School System
The Slovakian school system is controlled by the Ministry of Education and organised within the following categories:
- Primary schools and schools of second grade I, special schools and other educational organisations like centres for leisure time, special comprehensive Art schools (“Grund-Kunstschulen” under local administration) etc.
- Gymnasien (grammar schools) and schools for professional work under the administration of the district school authorities
- High schools (“Hochschulen”) and universities are submitted to the central administration by the “Section for High schools“ in the Ministry of Education
The educational system is the same throughout the republic, and the official language for teaching is Slovakian. Minorities like Hungarians or Ukrainians have the right to use their own mother-language for teaching and education. In the minorities’ school system Slovakian is represented as foreign language. Compulsory schooling covers nine years and ends with the age of 15. Besides the official education-system of the state exist also a certain number of private schools especially run by the Roman-Catholic Church.
Type of school | Duration | Age | Class |
Primary school (“Grundschule Unterstufe”) | 4 years | 6-10 | 1- 4 |
Secondary school I (“Grundschule Oberstufe”) | 5 years | 10-15 | 5-9 |
Gymnasium* | 4 years | 15-18 | 1-4 |
Gymnasium (8 years)* | 8 years | 10-18 | 1-8 |
* Final examination (like “Abitur” in Germany) at the end of the last year (mostly 18 years) – maturity for studies at universities and high schools