Adult Education in Slovakia Has Risen in Recent Years

Bratislava, 9 August (TASR) - Adult education in Slovakia saw an increase by nine percentage points compared to 2016, with nearly 55 percent of adults aged 25-64 participating in education and training at least once a year, Gabriela Budayova from the State Institute of Vocational Education told TASR earlier this week, referring to the results of the 2022 European Adult Education Survey. "This represents the fourth-highest increase among EU countries, despite the reference period partially overlapping with the pandemic. Slovakia is now among the top ten EU countries with the highest participation of adults in education, whereas the EU average represents 47 percent," Budayova explained. According to the analysis, people with lower qualifications are much less likely to participate in education than those with university degrees. Furthermore, Slovaks dedicate 48 hours to education on average, which is only a third of the EU average. Across the EU, however, the average time spent on education has increased to 144 hours, with Slovakia ranking second to last among EU countries. The Adult Education Survey is conducted on a large-scale in European countries at five- to six-year intervals and allows for monitoring the long-term trends in adult education. jrg/mcs/am