Advice and information for foreigners in Slovakia

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Social issues Education Education at Secondary Schools
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Education at Secondary Schools Print
Slovak nationals are entitled to a free education at the primary and secondary schools. Children of the foreigners with a valid residential permit in Slovakia and children of refugees and asylum seekers are provided with the education at the primary and secondary state schools under the same conditions as Slovak nationals.

A student or his/her legal representative may file applications to two secondary schools. The application must be submitted on a standard form officially approved by the Ministry of Education.

Secondary schools provide students with the secondary vocational education, secondary general education, secondary technical education and higher technical education, aiming to prepare the students for a qualified performance of certain jobs and activities within the national economy, administration, culture, arts and other areas, or for further university or college education.

Types of secondary schools

Secondary schools are divided as follows: Secondary vocational schools (e.g. car mechanic or shop assistant), Gymnazium (secondary grammar schools or High schools) and Secondary technical schools (e.g. construction). There are several specialized secondary schools, such as sport schools, ensuring a high level of sports training across all levels.

Another specific form of a secondary school is the so-called combined secondary school, which originated from the fusion of secondary vocational and secondary technical schools of the same or similar focus. A combined secondary school provides an education in the areas listed and described below, and vocational specialization areas. Secondary vocational education includes the general education as well as a practical vocational preparation. The study is completed with the final examination in the subject of specialization.

Complete secondary education or complete secondary technical education includes a more comprehensive general education and technical preparation differentiated according to the school type. Secondary general education is completed by the school-leaving examination at the secondary grammar school and the secondary technical education is completed by the school-leaving examination at a secondary technical or vocational school. Higher technical education includes a general education, specialized technical preparation and artistic or pedagogical preparation. This level of schooling is completed with the so-called absolutorium.

Secondary vocational school

As a rule, a secondary vocational school provides its students with a comprehensive preparation for their future occupation. This type of school provides theoretical and practical training for the execution of some demanding worker’s trades and some technical-economic activities of an operational nature. This study is completed with the final or secondary school-leaving examination.

Gymnázium (secondary grammar school or High School)

Gymnázium represents a secondary comprehensive school that prepares students for studies in higher education institutions such as Universities and Colleges. It also prepares the students for some occupations and activities in an administration, culture and other areas. Gymnázium has four grades at the least and eight grades at the most (this combines secondary primary level with the secondary level). This course of study is completed with a school-leaving examination.

Secondary technical school

Secondary technical school aims to prepare its students for specialized jobs and activities, first of all technical-economic, economic, pedagogical, medical, social-legal, administrative, artistic and cultural ones; it also provides a preparation for the studies in higher educational institutions. This study is completed with a school-leaving examination.

Conservatory (Secondary Arts School)

Conservatory represents a specific type of a secondary technical school, which prepares its pupils for the career in the fields of music, dance or drama art. It also provides them with the preparation for studies at the higher education institutions. This study is completed with a so called absolutorium.

Apprentice school

Apprentice school provides vocational training for occupations to students who completed compulsory education in the primary school in a grade lower than 9 or who did not successfully complete the 9th grade, as well as to those who did not complete the primary school after nine years of compulsory education. Apprentice training is completed with the successful passing of a final exam.

Special schools

Special schools aim to provide education to the children with specific needs, using special forms and methods according to the kind of handicap. Such children have various physical or mental disorders or defects and they include children with mental, hearing, sight or physical defects, ill and weakened children, and children with disturbed communication ability, autism, children with disorders of development, learning or behavioural problems or children with severe mental disorders placed in the social service homes.

Types of special schools

  • Special primary schools

For special needs students, except those with mental disability, special primary schools provide education pursuant to their disability level; usually established as schools for one sort of disability. The education in special primary schools is performed differentially pursuant to the disability level of the student. The document proving the achieved level of education is a certificate where the differentiation of a special school is included.

  • Special secondary schools
For those special needs students who cannot be educated in other schools, special secondary schools provide education in a manner suitable for their level of disability. Internally they are differentiated pursuant to the disability level of students on which they are focused. Further education of disabled students is also performed in special secondary schools and apprentice schools. Special schools are divided into: vocational schools, gymnasiums and comprehensive high schools.
  • Practical school
For students with mental disabilities who graduated from special primary schools and were not admitted either to a vocational school or special vocational school or could not keep up with their educational content, a practical school provides education and training for simple labor activities. The final certificate is a document proving the completion of education in a school of this kind.
  • Vocational school
Vocational schools provide professional training in educational fields with modified curriculums. Vocational schools prepare for administration of professions corresponding to the appropriate educational field. The preparation takes one to three years and is completed by successfully passing the final examination. Apprentice schools admit students with mental disability who have completed the 9th grade in schools in compliance with law or the compulsory education.

Conditions for Admitting a Foreigner to a Secondary School

Pupils and other applicants have the right to study at a secondary school according to their abilities, knowledge and skills, interests and health condition. Secondary schools admit students and other applicants who have successfully completed a primary school level. Eight-year gymnazium admit pupils who have successfully completed the 4th grade at the primary school.

Secondary schools admit also other applicants who have completed elementary education according to an earlier legislation. Pupils who have successfully completed the 8th grade at a primary school may be admitted to the 1st grade of a secondary school with a 5-year curriculum which usually includes an instruction in a foreign language. Such students complete their compulsory education after two years of study at this school. The Ministry of Education issues an ordinance to adjust the scope of powers and obligations of secondary school principals regarding the admission of students and other applicants.

The same conditions for the study at the secondary school level apply to the Slovak nationals and the foreigners alike, given the above-mentioned conditions have been observed.

A child has to fulfil the following conditions for access to secondary education, which includes having:

  • relevant abilities;
  • required knowledge and skills;
  • command of Slovak language;
  • special interests;
  • good health condition;
  • residential permit.

Slovak language examination

Children of refugees and asylum seekers are included in the relevant grade by the school principal after he/she has assessed their level of education and command of the Slovak language. Education is provided in the official language, i.e. Slovak. Members of Czech, Hungarian, German, Polish and Ukrainian ethnic minorities are guaranteed a right to education in their mother tongues within the scope appropriate for their minority development.

Ministry of the Interior ensures and funds the Slovak Language courses for the children of refugee status seekers placed in the refugee asylum facilities, if these children are subject to compulsory education according to the Slovak legislation. Children with hearing or sight defects are guaranteed the right to education in their mother tongue, using sign language or Braille.

Concerning command of the Slovak language of the secondary level applicants, this knowledge is demonstrated in the course of the entrance tests to a particular secondary school. Insufficient command of Slovak is a handicap for a student in the course of school admission process.

Applicants for the college studies may undertake a language preparation in the zero grade of the studies, depending on the respective school’s rules. Some colleges have a study programs in other than Slovak language, e.g. in English.

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