Slovakia

The Unified School in Slovakia after the Second World War

Martin Gabčo and Vladimír Michalička

The educational system in Slovakia today is the result of changes across Europe in the mid-1900s that aimed at more modern and more effective ways of improving education. These included school surveys issued by the Slovak National Council (1944), which during the Slovak National Uprising drove education towards ‘unification’ (1948). A ‘unified school’ is a school system established and managed by the state on delimited territory and offering specific teaching content. All students who had obtained primary education degrees, were able to study at high schools and universities. Some characteristics of the ‘unified school’ can be found in Ondrej Pavlík’s book About the unified school struggles (1975). According to Karel Rýdl, social aspects of ‘unified schools’ came from the presence of social differences in the school organisations.

During the time of the First Czechoslovak republic (1. ČSR), different activities were taking place aiming to change the existing school system to a completely unified form. The teachers and some political representatives struggled to improve numbers of young people from the lower social classes who were accessing high schools and universities.

Following new regulations in 1944, the Slovak National Council (SNR) nationalised all the grades of schools in Slovakia during the Slovak National Uprising. However, related action could only be taken in a formal manner in places controlled by anti-Fascist forces. Due to the partisan war and its aftermath, the schools did not provide teaching around this time.

The fundamental elements of the political system after the war in Czechoslovakia were contained by the Košice Government Programme of 5th April 1945. This programme stated that the new school policy would focus on giving access to complete education to people from all social backgrounds. The new school law was developed under the leadership of the Deputy Government Trustee of Education and Edification, Ondrej Pavlík. The result of his expert work was a document called The School System Reform Proposal (1945). The goal of this proposed reform was; to unify the school legislation across the Czechoslovakian Republic; to nationalise the education system; to unify secondary education; and to keep his educational approach democratic and in the national interest. The reform proposal was supported by the communist party, left-wing intellectuals, and the teachers from schools not run by the state. After the May 1946 parliamentary elections, the then-Minister of Education and Edification, Zděnek Nejedlý, was replaced by a right-wing representative, Dr. Jaroslav Stránský. The new minister withdrew the law proposal from the parliamentary negotiation. After the beginning of the communist regime, the Rebirth National Front Government accepted the Unified State School Law proposal. On 21st April 1948, the government’s draft law on the Basic Adjustment of Unified Education was adopted and unanimously voted for by the Constituent National Assembly.

On 1st September 1948, the new Unified Education Law came into force. The new changes were gradually applied from the beginning of the new school year (1948/1949). The most important change was clearly declared in the first paragraph of the introductory provision of law: ‘All young people will get access to unified education, with general subjects as well as professional education at schools forming a unified system’ (Školské zvesti, 1948). This was the only way to improve the quality of education with a view to providing equal opportunities for all young people. A notable benefit of the Unified School Law was the extension of compulsory schooling from eight to nine years duration.

The key principles laid down by this law, despite future changes to legislation, determined the character of unified Czechoslovak education until the fall of the communist regime in the year 1989.

Word: Unified

Number: 1948