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Education published the invitation to apply for co-funding the project of improving digital competences, knowledge of basic computer science and informatics, competences for sustainable development and financial literacy of education staff and leaders in education (javni razpis za krepitev digitalnih kompetenc, temeljnih vsebin računalništva in informatike, kompetenc za trajnostni razvoj ter finančne pismenosti strokovnih in vodstvenih delavcev v vzgoji in izobraževanju). The selected project was “Digitralni učitelj” (Digital and sustainable teacher). The coordinator and manager of the project is Rokus Klett publishing house on behalf of the Community of institutions of the consortium of school centres and other consortium institutions in the field of education. The project is funded in part by the Republic of Slovenia through the Ministry of Education and the European Union through the NextGenerationEU instrument, the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The total amount of available funds is €17,576,000.00, including VAT, of a maximum of €16,900,000.00 of European funds.

In April 2024, the Act amending the Digital Inclusion Promotion Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvi Zakona o spodbujanju digitalne vključenosti) was published in the official gazette. It made provisions to ensure the effective functioning of the mechanism to access the computer equipment by the vulnerable populations. The amendment specifies beneficiaries with at least one child enrolled in basic education and those classified as beneficiaries of a child benefit in the first income bracket. This means beneficiaries whose monthly income per person does not exceed €221.46. If the equipment remains, the circle of beneficiaries can be extended to another income bracket, where the average monthly income per person does not exceed €369.11.

Actions to reduce the shortage of education staff

In June, the Ministry of Education invited to apply for study aid to subsidise tuition fees for the further education of education staff (Javni razpis študijskih pomoči za subvencioniranje šolnin za nadaljnje izobraževanje strokovnih delavcev v študijskem letu 2024/2025) employed in kindergartens, basic schools, basic schools with the adapted programme, schools and institutions for the education of children and adolescents with special needs, music schools, secondary schools, higher vocational colleges, adult education organisations, residence halls for upper secondary students and public institutions that carry out educational activities in an adapted programme for pre-school children with special needs or in the special programme for the education of children and adolescents with special needs. The amount of available funds is €420,000.00. The tuition fee subsidy for an individual recipient enrolled in a study or training programme as specified with the invitation is 50 per cent of the relevant tuition fee.

In April 2024, the Ministry of Education published a call for applications for internships (Javni razpis pripravniških mest v šolah za leto 2024/25) in basic schools, schools and institutions for the education of children and adolescents with special needs, music schools, residence halls for basic school students, secondary schools or residence halls for upper secondary students, which are entered in the register as providers of officially recognised education programmes. The Ministry announces 170 traineeship places with an employment relationship, based on the employment contract of the trainee at the traineeship place, for providing educational activities by a teacher, educator, counsellor or librarian in the mentioned educational institutions. The estimated amount of funds allocated by the Ministry to finance the provision of traineeships with an employment relationship is €3,375,350.00.

In February 2024, the Ministry of Education published an invitation to apply for scholarships for study programmes in education (Javni razpis za dodelitev štipendij študentom pedagoških študijskih programov v študijskem letu 2024/25) to encourage young people to continue education in pedagogical study programmes and to acquire the educational qualification needed to pursue the professions for which there is a discrepancy between the current and future volume of available staff and the projected volume of jobs in the field of education and training. The objective is to award 100 scholarships. For this, €280,000.00 is foreseen.

In January 2024, the Minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on scholarships in the field of education (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika dodeljevanju štipendij za področje vzgoje in izobraževanja).

Incentive for professional development

In February, the Ministry of Education published an invitation to apply for co-funding of the professional development programmes for the 2024/2025 school year (Javni razpis za izbor in sofinanciranje programov profesionalnega usposabljanja za šolsko leto 2024/25). The relevant programmes for education staff are published in the Catalogue of continuing education and training programmes for the 2024/2025 school year, among them the selection of those co-funded from the state budget. Professional training programmes are shorter career development programmes intended for the expert and disciplinary development of an individual education worker or professional group.

The priority topics approved by the Council of the Republic of Slovenia for general education:

1. Teaching, learning and assessment of outcomes in the learning and study processes, with an emphasis on modern learning technologies and innovative approaches to teaching and learning
2. Sustainable development and active citizenship
3. Talented students in the educational process and the care and education of children with special needs (sensitization and training for the use of new pedagogical methods and approaches)
4. Implementation of lifelong career guidance with an emphasis on ensuring equal opportunities for vulnerable groups
5. Socio-emotional competences and well-being in care and education, and empowering education staff to deal with the topics of mental health and addiction
6. Counselling in the educational and study process
7. Development of communication skills in the Slovenian language, bilingualism/multilingualism and media literacy.

The estimated funds for co-funding the professional development programmes for the 2024/2025 school year is €350,000.00.

Social dialogue in education

In February 2024, the Agreement to amend the Strike Agreement (Sporazum o spremembah in dopolnitvah Stavkovnega sporazuma) signed between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture of Slovenia (SVIZ) was published in the official gazette. The August floods caused fiscal consequences, which delayed the renewal of the salary system in the public sector. This required the amendment of some unrealised points of the initial Strike Agreement initialled between the Government Negotiating Team and SVIZ on 10 January 2024.

