Presented during 1st Short Term Joint Staff Training of a Erasmus+ project: My Work is My Future

1. System of pre-vocational and
vocational education in
Slovakia

2. The current system of regional
schools in Slovakia are :
a) nursery,
b) primary school,
c) grammar school,
d) secondary vocational school,
e) conservatory (music, drama)
f) school for pupils and students with special educational needs,
g) primary art school,
h) language school.

3. Classification of schools by founder
 state school
 church school
 private school
The state guarantees free access to education for
children at the nursery (one year before beginning of
compulsory schooling) and at state primary and
secondary schools

4. Classification of schools by age
• Nursery (3 – 6 years)
• Primary schools (6 – 16 years)
• Secondary schools (15 – 19 years)
• Universities and High Schools (from 19 years)

5. Simple graph of Slovak Educational System
Age length of schooling
Postgradual education
Universtity education
High School
Grammar
schools
Secondary
vocational
schools
Secondary
apprenticeship
Vocational
apprenticeshipComplusory
schooling Primary school gr. II
Primary school gr. I
Preschool education

6. Compulsory SchoolAttendance
 No one must be omitted from the compulsory school attendance
 The compulsory school attendance lasts for 10 years, maximum up
to the end of the school year in which the student has his/her 16th
birthday
 The compulsory school attendance begins in the school year, after a
child has his/her 6th birthday and is able to attend school.
 In case of students with severe handicap, the school director can
give an exception and a student can attend the primary school until
the end of the school year, in which a student has his/her 18th
birthday

7. Postponement of Compulsory
School attendance
In case a child is 6 years old and is not able to attend the
school, the director of the school decides to postpone the
beginning of the compulsory school attendance for a year,
or he/she decides about the placement of the child into a
Preparation Year of a Primary school. This decision is always
taken after initiative of a legal representative of a child
Part of a application of a legal representative of a child is a
recommendation of GP and a Counseling centre for
education and prevention

8. Educational program
a) educational programs for schools
b) educational programs for other school institutions
Educational programs
- state educational program - defines the mandatory content of education
and training in schools under the Education Act to acquire competencies. It is
issued and published by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak republic
The school education and training is based on the School educational
program, which is a key document of the school. It reflects specific needs of
school, requirements of parents, suggetions and needs of employers, but also
needs of pupils and student and other relevant people, in order to increase
their chances for their better preparation for life, labor market and succes in
practical life.

9. Nurseries
Education of children in Slovakia begins in Nuresery
Children attend Nuresery from age of 3 or later, depending on
decision of parents
They learn basic knowladge according their age: drawing, recite,
sing, discover nature, colours, everyday objects around them.
In pre-school year (5 – 6 years old) they learn shapes, days of
week, months, and learn basic life skills and hygiene
Teachers of Nursery are not obliged to have university degree.
They are qualified after finishing teaching training at Secondary
Pedagogic school.

10. Primary School
Primary school is divided into 2 grades
 1st grade lasts for 4 years (from year 1 to year
4)
 2nd grade begins from year 5 up to year 9
and lasts for 5 years.
There are no exams in order to proceed from 1st grade
to 2nd grade. Pupils continue their education in the
2nd grade after successfully completing their year 4.

11. Other possibilities of education
The other possibility to continue education after 1st grade at Primary school
is education at Grammar school which provides 8-year long education up to
age of 19. In order to be accepted at Grammar school, the pupil has to
succeed in entry exams and have sufficient school performance at the 1st
grade of Primary school.
Education in the 1st grade is different to the education system in the 2nd
grade.
At the 1st grade almost all subjects are taught by one teacher whether at the
2nd grade each subject is taught by different teacher.
Slovak educational systems offers possibilities to attend primary art school,
which are voluntary. Pupils attend primary art schools outside compulsory
school attendance.

