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(Last updated: 3 Mar 2011)
Trends and opportunities
The market
Education in Slovakia is undergoing long-term restructuring. The private sector is trying to extend to all levels of education to fill the gap in sectors such as foreign trade, business, finance and administration plus social sciences, and environmental sciences, etc. where traditional universities are not flexible enough to cope with economic and community demands (Source: Institution for Information in Education).
However, the government is reluctant to give up control over the education system and this indirectly is supported by the population; afraid of tuition fees introduced at private institutions.
Primary education
School attendance is compulsory for nine years, usually from the ages of 6 to 15. All pupils start in a comprehensive single structure institution – elementary school, where – during the second stage – it is possible to proceed to gymnasium – secondary school providing general education – or to eight-year dance conservatoire.
Secondary education
Upper secondary schools provide secondary education, which culminates in a ‘maturita’ (certified leaving examination). There are three types of upper secondary schools:
- Gymnasia (grammar schools) provide students with general education and prepare them for university studies. Courses can last from four to eight years. There are newly established bilingual four-year gymnasia that teach English or French intensively in the first year.
- Specialised secondary schools and conservatories prepare students primarily for work in various professions (eg. technical/economic, management, educational, healthcare, social, legal, administrative, artistic, and cultural) through four-year courses. Conservatories (art schools) prepare students for specialty areas such as singing, music, dance, and theatre as well as further education. At least one foreign language must be a core subject. Courses in conservatories take six or, in some cases, eight years to complete the study.
- Secondary vocational schools prepare students for work in a trade. Courses last two to four years. Secondary vocational schools provide theoretical courses and practical training both in the classroom and out-of-school/on-site locations.
Further education
Further education colleges focus on technical subjects (such as computer technology, business management, marketing, accounting, etc.) or specialised language courses (eg. business English). These colleges are mostly state run and offer re-qualification courses or further specialisation courses and have no student age restrictions.
University education
Universities represent the highest level of scientific and artistic education in Slovakia. The duration of courses is usually five years with English and another language (German or French) as core subjects. All except nine Slovak universities are state-run. About 2,000 foreign students currently study at Slovak universities.
About 820 foreign students graduate from Slovak universities each year. Universities also offer ‘sandwich’ or part-time courses, evening and/or external classes. To be competitive, universities enter bilateral co-operations with foreign universities focused not only on exchange of students and professors but also – to some extent – sharing curricula and, importantly, cooperating on scientific research and development.
Student population
In 2009, 300,012 students participated in secondary education (including vocational training), and 134,231 students participated in higher education. For the same school year there were 464,312 pupils in elementary schools For comparison, in 2008, 312,412 students studied in upper secondary institutions, 218,303 participated in higher education (2008 was a second record year ever in number of accepted applications for university studies) and Slovak elementary schools accepted 452,618 pupils. (Source: Slovak Ministry of Education).
The gender split at secondary school level is 49 per cent male to 51 per cent female, similarly as at tertiary education (48 per cent male, 52 per cent female).
As a result of expected downturn in numbers of applicants, the government is being forced to either merge or even close chosen secondary schools to cut costs and provide effective education.
International engagement and outlook in education
The Slovak Republic tries hard to internationalise its education, which is quite difficult because it doesn’t seem to be a priority for the government. Nevertheless, institutions are focusing more on exchange programs with foreign counterparts. The government provides limited funding (according to the state budget) for the development of universities and no funding whatsoever to encourage students to study overseas.
The Slovak Republic tries hard to internationalise its education, which is quite difficult because it doesn’t seem to be a priority for the government. Nevertheless, institutions are focusing more on exchange programs with foreign counterparts. The government provides limited funding (according to the state budget) for the development of universities and no funding whatsoever to encourage students to study overseas.
The only incentive is governmental guarantee of low interest rate on students’ loans for studying abroad, based on agreement with chosen banks in Slovakia. Some international or supernational companies with their businesses located in the Slovak Republic, target talented students and sponsor their studies abroad, and then employ them after graduation.
In the future, it can be expected that a number of higher education institutions will make efforts to develop mutual programs with foreign institutions for their students. Such bilateral agreements will create a greater two-way flow of students, providing more opportunities for domestic students, as well as a larger international student presence in the Slovak Republic.
Much effort is currently spent on exchange programs for students and teachers within the framework of the Erasmus Program. Four Slovak universities offer study opportunities for international students and accept students participating in research and science projects. More information can be found on www.saia.sk.
Existing levels of student mobility
Statistics on Slovak students who study outside the EU are not available due to the type of visa and students’ stay. Unverified figures mention mostly USA, Australia and New Zealand as countries where around 4,600 Slovak students recently studied.