In February 2024, the Annex to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Aneks h Kolektivni pogodbi za dejavnost vzgoje in izobraževanja v Republiki Sloveniji) was published in the official gazette signed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the representative trade unions in education and higher education. The amendment regulates, among others, the situation of employees who are posted to carry out educational activities or to accompany children, basic school and upper secondary students outside the seat of the institution for a continuous period of two or more days (e.g. various camps, stays in nature, outdoor school, expert excursions, Erasmus exchanges, etc.), by determining a longer reference period for the daily and weekly rest of workers who are posted to multi-day educational activities or escort outside the seat of the institution (such as outdoor schools and other forms of multi-day stays in the field with children, basic school and upper secondary students, persons in care). It makes relevant provisions for the multi-day stay in the field payment. Following the government's platform for action, it was agreed between the social partners that this payment should be included in Article 105a of the Collective Agreement for the activity of education, so that employees who are assigned to several-day educational activities or escort outside the seat of the institution are entitled to a payment in the amount of two and a half daily allowances for business trips in the Republic of Slovenia of over 12 hours, for each day of working outside the seat of the institution.

In February 2024, the Decision to define job posts in kindergartens, schools and education institutions for children and adolescents with special needs at which public employees are entitled to a bonus under item 8 Article 39 of the Collective Agreement for the public sector (Sklep o določitvi delovnih mest v vrtcih, šolah in zavodih za vzgojo in izobraževanje otrok in mladostnikov s posebnimi potrebami) was published in the official gazette. It replaced the initial decision and defined job posts on which education staff is entitled to the bonus for providing adapted programme and for other direct activities in kindergartens, and to implement the adapted, special and behaviour-related education programme and for direct activities in schools or institutions for education of children and adolescents with special needs.

Standardised transition for education staff between the system of education and social care

In August 2024, the Rules on the procedures and requirements for titles of education staff in social-care institutions when employed in the field of education (Pravilnik o postopku in pogojih za pridobitev naziva strokovnih sodelavcev in strokovnih delavcev socialnovarstvenih zavodov ob zaposlitvi na področju vzgoje in izobraževanja) were published in the official gazette. It regulates relevant procedures and requirements for education staff employed in social-care centres that provide the adapted programme for preschool children and the special education programme for children and adolescents with special needs as specified by the Organisation and Financing of Education Act. It stipulated among others that education staff who obtain the title by these Rules fulfil the requirement for pursuing activities at the same or similar job posts referred to in Article 20 of the Salary System in the Public Sector Act and for retaining the salary brackets of promotions achieved in the position of education staff to implement the adapted programme for preschool children or the special education programme for children and adolescents with special needs in a social-care institution.

System support to talented learners through competitions

In May 2024, the Ministry of Education published an invitation to apply for co-funding selection and interest school competitions in the 2024/2025 school year (Javni razpis za sofinanciranje selekcijskih in interesnih šolskih tekmovanj v šolskem letu 2024/2025). In basic education, the Ministry co-funds one selection competition in an individual subject area from the sixth grade onwards, and one in secondary education. Interest-based competitions are organised at one or more levels (school, regional, national), with the first level being accessible to all basic school, upper secondary students, apprentices or higher vocational college students. The estimated total indicative value of funds available is €340,000.00.

Matura

In May, the Act amending the Matura Act (Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o maturi) was published in the official gazette. It makes it possible to consult the exam documentation and file an objection to the mark received in the digital environment and the related management of personal data. After the announcement of the results of the general matura examination, each matura candidate will become acquainted with their assessed examination papers and get an insight into the digital environment to decide on a possible objection to the mark in a particular subject. It will also be able to object electronically. The main addition is also the criteria according to which the merits of the reasons for the approval to take the matura examination are determined in two parts, which are also considered when deciding on the recognition of the matura examination in the first examination term. At the same time, two-part matura examinations were also arranged for athletes competing at the international level.

According to the amendments of the Matura Act, the Ministry of Education published in May also the Rules amending the General Matura Rules (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o splošni maturi), Rules amending the Vocational Matura Rules (Pravilnik o spremembah in dopolnitvah Pravilnika o poklicni maturi), and Rules amending the Classifying Matura Information Rules (Pravilnik o spremembah Pravilnika o varovanju izpitne tajnosti pri maturi). The first defined the provisions relevant to examination terms and supporting documentation. Due to the non-exclusion of the possibility of selecting elective matura subjects in the general matura, it is necessary to provide additional time for the smooth implementation of the matura calendar in the general matura, therefore the articles defining the assessment of fulfilment of requirements and deregistration from the general matura are being amended. Due to the difficulties for schools to provide an adequate number of supervising teachers in the matura examination, the provision on the number of supervising teachers in the examination room and in the corridor is also amended for when there are seven or fewer candidates in the examination room who are granted the right to an adapted method of conducting the matura examination.

Supporting the physical development of students

In April 2024, the Ministry of Education published an invitation to apply for co-funding classes offering additional sports activities in basic schools for the 2024/2025 school year (Javni razpis za sofinanciranje oddelkov z dodatno športno ponudbo v osnovnih šolah za šolsko leto 2024/2025). The objectives are to increase the number of hours of sports for basic school students and to increase the quality and attractiveness of sports education programmes for children and young people. The invitation is open to basic schools that implement the officially recognised education programme, which will in the school year 2024/2025, set up classes with additional sports activities offered to students of grades 1 to 3. The funds reserved in the Ministry's financial plan 2025 is €1,000,000.00.

