Slovak System of Higher Education in its Connection to Society’s Transformations: Transition from Medieval Times to XXI Century European Integration

Iryna Myhovych

doi:10.15330/jpnu.7.1.134-143

Abstract

The article represents an attempt to investigate the development of the national higher education system of Slovak Republic (as part of former Czechoslovakia) starting from the first known data of the medieval times up to the beginning of the XXI century when the period of intense Europeanization and internationalization started. Considerable attention has also been paid to the development of higher education in Slovak Republic after 1989 with the emphasis on relevant legislation, students’ enrollment numbers, overall institutional setting. The aim of the paper is to present theoretical review of the Slovak national higher education system development as determined by the processes of socio-political transformations in the country, including the final stage integration to the European Union and European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Theoretical provisions of the paper are supported with relevant statistical data on the number of higher education institutions and the number of students, including the number of those who participate in mobility schemes within EHEA (statistical indicators are gender-sensitive). Attention has also been paid to development of the country’s higher education legislation system after the so-called disintegration of Czechoslovakia to Czech and Slovak Republics, which allowed for the establishment and development of private sector within national higher education system. The research is based on the comprehensive analysis of original sources – open-accessed national legal framework for higher education, as well as theoretical and practical research works by Slovak scholars. The topicality of research is determined by the similarity of the Slovak and Ukrainian national systems of higher education at the end of the XX century, which allows to state that consideration of the Slovak context is relevant to the current reforming Ukrainian national higher education system.

Highlights

National higher education system of Slovak Republic were historically formed on the basis of the Humboldtian model of higher education, whose main conceptual principles are the following: 2) academic freedom, which implies freedom of teaching and learning, freedom of scientific inquiry; 3)Slovak System of Higher Education in its Connection to Society’s Transformations... 135 university education involves teaching through research work involving teachers and students; 4) active public position of the university – the institution maintains close communication with community, society, is responsible for the formation of public position, ethical substantiation of the benefits of knowledge and education
In case of Slovak, and at times correspondingly Czech, system of higher education, it has undergone complex process of transformation starting from the point of establishing and up to adjoining the rest of European Union counterparts at the final stage of integration to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
Taking into consideration on-going reform processes in Ukrainian education sector, as well as commonality of Ukraine and Slovak Republic which derived mostly from the similarity of tasks faced by the postcommunist countries at the beginning of their transformation – in higher education sector – the paper in its attempt to present theoretical review of the Slovak national higher education system development as determined by the processes of socio-political transformations in the country, including the final stage integration to the European Union and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is considered to be as such that might provide insights and correspondingly inputs to the process of Ukrainian higher education sector transformation

Summary

INTRODUCTION

National higher education system of Slovak (and partially correspondingly Czech) Republic (until 1992 Czechoslovakia) were historically formed on the basis of the Humboldtian model of higher education, whose main conceptual principles are the following: 2) academic freedom, which implies freedom of teaching and learning (student chooses disciplines, teachers, and even lesson plan), freedom of scientific inquiry (free search for truth, encouragement of attraction to scientific knowledge); 3). In case of Slovak, and at times correspondingly Czech, system of higher education, it has undergone complex process of transformation starting from the point of establishing and up to adjoining the rest of European Union counterparts at the final stage of integration to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Taking into consideration on-going reform processes in Ukrainian education sector, as well as commonality of Ukraine and Slovak Republic which derived mostly from the similarity of tasks faced by the postcommunist countries at the beginning of their transformation – in higher education sector – the paper in its attempt to present theoretical review of the Slovak national higher education system development as determined by the processes of socio-political transformations in the country, including the final stage integration to the European Union and European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is considered to be as such that might provide insights and correspondingly inputs to the process of Ukrainian higher education sector transformation

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Findings

CONCLUSIONS