Too little money spent on Slovak education system: OECD

Two analyses by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicate that Slovakia should spend more money on the education system.

The announcement was made by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria at a press conference here on Friday.

Slovakia should also focus on expanding pre-school education and on raising teachers salaries.

However, OECD experts positively evaluated the current system of financing, considering it to be transparent, well established, and providing schools with a high degree of financial autonomy.

"Slovakia has successfully focused on quality and equality in terms of access to education, on international education standards and certified practical courses," Gurria pointed out.

OECD claimed Slovakia also came up short when it came to including children with special needs or from socially disadvantaged environments. Gurria highlighted the Roma community as the biggest challenge facing the Slovak education system.

The Slovak government should also re-evaluate its policy of providing state and private schools with the same amount per pupil, as private schools can charge admission fees.

The analysts commended the autonomy of schools in hiring new teachers, but suggested improvements to the preparation of future teachers. Endit