In July 2021, the Ministry responsible for education consulted the public on the draft Resolution on the master plan for adult education 2021–2030 (sl). The resolution defines public interest in adult education that encapsulates the objectives and indicators of the plan, priority areas in adult education, actions on the provision of adult education, scope of relevant funding, ministries responsible for individual actions, as well as the manner of harmonisation during the realisation of objectives, and the manner of monitoring the implementation of the plan. The master plan shall include respective programmes and activities of competent ministries that will be public service.
In June 2021, the National assembly of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Resolution on the National Programme for Language Policy 2021–2025 (sl). The focus of the programmes is language education and language infrastructure, common language culture and language landscape, legal instruments and other binding documents of the Slovenian language policy, as well as the Slovenian presidency of the council of EU in the second half of 2021. This strategic document provides a firm platform for professionals and policy makers to steer language situations in a sound and systematic manner within the Slovenian society, as well as the platform for public invitations to tender and for co-funding of projects in the scope of language policies.
The most common goal of the language policy in the relevant period is to provide for quality language life for all. A huge part of the programme focuses on the language education broken down to the following topics:
The actions defined in the programmes aim to provide proper circumstances for pursuing activities and by that open access to learning and competence in languages, as well as improving communication skills of all citizens of the Republic of Slovenian of all ages for which will deem necessary for all relevant stakeholders to cooperate. The Resolution emphasises the importance of interaction with the reading literacy strategy.
In February 2021, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia nominated the Reading literacy national council. One of its key responsibilities will be monitoring the implementation of the strategy that will be specified in more detail with the action plan. The council is made up of experts in reading literacy, namely from preschool education to education later in life, and cover different aspects of the literacy development, and the representatives of the ministries that bear key roles in developing literacy. The ministry responsible for education will provide administrative and technical support, as well as funds for the council’s operations.
In December 2020, the Ministry responsible for education adopted the Rules on norms and standards for funding and provision of public service in adult education (sl). The Rules is the background document for decisions on funding the public service in 2021. This includes counselling service in adult education, and the basic school programme for adults.
In September 2020, the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia issued the audit report Reading literacy of children in the Republic of Slovenia (sl). It was associated to the Ministry of education, science and sport, the Culture Ministry, National education institute Slovenia, and Slovenian book agency, as well as the cooperation among those institutions in the period from 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018.
The audit report included several recommendations for improvements in future operations.
The recommendations addressed to the Ministry responsible for education relate to
The Court of Audit addressed explicitly the need for developing continuously analytical contextual references to support the planning of educational policies with quality analyses of secondary and background factors, with special aim on the problem areas.
In July 2020, one held the national meeting of stakeholders and social partners to discuss the development of the new master plan for education of adults for the period 2021–2030 (sl). The vision of the new plan is to give all adult citizens in Slovenia the same opportunities for quality education through their life. The activities for the development of the plan started in spring 2019 when, the Minister of education call out to other ministries, social partners, local communities and other stakeholders to participate and started the process of the development of the new master plan for education of adults for the period of 2021–2030. Thus, Slovenia implemented the recommendation of the second phase of the Skills strategy (OECD 2018). Until summer, various responsible actors at different levels of professional and other meetings started the discussion (Professional consultation on the new scheme of the basic school for adults, Andragogic convention, Meeting 320 of the Economic and Social Council).
In May 2020, the Minister responsible for education adopted on the basis of the Decision by the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for adult education, the adult education programme Slovenian as the second or foreign language (sl).
In May 2020 and according to the Adult Education Act (sl), the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for adult education approved the Guidelines for counselling service in adult education that is pursued as public service, and the background material for the development of officially recognised education programmes for adults.
In March 2020, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Climate change fund resources utilisation Programme 2020–2023 (sl). It applies among other to education and training. Under legitimate utilisation purposes, it provides for learning aimed at sustainable transition, namely with the action of adding the goals and contents of climate change in kindergarten and basic education programmes, upper secondary, short cycle higher vocational education and adult education programmes. The planned activities include the revision of national guidelines for education and training for sustainable development, education programmes, subject-curricula and other curricular documents with similar goals and contents.
In February 2020, the Councils of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for general education and vocational and technical education passed the amended upper secondary education programmes. The programmes include a new component or other forms of educational activities: a compulsory set of contents on active citizenship, as well as non-compulsory contents in gimnazije and interest activities in vocational and technical education. Furthermore, the Council of experts of the Republic of Slovenia for general education approved in February the subject-curriculum and catalogues of knowledge for the above set of contents. The revised programmes will come into operation with the school year 2020/2021.
At the beginning of 2020, the Ministry of education set up the first national Strategic council for entrepreneurship education. The council seats experts in education and economy, science and youth, all with experience in promoting entrepreneurship education in various organisations, in which they have implemented with success changes in various environments. The strategic council will aim to progress the current implementation of entrepreneurship education in the system and develop a strategy with the action plan for entrepreneurship education. The council will develop effective guidelines that will bring concrete results in practice: self-incentive and entrepreneurial youth with the right notch of ethics and moral.
In December 2019, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the National Strategy for the Development of Reading Literacy 2019–2030 (.doc, sl). Its aim is for each and every one in Slovenia to develop the level of literacy needed for them to become skilled at active life and work. The development of reading literacy is the foundation for economic progress, sustainable development, and social cohesion. Furthermore, continuous development of reading literacy at all ages is a prerequisite of lifelong learning. The strategy includes a framework of specific goals for different age/target groups, and descriptors of reading literacy levels per age group. For further information about the strategy see the Overall national education strategy and key objectives.