The Vision for Education in Slovakia in 2040

Slovakia…
is, thanks to its new education system, an attractive, self-confident and innovative country, valuing each person and achieving prosperity through investing in human potential. It is a well-governed state that provides high-quality services addressing the needs of its citizens.

Education…
constitutes an important value in society, and greatly contributes to the happiness and satisfaction of people living in Slovakia. Education enables individuals to develop themselves, and it brings prosperity and coherence to society. It encourages members of society to forge fair and just rules, come up with innovative and ethical solutions, and to assume responsibility for their own lives. Education respects and appreciates differences; it is based on the needs and interests of learners, and motivates them to steadily improve thanks to carefully tailored support. Education is a high-quality and accessible public service.

The state…
guarantees equal access to high-quality education. From early childhood, all individuals have guaranteed access to a basic educational standard, and the state also supports various forms of further education. The state supervises the quality of education provision, collects and evaluates data, and on this basis stimulates public discussion about the development and direction of education, science, and research.

The education system…
is governed effectively, thanks to a set of simple and comprehensible rules, transparent decision-making, and the ethical behaviour of all stakeholders. The particular levels of education are open, flexible, and allow transition between them. After the attainment of the basic educational standard, there is a wide spectrum of further educational choices available to learners. The education system is based on the premise that we learn throughout our whole life, and can also actively shape the changing world around us.

The content of education…
is defined so as to facilitate the holistic development of learners. Besides the provision of essential knowledge and the development of relevant competences, it also cultivates learners´ personalities, and supports healthy lifestyle, active citizenship, and ethical behaviour.

A learning environment…
is any place where purposeful learning and exploration take place across various disciplines, with emphasis on comprehension and real-life context. Learning environments can take different forms and enable learning in diverse ways. Teachers and other experts initiate cooperation with families, working together in the best interests of their children so that they can attain the basic educational standard. Gradually, learners assume responsibility for the path of their education, career and life. The attainment of the basic educational standard enables learners to continue their studies, acquire qualifications, and succeed in their professional career.

Learners…
are supported in their lifelong development, and inspiring learning environments strengthen their intrinsic motivation to strive towards constant improvement. Learners have both the right and the real opportunities to participate in decision-making about the content and form of their learning, taking their needs and interests into consideration. Learners are provided with various forms of help and support, helping them to actively seek out and utilise different learning opportunities.

Teachers…
are motivated, qualified and reputable professionals, able to recognise learners' talents. They master a wide variety of methods, and can choose the optimal learning approach for each learner, in cooperation with other experts in this field. Teachers keep up with current scientific knowledge and involve learners of all ages in active exploration and experimentation, discovering new knowledge and connections.                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                    

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In 2040 Slovakia is, thanks to its new education system, an attractive, self-confident and innovative country valuing each person and achieving prosperity through investing in human potential. Stable and sustainable economic growth contributes to a high standard of living and a fulfilling life for all citizens, as well as equal access to public resources and the wealth of the country. People do not leave the country, but are instead compelled to come and live here, and Slovakia enjoys demographic stability and economic progress. It also remains an open country, globally interconnected at all levels, which actively participates in tackling all sorts of global challenges.

Slovakia is also a well-governed country that provides high-quality, needs oriented and constantly improving services to its citizens. These services are available to everyone, at all different life stages and in various life situations. The services are regulated by public policies forged through open and constructive discussion, sharing of responsibilities and participatory decision-making. Available knowledge and data are used as a basis for finding new solutions, initiating changes, and adopting new measures within the framework of moral and ethical rules. Constructive and open discussion is the key to finding new solutions in every area of public life.

Education is highly valued in society, and contributes greatly to the happiness and satisfaction of people living in Slovakia. Education enables individuals to succeed in life, and encourages them to seek fair and constructive solutions. Education helps to build a prosperous and coherent society over the long-term, where individuals assume responsibility for their own lives, respect each other, are empathic, willing to help others, and considerate of their surrounding communities and the environment.

People are continuously learning, in various environments, in different ways, and motivated by a variety of incentives. Therefore, education is based on the needs and interests of learners, it respects and appreciates the diversity of learners, and thanks to its carefully tailored support, motivates learners to continually improve.

