Human Resources
Education & Educational System
Knowledge is a key efficiency factor at the national, regional, enterprise and individual levels, and is becoming the most important production factor as well.
Curriculum reform at the primary and secondary levels of education was launched in the 1990s and its implementation was completed in 2003. Compulsory education now starts at the age of six and lasts nine years. This nine year primary school brings different forms of ability grouping into the structure of basic education. General secondary education and vocational education have also been modified to prepare students to undertake learning also later in life. Within the framework of tertiary education, institutional and curriculum diversification has increased substantially, fuelled also by the need for adult education and retraining.
Brief statistics on Slovene education, school year 2014/2015
| Enrolment rate in secondary education | 100% of population aged 15-18 years |
| Share of pupils in technical and vocational secondary programs | 63.6% of population aged 15-18 years |
| Share of young people participating in tertiary education | 49.5% of population aged 19-24 years |
Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, 2019
Slovenia is also taking part in facilitating international competitiveness of the European educational system. In respect to that, Slovenia is also a signatory to the Bologna Declaration of 19 June 1999, which focuses on the creation of the European area of higher education as a factor for social and human growth. Lifelong learning, comparable degrees, promotion of students’ mobility and employability are high on the government’s list of priorities. All faculties have adjusted their study plan according to the Bologna Declaration.
Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, 2017
According to the European lifelong learning indicator, Slovenia is above the EU average. Almost 70% of non-formal adult education is job related.
Among all participants (360,000) that attended continuing education in Slovenia in 2014, nearly half of them (42%), participated adult education provided by enterprises. A tenth of participants in further education acquired publicly valid document, 6.5% participated in language courses and some of them driving school lessons (6%).
Adult learning, 2015
% of the population aged 25-64 participating in education and training
