The challenge of the national education reform: improvement or deterioration?

After the social-democrat party’s (SMER-SD of Robert Fico) rise to power, this reform should meet the expectations of a leading and major reform. The domain of the National Education, a subject usually neglected, now resurrected to the surface. The paradox lies in the fact that to finally revive the education, the left wing employs the right wings’ methods to do so, in limiting the admission numbers. The chosen path is difficult, but necessary.

An untenable situation

Right now, the Slovak national education is in a desolate state, as it hadn’t been treated the past twenty years. Regarding the international classifications, Slovak higher education does not dream (it is absent from the Shanghai ranking, while the latter includes a Czech institution and two from Poland and Hungary). What are the obstacles hindering the future of education in Slovakia? The first problem seems to be the widespread under-funding of education (3.69% of GDP in comparison to the 4.98% as the EU average), and in the long run, the inefficient allocation of resources.

The question raised is the question of the quality and coherence of the school curricula. Starting from elementary school, which is attended until 14-15 years of age, the pupils take the national exam, the Monitor, which allows them to proceed to secondary education (high school). It is only the results of this single examination that are taken in mind, carefully prepared in class where the students’ abilities are evaluated. This now leaves vocational schools and apprenticeships empty with their truthful students going to grammar schools, even though lacking the necessary capacity.

High schools welcome these masses of students with kindness, even though their vocation should normally be completely different. Also, teachers are obliged to adapt their requirements to the ever-lower capabilities of the new students, which decline from year to year. As public schools are still funded by the criterion of number of students enrolled, their interest is to keep quiet and welcome masses. But what is the problem if more students want to access better, higher education? The sticking point is the obsession with higher education, and the same pattern is repeated on university level. Plus, with the proliferation of universities and the strikingly low level of faculty research, almost everyone can get their diploma. This explains the devaluation of higher education, particularly in the field of humanities, thus the growing number of youth unemployment. On the other hand, the natural sciences and technology, deemed too demanding, suffer from insufficiency of students.

Difficult steps, but justified

With the coming to power of the new socialist government, the government of the majority party SMER-SD, once more, remedies are proposed. It is in this context that Dušan Čaplovič, the newly-elected Minister of Education, Sciences, Research and Sport, comes with a radical proposal: limit access to schools with an average of less than or equal to 2.00 (rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being excellent and 5 insufficient). Those with a lower average (2.75), should follow a vocational baccalaureate or, where appropriate, apprenticeship. Meanwhile, the high school entrance examination will now become mandatory, unless the applicants have obtained at least 90% in their Monitor exams. Adieu to the lowered criteria determined individually by each school! Taking into account both the average and the obligatory Monitor entrance exams, they guarantee maximum objectivity during the high school admission process.

This measure is a more equitable distribution of students, as well as the revival of interest of training in vocational schools and apprenticeships. Ironically, these are often schools scorned, even though they offer the best opportunities on the labor market compared both to high school and university graduates. Thus Čaplovič is trying to deal with youth unemployment at the end of their training. The latter is often overlooked in the Slovak market demand, including the foreign investors in automotive industry. Financial support of these schools with classes geared towards the natural sciences, or the proposed restrained seats for law and medical schools also fits in this logic.

A necessary effort to break the vicious circle

Overall, these measures are quite rational and justified, applied to the general interest. Nevertheless, parents expose this elitism, the elitism of the Socialist Party. Obviously, it is always better for the child to follow his training in high school, and then choose one of the hundreds of universities available. The aftermath includes ideally opting for the right or the economy, or both, to obtain one or more worthless degrees and in the end, directly join the queue in at the Unemployment Office with no prospect of escape, no useful or useable qualification or specialized practice. Currently, this is the fate of a third of Slovak graduates.

It is because of this paradox that the socialist government is obliged to defend principles attributed to the liberal view of education, as expressed by Thatcher. ‘Education is the question of future and perspectives, it is précised to be unequal’, she said. Not the question of unemployment. The fact that the Socialist Party is willing to take this step serves to underline the urgency of the situation, and to the misunderstanding of this principle by the parents and their children. If everyone became a lawyer, who else would provide other, essential services to society? In addition, the perception of wealth is completely relative; if all earned more, nobody would be more pleased. Fortunately, a measure of courageous actions is taken after infinite years of laxity.