National level
The National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia is the central executive branch. It is made up of 90 elected (four-year term) members of parliament with one representative of the Hungarian and one of the Italian national communities. It has several working bodies to address different policy areas, among them, the Committee on education, science and youth made up of 15 members.
The second executive branch is the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia made up of 40 members with a five-year term): 22 members represent local interests and 18 functional interests (universities, higher education institutions, researchers, culture, and sports). It can propose laws to the National assembly or amendments to legal provisions. It can call also for the National assembly to review a law passed in a vote and act by a qualified majority.
The President of the Republic of Slovenia represents the Republic of Slovenia and is the commander-in-chief of its armed forces. Among other powers, the president calls the legislative elections and promulgates laws. The president is elected for a five-year term (limited to two in a row) in direct, general elections by secret ballot.
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia is the executive and the highest authority of the state administration. It represents the Republic of Slovenia in the EU. It passes rules and adopts legal, political, economic, financial, organisational, and similar measures for regulating areas within the state's jurisdiction. It proposes laws, state budget, national programmes, and other instruments that determine political directions for individual areas.
The Government is led by the prime minister. The governing coalition decides on the number of ministries and, accordingly, ministers, based on its needs and political goals.
Ministries carry out tasks in one or more administrative areas. There are 19 ministries in Slovenia. Ministries are led and represented by ministers. Ministers lay down rules and other instruments, and make decisions related to the ministry’s remit.
The leader of the Freedom movement, dr. Robert Golob is the prime minister of the 15th government which was confirmed on 1 June 2022. Other parties of the governing coalition are the Social democrats (SD) and The left.
Ministry of Education
The ministry is responsible for preschool education, basic education, upper secondary and short-cycle higher vocational education, and adult education.
Responsibilities include:
- Teaching, learning and social protection for children, youth, and adults in kindergartens, basic schools, residence halls for basic school students, music schools, upper secondary schools, and institutions or units for adult education
- Teaching and learning for members of the Italian and Hungarian national communities and Romani community
- Teaching and learning for members of the Slovenian minority in Italy, Austria, and Hungary
- Supplementary classes of Slovenian language and culture for Slovenians abroad
- School sport
- Systemic and other solutions
- National programme and public service programme
- Award criteria for funding the public service
- Property balance and the programme for investments and major maintenance
- Public service funding criteria
- IT system for education and sports
- Personnel records and
- Professional development of pedagogical, andragogical and other education staff
- Promotion to titles
- Consenting to the call for enrolment and layout of education programmes, and
- Monitoring the funding.
The organisational units of the ministry:
- Minister's office
- Public relations office
- Preschool and basic education directorate
- Upper secondary, short-cycle higher vocational and adult education directorate
- Science Directorate
- Education Development and Quality Office
- Cohesion Policy Implementation Service
- European Affairs and International Cooperation Service
- Secretariat
- Internal Audit Service
- Education Digitalisation Service
Two additional bodies:
- Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia for education and sport
- Office of the Republic of Slovenia for youth
Consultative bodies
- Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for general education
- Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for vocational and technical education
- Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for adult education
- Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for sports
- Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for youth
- Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on student issues
- Council of the Republic of Slovenia for higher education
Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
The ministry is responsible for the field of higher education, science, research, technology development and innovation.
Responsibilities include:
- Quality development of higher education
- Knowledge transfer to practice to advance the development of the society
- Stimulating an environment for research and innovation
- Planning, steering, and funding of higher education activities, residence halls for students, and higher education libraries
- Policy premise and goals of higher education
- National higher education programmes
- IT system for higher education
- Consenting to the call for enrolment and layout of the study programmes
- Analysing the socio-economic issues of the student population, and
- Second-stage consideration and resolution of complaints for student residence halls.
The organisational structure of the ministry:
- Minister’s office
- Public Relations Office
- Higher Education Directorate
- Science Directorate
- UNESCO Office
- Secretariat
Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
The ministry is responsible for matters and affairs related to:
- Status, rights, and obligations of workers at work and arising from labour
- Pension and disability insurance scheme
- Collective agreements
- Employment policy at home and abroad
- Prevention of undeclared work and employment
- Unemployment insurance
- Status and the comprehensive social protection of disabled persons, youth, children, and families
- Safety at work
- Family and demographic policy
- Social protection and welfare
- Women and equal opportunities for women and men, and
- Protection of persons who are incapable of taking care of themselves.
The ministry also holds responsibilities relevant to education:
- Status and the social protection of disabled persons, youth, children, and families
- Scholarships and vocational training
- Family and demographic policy
- Social assistance for individuals, families, and other groups of citizens at risk
- Training of children with developmental disorders
- Support the system of national vocational qualifications, and
- Vocational standards for the development of education programmes.
Local level
Slovenia has a long tradition of regionalism and local self-government. The basic self-governing local community is a municipality. There are 212 municipalities in Slovenia, of which 12 are city municipalities.
The municipalities are led by mayors, municipal councils, and monitoring committees.
- Municipal councils are top-level decision-making bodies. They are made up of members elected locally for a four-year term.
- Mayors are directly elected officials for a four-year term. They preside over the municipal councils, represent the municipality, and act on its behalf.
- Monitoring committees oversee the municipal property and public expenditure.
The basic responsibilities and obligations of municipalities in terms of education include:
- Advance the development, and
- Establish a proper environment for the provision of preschool programmes, basic education, education for children with special needs, adult education and training, and music school education.