In May 2024, the Ministry of Education submitted for public discussion a draft Act amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act (predlog Zakona o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o organizaciji in financiranju vzgoje in izobraževanja). It introduces new records about the schoolchildren’s physical abilities and morphological characteristics. The Faculty of Sports of the University of Ljubljana will be responsible for processing the information and reporting to schools.

Amendments to the education programmes

In March 2024, the Minister of Education adopted the following orders to amend the:

• Basic school education programme (Odredba o spremembah in dopolnitvah vzgojno-izobraževalnega programa osnovna šola)
• Adapted 9-year basic school programme of lower education standard ( Odredba o spremembah in dopolnitvah Prilagojenega izobraževalnega programa devetletne osnovne šole z nižjim izobrazbenim standardom)
• Adapted 9-year basic school programmes of equal education standard (Odredba o spremembah prilagojenih izobraževalnih programov devetletne osnovne šole z enakovrednim izobrazbenim standardom)
• Adapted basic school education programme of equal education standard (Odredba o dopolnitvi Odredbe o spremembi prilagojenih izobraževalnih programov osnovne šole z enakovrednim izobrazbenim standardom)

Order to amend the basic school education programme defines that with the amendments under the special part of the programme the following will be set out:

• Curriculum of the basic school expanded programme
• Basic school timetable
• Adapted timetable for basic school with Slovenian medium of instruction in an ethnically mixed area of the Slovenian Istra
• Adapted timetable for bilingual basic school in an ethnically mixed area of Prekmurje
• Adapted timetable for basic school with Italian medium of instruction in an ethnically mixed area of Slovenian Istra
• Subject-curriculum for first foreign language in grade 1 as a compulsory subject in the basic school programme.

Order to amend the adapted 9-year basic school programme of lower educational standard defines amendments to the following timetables and subject-curricula:

• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of lower educational standard
• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of lower educational standard for bilingual basic school
• Subject-curriculum for the compulsory subject of music arts
• Subject-curriculum for the compulsory subject of housekeeping
• Subject-curriculum for the elective subject Food and diets.

Order to amend the adapted education programme of the 9-year basic school of equal educationa standard defines amendments to the following timetables:

• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of equal educational standard for blind and partially sighted
• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of equal educational standard for deaf and hard of hearing
• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of equal educational standard for learners with speech impairment
• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of equal educational standard for mobility-impaired learners
• Timetable of the adapted 9-year basic school programme of equal educational standard for learners with autism spectrum disorders

In January, the Order to amend the Gimnazija of economics education programme was published in the Official Gazette. The minister responsible for education adopted the amendments following the decision of the relevant council of experts. It replaced the programme of the same name, adopted by the Order to adopt the education programmes for general and vocational gimnazije (Official Gazette of RS, No. 13/20). The education programme will start in the 2024/2025 school year.

Outdoor school

In March, the Rules amending the Rules on funding outdoor school. It no longer includes a section on payments to education staff, as the rights of education staff to payments (basic salary and supplements) for work performed in outdoor school are regulated by laws governing salaries in the public sector and the collective agreement of the sector and cannot be the subject of a subordinate regulation. It also aligned the article text with the Basic School Act. Outdoor school is defined as an organized form of educational activity that takes place intensively over three or more days during school time and is conducted outside the school premises. The regulation is also aligned with the new Annex h to the collective agreement for the education sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Official Gazette of RS, No. 13/24), which stipulates in Article 105.a that an employee accompanying or performing educational work two or more consecutive days (camps, stays in nature, outdoor school, professional excursions, Erasmus exchanges, etc.), is entitled to payment amounting to 2.5 daily allowances for business trips in the Republic of Slovenia exceeding 12 hours, for each day of work outside the institution's location. New definitions are provided for the costs of outdoor schools, the costs of education staff, and external providers. The regulation no longer includes a limit on costs per student or limits on education staff's costs based on the accommodation price per day per student.

Strategic integration of education and culture

In May 2024, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Resolution on the National Programme for Culture 2024–2031 (Resolucija o nacionalnem programu za kulturo 2024–2031). It determines the role of culture in the development of the Republic of Slovenia and the public interest in it, defines areas of culture and envisages key directions in the field of investment. The resolution places the fundamental strategic objectives guiding actions and cultural policy in three pillars: Culture for a cohesive society, Culture as a public good and Culture for a sustainable future.

The resolution states, among others, that the Ministry of Culture will strive to connect stakeholders who provide quality cultural content with educational institutions. At the same time, it will develop conditions for creating cultural content as a complementary part of cultural programmes and projects in the context of lifelong learning. In the context of formal and non-formal education, children and young people should be able to learn about different areas of culture from the point of view of reception, research and creation, as stated in the resolution. Great emphasis will therefore be placed on the additional training of professionals in education, culture and the wider professional public.

