AIVD SR si váži, že aj v tomto roku dostala pozvánku na diskusné stretnutie s delegáciou Európskej komisie, ktoré bolo zamerané na tému „Vzdelávanie a zručnosti“. Diskusia slúžila ako východisko pre prípravu analytických podkladov v rámci procesu Európskeho semestra (Správa o Slovensku), na základe ktorých Európska komisia formuluje odporúčania pre Slovenskú republiku na aktuálny a nasledujúci rok, ako aj priority pre nové programové obdobie Európskych štrukturálnych a investičných fondov.
Pozíciu AIVD SR sme prerokovali na Výkonnom výbore dňa 29.01.2026 a uvádzame sumár:
On behalf of the Association of Adult Education Institutions in the Slovak Republic (AIVD), we would like to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to meet with the European Commission delegation during the European Semester mission to Slovakia in early February 2026.
We highly appreciated the open and constructive discussion on developments in education and adult learning.
AIVD SR summary of inputs and reflections:
- Name of the Ministry
We would like to raise a conceptual concern regarding the currently used name “Ministerstvo školstva” / “Ministry of Schooling” does not reflect a 21st-century understanding of education systems. The term “schooling” narrows the scope to formal initial education.
We strongly recommend using “Ministerstvo edukácie” (or Ministerstvo vzdelávania) / “Ministry of Education”, which appropriately covers not only children and youth but also adult education and lifelong learning.
- Inconsistency in the Translation and Definition of “Learning Outcomes”
A systemic issue in Slovakia concerns the inconsistent translation and use of the term learning outcomes:
- The Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education uses the term “výsledky vzdelávania” (results of education).
- The Adult Education Act No. 292/2024 uses “vzdelávacie výstupy” (learning outputs).
- The Decree on the Credit System (614/2002) uses both formulations.
- Accreditation forms of the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (SAAVŠ) refer to learning outputs.
- Universities often describe educational objectives instead of properly formulated learning outcomes in study programme descriptions.
This lack of a unified translation, definition, and methodological guidance on how learning outcomes should be formulated represents a systemic weakness of the Slovak education system. Each higher education institution writes learning outcomes in its own way, and even in secondary education and the NQS there is no uniform procedure.
- National Qualifications System (NSK) and Slovak Qualifications Framework (SKKR)
Learning outcomes, as the fundamental building blocks of qualifications within the National Qualifications System (NSK), should be consistently applied not only in adult education but also in secondary and higher education accreditation processes.
This would:
- strengthen alignment between education and labour market needs,
- enable stronger referencing of secondary education programmes and higher education study fields to SK ISCO-08 (later ESCO),
- improve transparency, permeability, and recognition.
- Micro-credentials
Micro-credentials should be described through learning outcomes.
The current Slovak legislative framework refers only to a “graduate profile” and only implicitly to “learning outcomes”. We are affraid, that this approach is not aligned with the Council Recommendation on micro-credentials and could possibly limit:
- portability,
- international recognition,
- linkage to qualifications,
- mobility opportunities.
- Individual Learning Accounts (ILA)
Individual Learning Accounts should be accessible only after completion of initial formal education.
However, the pilot phase starting in April 2026 reportedly defines eligible beneficiaries from the age of 16, without requiring completion of initial education – including secondary school pupils and university students.
If confirmed, this would represent a significant shift from the original philosophy of ILAs as a tool for supporting adult learning, particularly for individuals outside the formal initial education system who need reskilling, upskilling, or requalification to respond to labour market changes.
There is a concern that the pilot allocation of EUR 10 million could be rapidly exhausted by a target group for whom the instrument was not originally designed, thereby weakening its strategic relevance within the adult education reform framework.
We remain fully committed to supporting systemic reforms that strengthen lifelong learning, labour market relevance, and alignment with European frameworks.
Should you require any further clarification, we would be pleased to continue the dialogue.
With kind regards,