03 - Slovakia - Specific legislative framework
New conditions of the legal status of higher education institutions,
their management, financing, creation of higher education study, study
fields and programs their transformation, graduates titles,
measurement, accreditation and transfer of the achieved knowledge and
skills via credit system, accreditation, position of higher education
staff and placement of the staff, position of students and system of
social support for student and school fee is contained in the Act No
131 on Higher Education and on Changes and Supplements to Some Acts of
21 February, which came into force as of 1 April 2002. This Act has
been already supplemented by the Acts Nos. 209/2002, 401/2002,
442/2003, 465/2003, 528/2003, 553/2004, 365/2004, 455/2004, 523/2004,
578/2004, 5/2005 of the Law Code, 332/2005 and the last amendment No.
363/2007 of the Law Code. The Ministry of Education of the Slovak
Republic issued the Decree No. 614/2002 of Law Code on the credit
system of study. This legislation creates a legal framework for
implementation of principles of the Bologna Declaration.
Further,
the Decree of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic No.
6/2005 on the procedure of acquisition of scientific-pedagogical and
artistic-pedagogical degrees of "docent" and "profesor", the Decree of
the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic No. 238/2005 of Law
Code on the procedure at recognition of diplomas and the Decree
Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic No. 453/2005 on the range
and other details on recognition of motivation scholarship, which was
annulled by the last amendment to the act, just like the Decree No.
204/2002 of the Law Code on granting scholarship to PhD students in
full-time for of PhD study. The decision-making on motivation
scholarships falls within the competence of higher education
institutions and the award of scholarships to PhD students in full-time
form is regulated by Decree No. 363/2007 of the Law Code.. In 2006, the
Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic issued a new Decree No.
102/2006 of Law Code on granting social scholarship to students of
higher education institutions. In 2007, the Directive of SR Government
No.475/2007 of the Law Code on setting the limit on amount of funds for
providing study courses in the part-time study programmes came into
force and the measure of ME SR of 17th October 2007, which establishes
the amount of maximum yearly tuition for academic year 2008/2009 for
study programmes in part-time form. The Ministry of Education of the SR
has also issued by the provision No. 472/2007 the list of higher
education institutions operating on the territory of the Slovak
Republic. The Directive of the SR Government No. 104/2003 on
Accreditation Commission is a subject of amendment by the Government
Directive No. 558/2007 of Law Code.
A remarkable measure of the
Slovak Rector’s Conference was the adoption of the Ethic Code of
employees of higher education institutions.
The main aim of the
last amendment to the higher education act (No.363/2007 of Law Code) as
shown in explanatory report is to increase the level of higher
education and higher education institutions. For all types of higher
education institutions correct environment is created, and the
conditions are being adapted. The operation of higher education
institutions from European Union countries at the territory of Slovakia
is being adjusted, the list of employees of higher education
institutions has been introduced, and competences of bodies of academic
self-administration are proposed. The act specifies the professional
higher education institutions as providers of the Bachelor’s study
programmes oriented especially at acquisition of knowledge and skills
needed for pursuit of profession, university higher education
institutions offering all levels of higher education study, and
possibility of a higher education institution without being classified
has been also introduced.
Multisource financing of public higher
education institutions, particularly, the possibility to take a
commercial loan from banks has been preserved. The strengthening of the
rights of administration board of higher education institution and, on
the contrary, the restriction of the rights of academic senates, is
another novelty.
The payment for part-time forms of study has
been also introduced. The size will be set by each higher education
institution. Also, maximum number of applicants admitted to part-time
study that should not exceed the number of applicants admitted to
full-time form of study, will be applied.
Labour legal relations
of the staff of public and state higher education institutions with the
employees are set within the particular Act No. 553/2003 of Law Code on
performance of work in public interest, as amended.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009