Action plan on drugs

In February 2024, the Government adopted the Action Plan on Drugs for 2024–2025. The substantive basis of the action plan is the Resolution on the National Programme on Illicit Drugs 2023–2030, whose overarching goal is to reduce and limit the harm to individuals, families, and society caused by abusing illicit drugs. Within the set goals of the resolution, the action plan envisages, among others, the following implementation activities:

• Improving education for the implementation of early prevention programmes in the educational, social, and health sectors
• Improving the programmes, education, and other actions for the systematic integration of preventive content at all levels of the education system
• Training education and healthcare staff in the implementation of preventive programmes and activities for children and young people, parents

Funding for the activities from the action plan is planned within the adopted financial plans of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities for 2024 and 2025. Furthermore, activities are included in the financial plan of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia for 2024, with further funding expected from local communities and the Foundation for Financing Disability and Humanitarian Organizations in Slovenia.

Draft Resolution on the Youth National Programme for 2024–2032

In February 2024, the Ministry of Education sent a draft Resolution on the Youth National Programme for 2024–2032) (predlog Resolucije o nacionalnem programu za mladino za obdobje 2024–2032) for inter-ministerial coordination. It is a basic programming document identifying priorities and actions of public interest in the youth sector.

The key policies of the draft resolution are as follows:

• Provide better opportunities to young people with education and training, both formal and non-formal
• Following the policy of employment, to enable young people to provide for their own economic and social security, and thus conditions to facilitate their gaining independence
• Promote participation of young people in managing public affairs
• Adhering to the principles of sustainable development
• Focus on the health and well-being of young people and inequalities in health
• Enable young people to enter their occupational path safely
• Promote and enable the participation of young people in culture and arts

In the field of education, the draft resolution sets out the following objectives:

• Care of a safe and supportive environment
• Integrated treatment in the field of supervisors
• Modernisation of the education system for green and digital transition
• Modernisation of upper secondary vocational and technical education, including apprenticeship, modernisation of higher vocational college study programmes, and setting up digitally supported learning posts
• Integration of education with economy
• Development of a supportive environment for practices of cooperation in open learning environments – cases of linking formal and non-formal settings of education and learning

Following the interdepartmental coordination, the interdepartmental coordinated material was submitted to the correspondence session of the Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth in June 2024 for approval, following the decision of the Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth. Representatives of organisations in the youth sector rejected the inter-ministerial coordinated proposal, which is why the proposal has not yet been submitted to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for adoption.

2023

Modernisation of basic and upper secondary general education (gimnazije)

The tasks defined by the Action Plan for drafting the proposal of incorporation of Slovenian sign language into the preschool, basic school, and upper secondary education systems for 2021–2024 were conducted. Among others, a final report was developed with data analysis on the inclusion of deaf and hard-of-hearing adults in basic and upper secondary education programmes, including experiences from abroad and recommendations, the material on information and counselling approaches for deaf and hard-of-hearing adults in adult education counselling activities, which is carried out as a public service, as well as guidelines for sign language interpreter assistants, advice to interpreter assistants, and tables of possible adjustments when conducting national knowledge assessments.

Within the project "Modernisation of education programmes with the modernisation of key programme documents (Kindergarten curriculum, subject-curricula, and knowledge catalogues)", most curricular commissions were appointed in 2023: commission for the development of the document on common goals, curricular commission for the first educational period, and subject-specific curricular commissions. The National Education Institute Slovenia conducted training for members of the curricular commissions on the modernisation of the programme documents, incorporating common goals into subject-curricula and knowledge catalogues for developing didactic recommendations and using the computer application for designing subject curricula and knowledge catalogues.

In December 2023, the relevant Curriculum Council approved the document "Common goals and their incorporation into the subject-curricula and knowledge catalogues" developed by the relevant Commission.

The Commission identified five areas of common goals:

• Language, citizenship, culture, and art
• Sustainable development
• Health and wellbeing
• Digital competence
• Entrepreneurship (including financial literacy).

Within these areas, the Commission selected sub-areas or competences, and defined key (fundamental) goals, which the subject-specific curricular commissions could sensibly incorporate among the subject goals and knowledge standards in their subject-curriculum and didactic recommendations.

In November 2023, the Government adopted the Strategy for the Integration of Non-European Union Nationals into the Cultural, Economic, and Social Life of the Republic of Slovenia. It is based on the fundamental principles of integration policy, which in an open and democratic society enables the integration of all social subsystems into society. The goals of the strategy are defined by individual sections in a way that aims for the broadest social and societal integration of foreigners into society.

Sections of the strategy are:

• Language integration
• Integration in the field of education
• Integration into the labour market
• Integration into the local environment
• Optimization of administrative procedures and elimination of administrative barriers
• Cooperation with diasporas.

Within the segment on integration in the field of education, the following goals are envisioned:

• Creating normative foundations that will enable the successful linguistic integration of immigrant children and students into the education system.
• Further development of learning materials and ensuring quality teaching of Slovenian as a second and foreign language.
• Establishing normative foundations for the successful inclusion of immigrant children and students in the educational environment.
• Training of education staff to promote the social and cultural integration of immigrant children and students and a supportive learning environment.

In August 2023, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the strategy and action plan for the greenefication of the public educational and research infrastructure in Slovenia until 2030. It was a strategic document that served as the basis of the systematic and development-centred system of funding public educational and research infrastructure until 2030. The strategy aims to upgrade public infrastructure to satisfy the requirements of modern educational and research processes.