12. Secondary school are divided into:
Secondary apprenticeship school and Secondary vocational school
Training lasts for: 2 years (only a few), 3 or 4 years.
3-year training finishes with an exam and the Certificate of appreticeship - INDENTURE
Based on learning outcomes and individual needs, the students can continue in
further education (2 years) in order to get full secondary graduation.
By passing graduation exam, the student will achieve full secondary education
provided by Slovak educational system.
There are various apprenticeship: ex: machine operator, mason, woodworker, railway
worker, electrician, cook, waiter, hairdresser, shop assistant, baker, confectioner,
butcher and others.
Secondary education, which lasts for 4 years always finishes with full secondary
education exam called MATURITA

13. • education at secondary school provides
enough time for practical training in the
particular apprenticeship
• students regularly attend practical training
lessons, where they get skills for their future
vocation

14. Special schools, integration and
inclusion
Under the current Education Act, each child regardless of the
type and degree of disability, has not only the right but also the
duty to be educated.
By this legislative amendment we have reached the level of
some EU countries, as all children have equal chance to access
education in the form of compulsory school attendance.
Everyone is included into the educational process, including
pupils with multiple disabilities, who would otherwise be
dependent on daily-care by their parents, or sanitary facilities

15. In Special schools are educated pupils with
hearing, visual, physical, mental disability,
impaired communication skills, autistic,
physically weakened and sick pupils, pupils with
multiple disabilities and pupils with behavioral
disorders.
Students with mild disability (visual, hearing,
physical and mental) are educated at
mainstream nurseries and primary schools and
(with the exception of students with intellectual
disabilities) at secondary schools.

16. Education of children with special
educational needs
The education of children and students with
health disabilities takes place in special schools,
special classes at mainstream Nurseries, primary
schools and secondary schools as well as in
classes of mainstream schools together with
other students (individual integration).
Special schools can also be established as
boarding schools.

17. Admission of children with
disability into a special school
 is based on professional diagnostic process,
 written application of a legal representative of children to admit a
child into a special school
 written agreement of a legal representative of a child
 children with SEN can be educated in mainstream school if a legal
representative writes an application after consulting Special
Educational Counseling Centre, Centre of pedagogic and
psychologic prevention or a Centre of SEN counseling.
Under our Educational Act, legal representatives of children with
disability has right to decide where their children will be educated –
respecting principles of democracy.

18. Education of children with severe
disabilities
By reconciliation of educational legislation with the Constitution,
within the purview of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the
possibility of liberation from compulsory education for children with
severe disabilities has been cancelled. The new conditions for
education of pupils with severe mental disability, pupils with autism
and pupils with multiple disabilities were created.
In line with the Millennium Goals to prolong the duration of the
education of students with disabilities - a preparatory year has been
added as a part of compulsory schooling to support development of
children with disabilities, in order to support their compensatory skills
necessary for their education, which extended their schooling for one
more year.

19. The main aim of education at
special primary school is:
 development of individual abilities and skills of children with
special needs in order to learn knowledge, skills and habit
necessary for their further vocational training
 to be able to form appropriate attitutes and good
realtaitonship with others, with themselves and with the
environment they live in
 to be prepared for practical life in order to be naturally
integrated into society and fully participate in it.

20. Time dedicated to subject
Pre-vocational work skills for children with mild
mental disability
• preparation year – 2 x 45min lessons a week
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd year – 3 x 45 min lessons a week
• 4th and 5th year – 4 x 45 min lesson a week
• 6th year – 5 x 45 min lesson a week
• 7th 8th and 9th year – 6 x 45 min lesson a week

21. Content of subject Pre-vocational work skills for
children with mild mental disability
Work in the workshop: a) work with paper
b) assembling and dismantling work
c) working with wood
d) work with metal
e) Work with plastics
f) Working with leather and imitation leather
g) Working with different materials
Housework:
Practical activities: personal hygiene: learn about hygiene of hands and
feet, taking care of nails, establishing a home first aid kit, hygiene
at home, cleaning windows and doors, washing clothes and cleanig shoes.
Food preparation, sewing, knitting, crochet,
Introduction to technical drawing

22. Time dedicated to subject
Pre-vocational work skills for children with moderate
mental disability + content :
• Low and middle grade -
1st
- 6th
year - 5 lessons a
week
• Higher grade - 7th
and 8th
year - 7 lessons a week
• Working grade - 9th
and
10th
year - 8 lessons a
week
Content of Pre-vocational education:
I. Self-care and domestic work
II. Work with tiny material
III. Work with paper
IV. Modeling
V. Assembling and dismantling work
VI. Gardening
VII. Basics of sewing

