Slovenian Ministry of Education and Sport

The Slovenian Ministry of Education and Sport is responsible for the implementation of education policy in Slovenia. Its prime responsibility is to enforce educational legislation. It supervises the operation and management of public educational institutions and other institutions in the field of education. The administrative supervision primarily focuses on whether the requirements concerning human resources and facilities for educational provision are met. The Ministry provides funding in compliance with standards and criteria stipulated by the Minister having jurisdiction over education.

The Minister has the authority to issue delegated legislation setting forth the requirements concerning human resources and facilities for the provision of education, specifying standards and criteria for the provision and funding of education, determining the enrolment procedure and the rights and duties of pupils, apprentices, secondary and college students, defining the academic calendar, and specifying knowledge assessment.

Its web site is at http://www.mss.gov.si/en/about_the_ministry/

Authority

It has the authority to decide on administrative matters related to:

• pre-school education
• basic education
• secondary general, technical and vocational education
• higher vocational education (other higher education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology)
• education of children with special needs
• music education
• adult education
• education of the Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities in Slovenia
• education of Roma
• education of the Slovenian ethnic minority in Italy, Austria and Hungary
• supplementary Slovenian language and culture courses for Slovenian nationals abroad
• supplementary courses for Slovenian citizens with other ethnic backgrounds in their respective languages and cultures.

Inspection

Inspection is carried out by the School Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia forming part of the Ministry of Education. The Inspectorate supervises the work and operations of public educational institutions (with the exception of those in the sphere of higher education) and the implementation of state-approved programmes in private pre-school institutions and schools. It is headed by the Chief Inspector, who is nominated by the Minister of Education and appointed by the Government.

Office for Youth

The responsibilities and activities of the Office for Youth relate to the planning, organisation and implementation of measures in the area of youth policy;

• activities in the area of social policy for children and young people:
  • education and informal education
  • leisure activities
  • culture
  • public information
  • international co-operation
• the monitoring of the implementation of the regulations and other acts relating to young people, warning of non-effective realisation of the regulations and proposing measures for a more effective realisation
• the formulation and supervision of the implementation of the priority youth programmes
• the monitoring of the role and position of young people in society
• improving the conditions for organised youth activities and youth organisations
• stimulating the mobility of young people
• finding better ways of supplying young people with information and advice
• support for international exchanges and the subsidising of trips for children and young people
• encouraging various interest activities of young people and the creation of conditions for the inclusion of young people in social processes.

Councils of Experts

Councils of Experts for individual education sectors have been established to make professional decisions in their respective field of competence (e.g. the adoption of curricula, syllabi, attainment target syllabi, and examination syllabi). At the same time they are consultative bodies of the Government providing professional assistance in decision making and preparation of legislation. The chairpersons and members of the councils of experts are appointed by the Slovenian government from the ranks of experts in the relevant fields of education, science and arts and from the ranks of relevant ministries, chambers and trade unions.

• The Council of Experts for General Education and the Council of Experts for Technical and Vocational Education deal with pre-university education
• The Council of Experts for Higher Education is in charge of higher education
• A special Council of Experts for Adult Education has been established to deal with issues concerning this field.

National Education Institute and related bodies

Development and consulting in education is provided by the following:

• National Education Institute
• Institute for Vocational Education and Training
• Slovenian Adult Education Centre

External examinations for learners at all levels of education are administered by the State Examination Centre.

A special Centre for Educational and Extracurricular Activities has been established to provide such activities in out-of-school

---

> Slovenia