In June 2023, the ministry responsible for labour, family, social matters and equal opportunities laid before the Government the draft resolution on the national programme for equal opportunities for women and men until 2030. This strategic document includes goals and actions, as well as key institutions that will spearhead the policies of equal opportunities for women and men in individual areas of life in the Republic of Slovenia from 2021 to 2040. For the sector of education, the draft document determines this goal and foresees two actions aimed at lowering gender segregation:

• Including the content of gender equality in the subject-curricula, learning material and programmes of professional development in education, as well as establishing gender equality during lessons and after-school activities along with diversity and transversal attributes.
• Promoting non-gender stereotyped choices of education programmes and studies at all levels of education.

In March 2023, the ministry responsible for labour, family, social matters and equal opportunities released for public consultation the draft resolution on the national programme of preventing domestic violence and violence against women that lists seven aims:

• Diverse, continuous, quality and widely accessible social care and other support programmes for domestic violence victims and victims of violence against women, and programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence and violence against women.
• Better treatment and protection of domestic violence victims and victims of violence against women, as well as better procedures (practices) for managing these problems.
• Highly competent professional staff who know how and have experience in dealing with matters of domestic violence and violence against women, and victims of such violence.
• Zero tolerance towards domestic violence and violence against women, high level of awareness of this area and preventive activities in the society.
• Improved/modernised/up-to-date rules on preventing domestic violence and violence against women by including the aspect of gender.
• Providing quality information about domestic violence and violence against women.
• Improved organisation of the preventing domestic violence and violence against women, human and financial sources for sustainable operations of the system and improved and consistent cooperation of all relevant stakeholders.

Within those aims, the draft resolution foresees certain actions in the area of education, too, such as setting up a single approach to keeping records and administrating the database about child victims of domestic violence and victims of bullying (by gender, age), and regular raising awareness and education about the problems of online violence against women and children, namely for students of basic school, upper secondary school and education staff.

In January 2023, the Service of the Republic of Slovenia for digital transformation developed the draft Digital Slovenia 2030 strategy. See Chapter 14.5.

Other policy developments

In December, the Public call for co-funding the status rights of athletes included in the education system for the year 2024 was published in the Official Gazette.

The goals of the public call are to:

• Improve the quality of incentives for sport-talented schoolchildren
• Provide support in coordinating school and sports obligations
• Increase the quality of work in sports departments in secondary schools.

The anticipated co-funding of the mentioned content in 2024 amounts to up to €372,752.00.

In December 2023, the Act amending the Scholarship Act was published in the Official Gazette. It enabled a student with a socially weaker background, who achieves exceptional achievements, to receive both a need-based state and merit-based Zois scholarship simultaneously starting from the 2024/2025 school year. The amendment also specified that the state scholarships as of January 1, 2024, will remain at the same level as they were at the end of 2023.

One of the novelties is the transfer of the Ad futura scholarships to the ministry responsible for higher education and the ministry responsible for education. Currently, its implementation is in the realm of the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities, for which the procedures at the first level are conducted by the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability, and Maintenance Fund. Since it primarily promotes study abroad, the funding and authority for this type of scholarship was transferred with the amendment to the Ministry for Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the Ministry of Education. The transfer of the Ad futura scholarships will be conducted for the school or academic year 2025/2026.

The amendment also unified the naming and aligned the legislation with the new concept of selection and co-funding of school competitions, adopted in May 2021 by the then Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport. The School competition co-funding Rules adopted at that time classified competitions into selection and interest competitions, which was inconsistent with the terminology defined in the Scholarship Act.

In November 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on the teaching certification examination. Among others, an additional condition was specified for education staff applying to take the professional examination for a preschool teacher, preschool teacher assistant, teacher, lecturer of higher vocational school, accompanist, instructor, or laboratory assistant, with completed five practical performances, namely, that they must now also do the practical performance as education staff in the officially recognised education programme or education programme with official recognition for which they have to by law pass the professional examination in education.

In October 2023, the Act amending the Act on Special Rights of the Italian and Hungarian National Communities in Education was published in the Official Gazette. The amendment allowed children with special needs to be placed into a relevant adapted and special educational programme regardless of the municipality of their permanent residence. Previously, only children from the ethnically mixed area could be placed in a bilingual school implementing adapted and special educational programmes. Now, this is also an option for children with special needs who have a permanent residence outside this area.

In October 2023, the Ministry of Education issued draft amendments to the following rules:

• Rules amending the Rules on the methods of funding education programmes of the bilingual upper secondary school
• Rules amending the Rules on the methods of funding education programmes and the behaviour-related education programme in upper secondary education
• Rules amending the Rules on the methods of funding education programmes of the upper secondary schools with Italian language of instruction
• Rules amending the Rules on norms for funding higher vocational colleges.

The proposed changes add new alternative posts for accounting-administrative and technical staff, which will be considered in calculating the cost per student of upper secondary education programmes and which schools can classify from December 1, 2021, onward, and changes in the area of salaries, as determined by Annex H to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Off. Gaz. RS, No. 136/22) and Annex H to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia (Off. Gaz. RS, No. 11/23), relevant from April 1, 2023. On April 1, 2023, the classifications of posts or titles were raised by one pay bracket.

In September 2023, the minister responsible for education and training adopted the new Rules on the criteria and methods for the valuation of material expenses in educational institutions for children with special needs. The new regulation included among the criteria for valuing material costs for professional centres also an intensive group, an apartment for youth, and a group in a daily form of work. It also provided for an allowance for telecommunications costs for the institution or professional centre that does not have free broadband internet access.

