Survey: Slovaks Trust Schools Less in Their Ability to Prepare Young for Life

Bratislava, October 6 (TASR) - The confidence of Slovaks in the ability of schools to prepare young people for life and the future has declined, according to the results of a survey by the Environmental and Ethical Education Centre Zivica on a sample of 1,000 people. While in 2018 more than half of the people polled (53 percent) believed that schools were preparing children well for life after 2030, this opinion now stands only at 22 percent. Views on what needs to be changed in schools haven't changed significantly from 2018. "More than half of the respondents in 2024 want the curriculum to be more aligned with the needs of the future and to focus more on the new types of careers that will be needed in the future, which were also the wishes of the majority of the people polled in 2018. Compared to the 2018 survey, the importance of focusing on soft skills such as communication skills, collaboration and critical thinking has increased significantly," CEEV Zivica head Zuzana Labasova told a press conference. Compared to 2018, the idea of an ideal teacher has also changed. The prevailing opinion is that the teacher should be younger, however, while 70 percent of the respondents in the last survey thought so, 58 percent think so today. The ideal teacher, according to the public, should have equal attitude to all pupils and let them come up with their own solutions so that they can understand what they are learning. "The image of a fair, innovative teacher who both educates and cares about students' personal problems continues to dominate the perception of the qualities of an ideal teacher. Compared to the previous survey, there is a shift towards a more positive perception of verbal evaluation," added Labasova. am/mcs