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Slovenia Education Facts

Training

School compulsory school rules apply from the age of six in Slovenia and comprise nine years of compulsory school which are divided into three stages. The school is free of charge and almost all go to state schools.

The Hungarian and Italian minorities are also taught in their own language.

At the upper secondary level there are theoretical and technical programs as well as vocational training courses of between two and five years. Virtually all young people also attend high school.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Country facts of Slovenia, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.

Adult and further education, with the help of state aid and EU grants, has increased significantly in connection with closures and modernization of companies.

Of the country’s six universities, Ljubljana is the oldest (founded in 1919) and the largest. The University of Maribor was founded in 1975 while the smaller Primorska University (in Koper) and the two universities in Nova Gorica were added in the 2000s. At the end of November 2017, a university in Novo Mesto was also opened. The first three universities are state, the other private. There are also a number of other higher education programs in Slovenia.

  • Educationvv: Provides school and education information in Slovenia, covering middle school, high school and college education.

FACTS – EDUCATION

Proportion of children starting primary school

97.7 percent (2016)

Number of pupils per teacher in primary school

14 (2016)

Reading and writing skills

99.7 percent (2014)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP

11.2 percent (2015)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of the state budget

11.2 percent (2015)

May

Protest against corona management

May 8

Over 10,000 people take part in a protest march in Ljubljana against how the government handles the corona pandemic. The protesters accuse the rulers of exploiting the situation for their own gain and for limiting the opposition’s ability to act. Former Prime Minister Marian Šarec, who resigned earlier this year (see January 27, 2020), says he is behind the demonstration and that the goal is to force “the corrupt government” out of power. Several international organizations, including the OSCE, have also expressed concerns that the Slovenian government is abusing the coronary restrictions and that corruption has affected the country’s purchase of medical equipment.

March

Freedom of movement is further restricted

March 29th

Citizens are prohibited from leaving their home municipality and it becomes compulsory to wear face masks and gloves in grocery stores and other public places. The stricter rules will then many have ignored the government’s calls and gone to the coast and other tourist places.

Additional restrictions due to corona

March 20

All public transport is stopped and public gatherings of more than five people are prohibited outdoors. Cafes, restaurants and shops that have not been considered necessary have already been closed. Retirees, pregnant women and people with disabilities have their own time in the shops early in the morning.

Janez Janša Prime Minister again

the 13th of March

Right-wing SDS leader Janez Janša is approved as head of government for a 16-member government. Parliament votes with the numbers 52-31 for Janša’s government, ten days after he himself was given the go-ahead to replace Marjan Šarec, who resigned in January. Janša has promised to tighten up measures to prevent the spread of the new corona virus that causes covid-19. The World Health Organization WHO has just classified covid-19 as a pandemic.

Measures to prevent corona spread

March 9

The border with Italy is closed to private individuals, due to the large spread there of the new coronavirus causing the covid-19 disease, and Slovenes are invited to return home from the neighboring country. The day before, the government has banned crowds of more than 100 people and the University of Ljubljana recommends that all lessons be canceled. More than 20 cases of coronary infection have been discovered in Slovenia. Italy is the second worst hit country in the world by the epidemic, after China where the virus originated.

February

SDS clearly form government

February 25th

The right-wing party SDS claims to have reached an agreement with three other parties to form a new coalition government. The message comes a month after Prime Minister Marjan Šarec resigned because of internal contradictions in the center-left coalition he led. SDS now requests that President Borut Pahor assign party leader Janez Janša to form what would become a majority government with the Christian Democratic NSI, the center-left party SMC and the retirement party Desus. The two latter parties were also part of the recently resigned government. Marjan Šarec has warned his former allies for cooperation with SDS because of the party’s close ties to Hungary’s right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

January

The European Court of Justice does not handle border disputes

January 31

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg states that it lacks jurisdiction over Slovenia’s border dispute with Croatia, and thus does not have the right or opportunity to decide the issue (see July 2018). Slovenia has accused Croatia of violating EU law by refusing to comply with the arbitration on the issue (see June 2017). Slovenian Foreign Minister Miro Cerar – who was prime minister at the time of the appeal to the European Court – accuses the court of “lacking courage” enough to act on the matter. Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković tweeted that the court’s decision meant “a victory for Croatia’s argument”.

The Prime Minister resigns

January 27

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec announces that he is leaving his post and hopes for re-election. The message comes after several weeks of growing contradictions between the five parties in the minority government. Šarec says he wants to give voters a chance to show if they trust him and wants him to continue on the beaten path. President Borut Pahor is now tasked with seeing if a new coalition with a parliamentary majority can be formed, or if it is necessary to announce new elections. About the same time with Šarec’s message, Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj states that he is also planning to step down, due to disagreement over health care funding. Prior to Bergoncelj, six other ministers have resigned. In November 2019, the Left withdrew its support for the minority government (see September 2018).

Slovenia Best Colleges and Universities