23. Time dedicated to subject
Pre-vocational work skills for children with severe
mental disability + content :
Children are educated according the individual educational program (IEP) in
grades: low, middle, high
The content of the subject Pre-vocational Works Skills is changing depending
on the grade and is divided into:
• housework – putting away toys to a designated location with help
• putting away clothing with help
• putting away shoes with help
• wiping off the dust and watering flowers

24. Time dedicated to subject
Pre-vocational work skills for children with severe mental
disability + content :
Work in the kitchen - familiarization with the equipment in the kitchen, more
complex laying the table (shallow and deep plates, cutlery), wiping, storing
utensils (plates, cutlery), spreading butter on bread, washing fruit, vegetables,
pouring tea, milk.
• Simple table layout
• Health and Safety in the kitchen
• Work in the workshop - familiarization with various materials (paper, textile,
clay, wood, plasticine)
• work with plasticine and clay
• beading (large beads)
• Explore the properties of the paper (tear cringe)
• Use of tools (hammer, saw)

25. Possibilities of further education for
students with severe disabilities
In past, students with severe mental handicap
finished their schooling after finishing their
compulsory school attendance. Now they can
carry on their education in a new type of school
called Practical school, which is focused on basic
life and work skills and abilities they will use in
their adulthood.

26. Practical school provides education and training to perform simple work
activities for mentally handicapped or mentally handicapped in combination
with other disabilities, whose disability does not allow the degree of training
in vocational schools
It is intended for the less skilled graduates of special primary school educated
under variant A (mild mental disability) and manually skilled graduates of
special primary school educated according to variant B (moderate mental
disability)
Training in practical school is 3 years, every year, pupils receive certificate.
The school has to provide the opportunity for students to physically and
mentally progress so that they can live independently at home or in sheltered
accommodation and work in a sheltered environment.
Classification of practical school providing lower
secondary education ISCED 2C

27. Classification of practical school providing lower
secondary education ISCED 2C
The aim of practical school is to prepare students for life in family - the self-
care and practical work at home, work in their work profiling elective
course to enable them to perform meaningful work in a sheltered
environment.
Practical school is not a vocational apprenticeship to master, so after
graduating students do not receive a vocational certificate but the
certificate of completion of practical schools with focus on supporting
jobs in a particular field.
The choice of optional subjects give to practical schools their profile focus
and then they prepare students for practical work in sheltered
environment or at home.
Graduates of practical school in addition to their own household may find
work placement in public and private sectors, as helping staff in health
facilities, in social care as caregivers for elderly persons in catering
establishments, shops and agriculture.

28. Content of pre-professional education in
practical school
Vocational and practical subjects:
FAMILY EDUCATION – 1 lesson a week
HEALTH EDUCATION - 2 lessons a week
HANDICRAFTS AND SEWING – 1 lesson
a week
FOOD PREPARATION AND NUTRITION –
3 lessons a week
HOUSWORK AND HOUSHOLD
MAINTENANCE – 1 lesson a week
Optional subjects / 5 lessons in every
year/:
CARING FOR THE ELDERLY AND SICK
GARDENING
KITCHEN SUPPORT WORK
CRAFTS WORK
GARDEN SUPPORT WORK AND FLOWER
DESIGN
WEAVING
OFFICE SUPPORT WORK

29. Participation of pupils with special educational
needs and / or disability atVOCATIONAL
EDUCATION ANDTRAINING
The international data suggest that people with disabilities
and special needs are still disproportionately excluded from
the labor market.
According the strategy of Education and Training 2020 (ET
2020)of the Council of the European Union, European
countries are encouraged to pursue political reform to
improve outcomes in education with special emphasis on
vocational education and training in order to increase the
employment rate for new graduates and improving the
completion rate of upper secondary education.

30. Vocational education and training should:
be fair and effective,
be available to all population groups
be of high quality, especially in terms of promoting social inclusion.
Member countries of the European Agency for Development in Special
and Inclusive Education identified education and training as a key
issue at European level. This is in line with the Lisbon Strategy
adopted by Education Ministers of the European Union in 2000, and
the ET 2020 strategy.

31. Thank you for your attention.