In September 2023, the Public call for the co-funding of the "Modernization of Computer Networks in Educational Institutions" project within the Recovery and Resilience Plan was published in the Official Gazette. It is aiming to update the computer networks at educational institutions in basic and upper secondary education, as well as adult education organizations by June 30, 2026, thereby ensuring appropriate technology for the remote automatic management of networks. The total amount of funds allocated under the public call amounts to €3,525,800.00, including VAT.

In September 2023, the Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 was published in the Official Gazette. To facilitate the renovation and elimination of flood consequences for parents who suffered property damage, among other provisions, the law specified that for the school year 2023/2024, students are provided with free lunch or snack based on the decision of the Social Work Centre.

In September 2023, the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Remedy the Consequences of the Floods and Landslides in August 2023 to provide immediate help to affected people in natural disasters and it determined an intervention to help pay for school meals. By this law, the children now have the right based on the decision on the extraordinary funds for floods and landslides relief to a subsidy for school meals in the amount of the school snack and/or school lunch (upper secondary students to the subsidy for a school snack in the amount of the price for a school snack). The funds for subsidies of school meals will be provided by the state budget. The eligibility period will be from 1 September 2023 to 31 December 2023.

In September 2023, a group of parliament members laid before the National Assemble draft Act amending the Scholarship Act. See chapter 14.4.

In August 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules on the promotion of education staff to titles. The rules were adopted as required with the amendment of the 105 Article Organisation and Financing of Education Act that introduced a new title senior advisor in education and is read as the realisation of the Strike Agreement between the Government of the Republic and the Education, Science and Culture Trade Union of Slovenia. The rules also determine the extended selection of criteria on the evaluation of extra professional activities, include and address in particular promotion extra/lenient criteria for professional staff in officially recognised education programmes for children and youth with special educational needs, and provides for preschool teachers who carry out the modified education programme for SEN preschool children to be promoted as it applies for preschool teachers in kindergartens (before the promotion rules for other education staff applied).

In July 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Order to amend the Music education programme in basic music and dance education. The amendment introduced to the timetable of the Music in basic music and dance education programme a new subject cimbalom and the relevant subject-curriculum. The amended timetable and the new subject-curriculum will be put into effect with the 2024/2025 school year.

In June 2023, the National Assembly adopted the Act amending the School Meals Act. From 1 September 2027, all basic school children will be entitled to free school lunches. During transitional period, for basic school students in households with average monthly income per person as determined with the child benefit decision below income bracket 4 as specified by the Act on Right to Public Funds the entitlement to the free lunch will start with 1 September 2023; for those above the upper threshold of the income bracket 4 and below upper threshold of the income bracket 5 the entitlement to the subsidy for lunch in the amount of 50 percent of the lunch price will start with 1 September 2024. The Act also determined that the ministry will within three months since the Act had entered into force publish a public call for proposals for a pilot project on a central school kitchen to allow for a more modern food preparation for several educational institution. The central school kitchen would be organised in the scope of a public educational institution. The funds for the pilot project will be provided from the state budget and the budget of a local community.

In June 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted amendment to the following rules as required by the amendment to the norms and standards in basic and upper secondary school:

• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards of implementing the basic school programme
• Rules on norms and standards of implementing education programmes for SEN children
• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards of implementing music school programme
• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards of implementing the basic school programme in bilingual basic schools and basic schools with Italian language of instruction
• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards for the implementation of education programmes and the education programme for students with emotional and behavioural disorders in upper secondary education
• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards in the bilingual upper secondary school
• Rules amending the Rules on norms and standards in upper secondary schools with Italian languages of instruction
• Rules amending the Rules on methods of funding education programmes and the education programme for students with emotional and behavioural problems in upper secondary education

The main amendments to the norms and standards in basic schools relate to lowering the requirement for school meals organisers in basic schools, more favourable requirements for a counselling staff, more favourable criteria for the post of head teacher assistants, change in norm for a teaching load in schools with fewer classes, new criteria for classification of the accountant post, optional classification of administrative posts, lower norm of implementing the outdoor school programme, and classification of extra hours in Slovenian or initial lessons of Slovenian for students foreigners.

Amended norms and standards of implementing education programmes for SEN children relate to pursuing by analogy the amendments proposed to basic schools and upper secondary schools also to amended obligation within educational activities and number of preschool teachers in an individual group, classification of the new posts teacher and preschool teacher to communicate with students in the Slovenian sign language, and teacher and preschool teacher to pursue activities with deaf blind, a more favourable requirement for the classification of carers, norm for setting up classes of only children with serious or severe intellectual disabilities, and new criteria for setting up classes for mobile service of the mobile team.

Amended norms and standards in upper secondary schools introduce changes that apply by analogy to all levels of education and for upper secondary SEN students and relate also among others to more appropriate evaluation of teacher's activities of organising and coordinating other forms of educational activities, and to the implementation of norms for accompanying students in all forms of organised activities with students that are part of education programme and run outside school space.

