The education system also includes non-state schools (private and church schools). The founders of private schools are natural or legal entities. Founders of church schools can be state-acknowledged churches or religious societies.
In addition to the high-quality education and training, church and private schools and school facilities aim,
- to provide an alternative content of education and training,
- to apply new methods and forms in education and training, as well as
- to fulfill the parents' right to choose their children's schools and educational facilities according to their denomination.
The emergence of church and private schools and school facilities after 1990 also created the space necessary for a competitive environment within the framework of the entire system of schools and school facilities.
Education in non-state schools is equal to education in state schools. All schools have an equal status in the education system of the Slovak Republic.
Facilities of care for children up to 3 years of age (nursery) are not educational facilities and they are not listed in the network of schools and school facilities. The care for children they provide is defined as a social service. Most of the facilities are run by private providers. Private providers can be any legal or natural person regardless of the legal form (e.g. civil association, NGO, registered church or religious society, natural person, etc.). For nurseries to operate legally, providers must register in the social service providers register.
Private nurseries are not subsidised from public resources; care for children up to 3 years of age is provided for a fee. If nurseries are not operated for profit (as a business), they can receive subsidies from the resources of the municipality.
|
Number of facilities for children up to 3 years of age and number of children in 2021 |
Public providers |
Private providers |
||
| Facilities | Children | Facilities | children | |
| Facility of care for children up to 3 years of age |
45 |
855 |
157 |
1796 |
Source: Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, and Family. Annual Report on Non-public Providers of Social Services 2021 (Ročný výkaz o neverejných poskytovateľoch sociálnych služieb za rok 2021). Available at: https://www.mpsvr.sk/files/slovensky/ministerstvo/analyticke-centrum/vyplnene/v7/v-mpsvr-sr-7-01_2021_oprava.pdf
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, and Family. Summary of Annual Reports on Selected Types of Social Services. Available at: https://www.employment.gov.sk/sk/ministerstvo/vyskum-oblasti-prace-socialnych-veci-institut-socialnej-politiky/v10/
Education in private and church schools can be provided for a fee. Non-state schools in Slovakia are obliged to comply with:
- The current school legislation and
- State educational programmes defined (curriculum).
Non-state schools are co-financed by the state – they receive the same amount of finances from the state budget as state schools (normative funding per pupil – see chapter Early Childhood and School Education Funding).
The state provides them with funding for salaries, school operation, teacher assistants, textbooks, transportation, skiing training, school in nature, hobby groups, etc. Private schools can use capital expenditures only to procure moveable assets.
The use of state contributions in non-state schools is monitored by regional school offices. Act No. 597/2003 on financing primary schools, secondary schools and school facilities (Zákon č. 597/2003 Z. z. o financovaní základných škôl, stredných škôl a školských zariadení) also states that in order for church and private schools to be allocated funding for the next calendar year, they are required to create a school management report for the previous year.
All non-state schools in the network of schools and school facilities in the Slovak Republic are subject to regular evaluation and inspection by the State school inspection (see chapter Quality Assurance in Early Childhood and School Education).
Non-state schools can be founded by legal or natural persons only based on the statement on founding issued by the ministry, which is preceded by the founder meeting all requirements. Legal persons include, for example, various civil associations, limited companies, NGOs, or most recently, company schools as secondary vocational schools founded by legal persons. These schools aim to better link theoretical education with practice when pupils are guaranteed a workplace with the employer within dual education after they complete their education.
Church schools or church school facilities can be founded by a state-recognised church or religious society. Details of the organisation and management of roman-catholic schools and school facilities founded by the Catholic church are defined by Agreement no. 395/2004 Coll. between the Slovak Republic and the Holy See on catholic education. (Zmluva č. 394/2004 Z.z. medzi Slovenskou republikou a Svätou stolicou o katolíckej výchove a vzdelávaní). Similarly, the status, organisation, and activities of other church schools founded by registered churches and religious societies are defined by the Agreement no. 395/2004 Coll. between the Slovak Republic and registered churches and religious societies on religious education (Dohoda č. 395/2004 Z.z. medzi Slovenskou republikou a registrovanými cirkvami a náboženskými spoločnosťami o náboženskej výchove a vzdelávaní).
Number of schools and pupil in school year 2022/23 according to the founder
|
Type of facility |
State |
Private |
Church |
Total |
||||
| Schools | Pupils | Schools | Pupils | Schools | Pupils | Schools | pupils | |
| Kindergartens | 2 795 | 161 421 | 246 | 10 664 | 114 | 6 609 | 3 155 | 178 694 |
| Primary schools | 1 849 | 445 124 | 93 | 14 405 | 118 | 29 658 | 2 060 | 489 187 |
| Basic Arts School | 201 | 111 271 | 173 | 71 657 | 11 | 5 655 | 385 | 188 583 |
| Language schools | 24 | 10 675 | 13 | 8 679 | 1 | 85 | 38 | 19 439 |
| Gymnasiums and Secondary Sports Schools | 143 | 56 012 | 40 | 5 847 | 50 | 11 970 | 233 | 73 829 |
| Conservatories | 6 | 1 661 | 10 | 1 123 | 1 | 192 | 17 | 2 978 |
| Secondary Vocational Schools | 321 | 105 640 | 71 | 14 541 | 20 | 4 189 | 412 | 124 370 |
| Secondary Schools under Other Ministries | 3 | 528 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 528 |
Souce: CVTI SR. 2023. Statistical Yearbook – Summary Tables (Štatistická ročenka - súhrnné tabuľky). Available at: https://www.cvtisr.sk/buxus/docs//JC/ROCENKA/SUH/suh2023.zip.
In 1994, the Association of Workers of Private Schools (Asociácia pracovníkov súkromných škôl) came into existence as a natural result of preceding unofficial meetings of private school heads and founders. It is an apolitical non-governmental organisation that associates founders and school heads of private schools and school facilities and defends the equal status of private schools and school facilities as a legitimate part of the Slovak education system.
The main aims of the Association are
- to encourage the establishment and development of private schools and school facilities,
- to present and push forward the ideas of the Association to the administrative bodies in the area of the education system as well as other institutions and the general public,
- to promote private schools and develop foreign relations with similar organisations.
The association is an important partner of the Ministry of Education in the process of the creation of conceptual, strategic, and legislative materials.
The Act no. 131/2002 on higher education (Zákon č 131/2002 o vysokých školách) sets down that private higher education institutions are authorised to operate by a State consent granted by Government. The first such institution – the City University of Seattle - was established in 2001.
Currently, there are 10 private and 6 foreign higher education institutions in Slovakia. The list of higher education institutions can be accessed at the ministry’s website.
As for the implementation of education in private universities, there are no differences between public and private higher education sectors.