According to AEI statistics, 1,594 students of this number enrolled in courses in Australia in 2009 (43 per cent in ELICOS, 51 per cent in VET courses and four per cent in higher education). (Source: Trend – local magazine)
The main reasons why Slovak students decide to study in Australia:
- It is a safe and friendly country with a multinational community
- It has excellent opportunities of combining studies with a unique lifestyle
- It provides the possibility to legally work part-time, enabling the extension of studies, or exploring the country after completion of study
Slovak university students also target foreign countries including Australia because Slovak universities do not have enough capacity to satisfy all university applicants. In 2010, almost 32 per cent of applicants were rejected due to the low capacity at the universities.
Governance and funding of education
While primary education is predominantly state-run (from the total number of 2,237 elementary schools only 147 are private-owned), private ownership in secondary education is experiencing growing private ownership (from the total number of 766 secondary education institutions 208 are private-owned). In both cases, private institutions are mostly run by churches.
Similarly, in the higher education sector only three out of 32 universities are run by private entities (including churches). This conservative set-up goes hand in hand with tradition and the fact that state-run institutions do not require tuition fees. However, the government (despite public protest) intends to introduce some form of student fee which would help to modernise facilities and teaching equipment and motivate staff.
Progress on internalisation within education institutions
For some Slovak universities, EU initiatives have, to some respect, been the main motivators of internationalisation. Because government support in this process is weak, universities need to search for the necessary resources themselves in order to be able to develop teaching programs in English that can attract foreign students. They also need to establish and maintain contacts with foreign partners to create joint programs and other co-operations.
Student visa issues
According to the DIAC Assessment Level Ranking all sectors except for higher education (ranked as Level 10, are ranked as Level 2. Visas are usually obtained without complication. For detailed information about the visa process, please visit www.austria.embassy.gov.au.
Opportunities
Existing partnerships/relationships with Australian education institutions.
Even accepting Euro as the only official currency in Slovakia is making studying in Australia attractive pricewise. Surprisingly, economic uncertainty resulted in increased interest of Slovak students in studying in Australia. In general, studying in Australia is cheaper than in the USA or UK (even after dramatic fall of British pound 24 months ago). This advantage needs to be highlighted more (along with competitive packages, the friendly, reliable and safe environment, and the possibility of part time work) in promotional literature and by visiting institutions.
Official statistics on Australian students in the Slovak Republic are not available but market sources indicate several Australian students are involved in exchange programs.
Up to five Australian universities have formal collaboration agreements with two Slovak universities, namely Univerzita Komenskeho in Bratislava and Univerzita Mateja Bela in Banska Bystrica.
Slovak market is extremely competitive. Students are seeking high quality courses at competitive prices. There are about 15 agencies in Slovakia representing Australian education entities. Most of them represent a portfolio of education opportunities (i.e. different levels of courses (certificates, diplomas, degrees)) in institutions located throughout Australia.
Positive information about Australia as a study destination is spread by word of mouth among student communities and also promoted by numerous education agencies.
ELICOS: An active knowledge of English is important in almost all business sectors. Students still prefer to study English abroad as they can combine language learning with the experience of living in a different community. Since 2004, the number of Slovak enrolments in the ELICOS sector has grown, predominantly due to a simplified and shortened visa process, requiring less paperwork and supporting documents.
Vocational: VET courses offered by Australian providers are subject of slowly but constantly growing popularity in Slovakia. Education agents have recorded an increase in requests for information within the last two years. The preferred areas of interest are tourism, hospitality and hotel management, information technology and business administration and more recently wellbeing, health and creative arts. Interest in courses combining VET and ELICOS has been constantly growing for the last five years.
Slovak students are also predominantly seeking in Australia, postgraduate studies of medicine, economics, arts, environment and Asian cultures. In 2010, this interest has become evident and indicates maturing of the Slovak education market.
Competitive environment
Most of the competition for English courses comes from the traditional English-speaking markets – the UK and USA. Most recently, Ireland and New Zealand have become popular study destinations, offering (along with the UK) non-visa entry and unlimited time for doing a paid job. In general, accession to the EU has opened up study opportunities within Europe. Some EU countries (ie. Scandinavian countries) allow students to work part-time.
The Slovak government does not actively support study abroad, which means there is no systematic grant or funding program for students. However; EU accession has given the Slovak government an extra incentive to complete its education reforms. These should include some form of assistance for studying abroad.
Slovak institutions cannot compete with the quality and facilities provided by Australian education institutions. Australian qualifications are valued and widely accepted in the Slovak Republic and often help graduates to find more attractive and better-paid jobs.
While recognition of degrees between the two countries is still not fully settled, there are a growing number of bilateral agreements between individual institutions regarding mutual acknowledgment of degrees. Widespread qualification recognition agreements would further encourage Czech students to undertake study in Australia.
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