18 - Slovakia - Organisational variations, alternative structures
Higher education institutions also offer special 2-year educational
programmes for citizens in postproductive age. They are oriented at
various topical areas of social life in study branches which are
realised in the appropriate institutions. Annually, several hundred of
graduates complete the universities of the third age, with certificates
on education granted.
Specific Legislative Framework
According
to the Act No. 131/2002 of Law Code on higher education and on the
change and supplement to some acts, as amended, higher education
institutions may provide the further education in agreement with the
Act No. 386/1997 of Law Code on further education, as amended, namely:
- to provide further education necessary for performing specialised professions or activities,
- to supplement education in keeping with development of world science,
- to provide foreign language education
The above-mentioned studies may be a subject of reimbursement of costs connected with the study.
Distance education
Distance
learning is one of the forms of education, which recently is planning
an important role on the basis of results of programs of international
support (PHARE), as well as community programs.
In the Slovak
Republic the distance form of education started to be used in the 90s,
in affiliations of the well-known educational institutions (European
School of Correspondence Courses, German Correspondence School), that
started functioning in this country, as well as in newly-established
non-state educational establishments (City University Bratislava).
Their operation still continues, the offered educational activities
cover only certain areas (language education, management, enterprising,
etc.), but do not form a complete stage of study connected to the
school education system.
Within the framework of PHARE programme
a network of centres was created for distance education at the
beginning of 1995. Its workplaces are particularly in higher education
institutions (STU Bratislava, SPU Nitra, TU Zvolen, TU Košice, ŽU
Žilina) and at Comenius University in Bratislava, which prepare and
offer their own educational courses and programmes. The activities of
the centres are funded from 1996-2000 by the Ministry of Education of
the Slovak Republic. By the end of 1999, their professional activity
was managed by the PHARE programme unit from Budapest through the
National Centre for Distance Education in Bratislava. The educational
activities of the centre networks will also continue in their
activities after termination of the PHARE project.
At present,
one of the most advantageous forms of realisation of the distance
education are e-Learning methods of education. e-Learning allows to
make use of majority of available information and communication means,
which may serve not only for presentation of the curricula but also for
verification and testing of education process.
Open university
Open university offers education courses in the form of distance study courses.
The
education courses are accessible to everybody (hence the name Open) and
as a rule no previous qualification is needed before starting the
course. Education his distance-based so all the study materials are
delivered to student by mail. The study itself takes place at home or
where it suits best for the student. The assignments have a written
form and for assessment they must be sent by mail, email or online
directly to the tutor for evaluation. The final examination is held in
study centres of the respective region or country.
Open
University offers the possibility of higher education also for those
who for various reason cannot study in conventional higher education
institutions as well as to those who have not yet received any
qualification.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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