In July 2023, the ministry responsible for education put into inter-ministerial coordination the draft Act amending the Basic School Act. The main solutions introduced in the draft law relate to changes in national assessment, introduction of the new concept of the extended basic school programme, introduction of compulsory learning the first foreign language from grades 1 to 9 and the second foreign language from grades 7 to 9, and stricter requirements for home-schooling. It makes the national assessment compulsory for grade 3 students. The aim is to observe the results also in the first educational period, and to give an option of making the national assessment testing high-stakes or use the results as one of the selection criteria in case of capped enrolment in upper secondary education.

The draft amendments to the law propose a new concept of the extended programme in the scope of which the school develop a stimulating and safe learning environment with more room for cooperation among students, more options for applying the principle of equal opportunities and considering the needs and interests of students. The law introduces three thematic areas: movement and health for good psychical and physical well-being, culture and tradition, and the life and work of basic school.

The draft amendments to the law also propose the beginning of compulsory learning of the second foreign language in the third educational period (grades 7 to 9) and the beginning of the compulsory learning the first foreign language in grade 1. As to home schooling the draft proposes making home-schooled students equal to students at school whereby the main goal is for the first to acquire the equal educational standard. Now the knowledge of home-schooled students would be assessed in all subjects of the relevant timetable of the officially recognised basic school programme in which the student is taking part.

In June 2023, the Act amending the Organisation and Financing of Education Act was published in the official gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije. It established among others the legal background for continuing the trial implementation of innovation if the innovation had not yet been introduced into the education system at the end of its trial implementation, so that would mean a temporary discontinuation of the activities. To avoid this, the act determined that after the end of the trial at the national level, the minister will issue a decision to continue the implementation of the new programme or innovation at schools and kindergartens that participated in the trail and under the same conditions as they applied during the trial and do so until the end of the school year following the end of the trial.

By law now, the barriers to employment in the education of individuals without all requirements fulfilled have been reduced. It determined that an employer could enter into agreement with a candidate who does fulfil the requirements for level and field of education but no certificate of professional examination for a fixed term of two years. During this term the newly employed professional staff can pass the professional examination, and then enter an open-ended employment agreement. Candidates who fulfil the requirements for level and field of education, but do not have a pedagogical, pedagogical-andragogical or special-pedagogical educational qualification can be offered to enter a fixed-term employment agreement of three years if they enrol within one year of entering the employment agreement on a relevant study programme to obtain pedagogical, pedagogical-andragogical or special-pedagogical educational qualification. If the professional staff fulfil all the requirements, they can be offered to enter an open-ended employment agreement.

In May 2023, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the draft Act amending the Act on Special Rights of Italian and Hungarian National Communities in Education. The draft provided for SEN children to be placed in relevant modified and special education programme irrespective of the permanent residence. It established legal background for SEN children without residence in a bilingual area to enrol in schools in bilingual areas.

In April 2023, the ministry responsible for education issued a public call for applications for co-funding of classes offering extra sports in basic schools for the 2023/2024 school year. The aim is to increase hours of sports in basic schools and improve the quality and attractiveness of sports education for children and youth. The subject of the call is co-funding classes offering extra sports in basic schools that carry out the officially recognised programme at the level of the first educational period. Eligible applicants are basic schools that carry out the officially recognised education programme and will in the 2023/2024 school year, set up classes offering extra sports for students enrolled in grades 1 2 and 3 whereby the programme must include at least 1 extra hour of sports per week.

In April 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on additional professional and physical assistance for children with special needs. It determined among others that in special circumstances, additional professional assistance to overcome disabilities, barriers and disorders and in the form of counselling will be granted also to children placed in a special programme if they need additional professional assistance in tyflopedagogy, surdopedagogcy, social pedagogy and speech therapy. It also determined that deaf-blind children placed in a modified programme and with entitlement by a placement decision to an interpreter, receive assistance in the language of deaf-blind persons or in other relevant forms of communication from a teacher or preschool teacher or interpreter for deaf-blind persons. A teacher or preschool teacher for communication in the Slovenian sign language or a teacher to work with deaf-blind students can be provided to schools, in which students have been placed, by institutes for education of SEN children and youth established for activities with deaf and hard of hearing or with blind children and youth, or the school can enter an agreement for provision of a service.

In April 2023, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Action plan of the Republic of Slovenia for child guarantee 2022 to 2030. The aim of the plan is to establish equal opportunities for all children and prevent intergenerational poverty. It will help to raise the level of well-being of children, enable to all children equal opportunities and rights, strengthen the protections and security, and improve the options of inclusion and participation for children. Special focus is on general accessibility of early childhood education and care, education (including school activities), at least one healthy meal every school day for all children, widely accessible health care, and efficient access to healthy nutrition and proper accommodation. In developing target actions, a special attention was on children migrants, children with migrant background or children from ethnic minorities (in particular Roma children), children with special needs, children with mental health problems and/or mental disorders, and children who live in dysfunctional, uncertain family circumstances and/or children with disadvantaged socio-economic background, and children in alternative care (in particular institutional).

In April 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Order to amend the adapted education programme with lower educational standard of nine-year basic school. It determined following the decisions by the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for general education subject-curricula for a compulsory subject Technics and technology, optional subjects in Treatment of materials: wood, man-made material and metals, and a compulsory subject of Fine art. Subject curricula will start to apply with the 2023/2024 school year.