Education is a quality service available to everyone and provides the foundation for a fulfilling and meaningful life. The education system helps to distribute opportunities and compensate for disadvantages, while it provides a range of opportunities to develop capabilities. Education builds on the intrinsic motivation to learn, and develops effective learning tools and skills which can be applied to real life. In addition, it aims to promote social values.

The state guarantees equal access to high-quality education, and from early childhood all individuals have guaranteed access to the basic educational standard. The state supervises the quality of education provision, collects and evaluates data, and on this basis stimulates public discussion about the development and direction of education, science, and research. Every measure of education and research policy has relevant justification for its purpose, a clearly defined target statement, and a set of indicators for the evaluation of its impact. The state is the central regulator of education and science, yet decision-making powers are distributed in such a way that allows efficient management and financing at various levels.

The education system is governed effectively at all levels, thanks to a set of simple and comprehensible rules, transparent decision-making, the ethical behaviour of all stakeholders, and professional management by people with leadership abilities.

The particular levels of education are open, flexible, and enable transition between them. The attainment of the basic educational standard enables learners to continue in further education, acquire qualifications, and succeed in their professional career. Learners can select from a wide variety of learning programs, which are modular and enable the learners to tailor education plans according to their individual needs and interests. The diverse learning programs combine academic learning with vocational education and training, and link theoretical and practical learning to the needs and interests of learners.

The content of the education is defined so as to enable the holistic development of learners. Along with the acquisition of essential knowledge and development of relevant competences (in reading, mathematics, science, digital technologies and finance), it also cultivates learners´ personalities and supports a healthy lifestyle.

Education develops soft skills, critical thinking, creativity and the ability to cooperate. It also encourages learners to be self-reliant, hard working, concentrated, persistent, flexible, adventurous, open to new ideas, ready for constant change, and able to deal with stress. Education guides learners to behave ethically and to support democratic values. It also increases their legal awareness, motivates them to be active citizens, and to set personal targets and achieve them. In addition, it cultivates aesthetic sense and encourages artistic expression in various forms.

Education is at all levels interconnected with learning environments, and both reflects and further cultivates the needs of communities. Learning environments are also internationalised, facilitating the mobility of learners and teachers and their participation in international projects.

A learning environment is any place where purposeful learning and research take place across various disciplines, with emphasis on comprehension and real-life context. Learning environments can take different forms and enable learning in diverse ways, respecting the individual pace of learners. They are safe and comfortable, supporting the motivation to learn thanks to their layout, high-quality equipment, and meaningful cultivation of interpersonal relations. They are represented and managed by leaders with considerable expertise and strong moral integrity, who create conditions which are not only conducive to the provision of complex education services and their regular evaluation, but also foster innovation.

Qualified teams of experts operating in learning environments are interconnected with external services for learners, teachers, and families in the fields of education, social and health care. Teachers and other experts initiate cooperation with families, acting in the best interests of their children and ensuring them quality education. The involvement of parents is actively encouraged, as it is beneficial to children’s learning. In cases where a family is unable to provide optimal learning support, meaningful learning opportunities can still be provided for children by qualified teachers, working in cooperation with other experts and support services.

Learners have both the right and real opportunities to contribute to decision-making concerning the content and form of their learning. Learners’ intrinsic motivation is strengthened by education practitioners, guiding them in a spirit of constant improvement and providing them with various forms of help and support. Learners actively seek and use various learning and research opportunities, and participate in shaping their own personal development. They are able to decide independently about their further studies, career path and personal life.

Teachers are motivated, qualified and reputable professionals, able to recognise learners' talents. They master a wide variety of methods and can choose the optimal learning method for each student, in cooperation with other experts in this field. The education system and the organisation of the educational process enable them to apply the selected methods effectively.

Teachers themselves are constantly learning, improving their qualifications, reflecting on and evaluating their knowledge and practice. They have a wide range of quality educational programs, materials, as well as didactic assistance at their disposal. Teachers work closely with experts and with each other, sharing good practice, providing each other with constructive feedback, whilst being open to new roles and functions in guiding learners. They actively communicate with all educational stakeholders, approach each other as partners, and are a moral authority and inspiring example for learners. Teachers keep up with current scientific knowledge and involve learners in active exploration, experimenting with and discovering new knowledge and connections.

The new education system is one of the reasons why Slovak citizens in 2040 are satisfied, happy and self-fulfilled people, trusting not only in each other, but in a state which both serves its citizens, and is in turn shaped by them.