Ministry Wants Mandatory Pre-primary Education from 4 and Later from 3 Years

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - The Education Ministry wants to introduce mandatory attendance of children in nursery schools from the age of four and later from the age of three, Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) told a news conference on Tuesday. Pre-primary education should be mandatory from four years as of 2027 and from three years from September 2028. Drucker said that the change will require 1,000 new teachers and that the ministry is paying attention to this. "We want to lower the age limit for compulsory pre-primary education. As of 2027, this will apply to children from the age of four and as of September 2028 to children from the age of three. We, naturally, want to continue and give also younger children from the age of two a chance to have a place in a nursery school guaranteed," said the minister. He added that parents will continue to be able to ask for an individual form of pre-primary education if it is in the child's best interest, as is currently the case for five-years-old children. In connection with the upcoming change, the ministry is strengthening the capacities of nursery schools and at the same time modernising educational programmes, said Drucker, adding that they're preparing legislation in advance, so that they can secure everything, including teachers, on time. The minister stressed that mandatory pre-primary education from the age of three will significantly improve the development of language, thinking, and emotional intelligence of children in the most sensitive period of their development. It will also enable the early detection of a child's special needs or the identification of talents. The aim is also to reduce the risk of failure at school and premature school leaving, and to improve the quality of life for children from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Drucker, the long-term goal of the reform is for Slovakia to guarantee the right for two-year children to be admitted to a nursery school as of 2033, similar to several EU countries, including France. ko/mcs