In March 2023, the ministry responsible for education advertised a call for applications for 170 traineeship posts for the 2023/2024 school year. Selected candidates enter the traineeship employment relationship for pursuing educational activities of a teacher, preschool teachers, counselling staff or librarian in basic school and institutes for education of SEN children and youth, music school, residential hall for basic school and upper secondary students, upper secondary schools that are registered under providers of officially recognised programmes. The eligible candidates meet specific requirements for trainees in education for educational qualification and seek first employment in education or have fewer experience than required to be able to take professional examination.

In March 2023, the Strike Agreement between the Government of the Republic and the Education, Science and Culture Trade Union of Slovenia was published in the official gazette. Among others, it determined agreement about norms and standards in education, relations between salary brackets of education staff and salaries of staff in other subgroups, introduction of the new senior Councillor title, resolving of open issues of a worker posted on a several day educational activity or accompanying outside the school’s or institute’s catchment area, overall regime and valuation of extra work of education staff for increased weekly teaching load and replacements that is pursued in the form of teaching lessons, and agreement to consider the principle of equal valuation of teaching and research jobs for which a doctoral degree is required.

In March 2023, the ministry responsible for education advertised an call for selection and co-funding of the continuous professional development for the 2023/2023 school year. It was an invitation to apply to providers of the CPD programmes for education staff that will be listed in the Catalogue of further education and training programmes for the 2023/2024 school year. Among the programmes proposed, certain will be selected for co-funding from the state budget. Besides general themes, the call lists also the following priority themes:

• Teaching, learning and assessment of results in the learning and study process aimed in particular at the modern teaching technology and innovative approaches to teaching and learning
• Sustainable development and active citizenship
• Talented in the educational process and education of SEN children (sensibilisation and training for new pedagogical methods and approaches)
• Implementation of life-long career guidance and provision of equal opportunities aimed in particular at vulnerable groups
• Socio-emotional competence and well-being in education, and raising awareness in education staff to be able to cope with topics of mental health and addiction
• Counselling activities within educational and study process
• Development of proficiency in Slovenian language, bilingual/plurilingual and media literacy.

In March 2023, the Act amending the Matura Act was put into inter-ministerial coordination. It further elaborated on the right to take matura examination in two parts and the method on how to obtain that right; it further elaborated on the circumstances, too, that would apply as justified for recognising the autumn term as the same as the spring term when enrolling in tertiary education.

In February 2023, the ministry responsible for education put up for inter-ministerial coordination the draft Act amending the Act on Special Rights of Italian and Hungarian National Communities in Education. The amendment proposed allows for children with special educational needs to be placed in adapted and special education programmes not considering the municipality of the child’s permanent residence. By law now, only children from ethnically mixed areas can be placed in bilingual schools providing adapted and special education programmes. According to the amendment, this option will not be limited, so children with special educational needs whose permanent residence is outside that area could be placed there.

In February 2023, the ministry responsible for education issued a public call for applications for scholarships for students in initial teacher education study programmes for the academic year 2023/2024. See chapter 14.4.

In February 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on the teaching certification examination. It introduced the pedagogical practice as working experience suitable for taking the professional examination for trainees, too, in the share of one-third at most of the scope determined for pedagogical practice in education or study programmes; and the organised direct activity aimed to educate in the scope of 55 hours at most for education staff with upper secondary educational qualification and of 80 hours for education staff with short-cycle higher vocational or higher education. Before, it applied only to education staff who had not done traineeship in education but had conducted educational activities in a kindergarten or school. The Rules introduced also the option of complementary taking the professional examination for candidates who had been or will be education staff in a kindergarten or school with the Italian medium of instruction or bilingual kindergarten or school and who had already passed the professional examination according to this Rules but not according to the Act on Special Rights of the Italian and Hungarian National Communities in Education. The amendment gives the national communities a greater guarantee for a higher quality of lessons in their respective language.

In February 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted the Rules amending the Rules on the selection and co-funding of continuing education and training programmes for education staff. The Rules included programmes of public institutes and programmes of higher education institutions among the programmes of career development. The relevant public institutes are those tasked to develop and provide advisory services. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia established them to pursue activities and responsibilities needed for the provision of education. So, the programmes of those institutes are programmes of career development which are organised according to the annual plan of the institutes. The study groups and mentor networks are on the list. Programmes of higher education institutions are programmes for the career development of education staff which are provided and organised by the higher education institutions or public research institutes.

In February 2023, the minister responsible for education adopted three rules for education in ethnically mixed areas:

• Rules on the Italian language proficiency level in kindergartens and schools with Italian medium of instruction
• Rules on Hungarian language proficiency in bilingual kindergartens and schools
• Rules on the national community language level test for education in ethnically mixed areas.

The first two determine requirements for:

• Proficiency in Italian or Hungarian language as the medium of instruction which education staff in kindergartens and schools must demonstrate.
• Proficiency in Italian or Hungarian language as the languages of national communities which administrative-technical staff must demonstrate in schools and kindergartens.

The third Rules determined requirements and schemes for granting or revoking a public authorisation for organising the exam in Italian or Hungarian language proficiency as mediums of instruction or languages of national communities, as well as the scope, content and method of administering examination for pursuing educational and other activities in kindergartens or schools with Italian medium of instruction or bilingual kindergartens and schools.

In January 2023, the Annex to the Collective Agreement for the Education Sector in the Republic of Slovenia was published in the official gazette Uradni list Republike Slovenije. See chapter 14.1.