Drucker: Slovakia to Roll Out New Primary School Curriculum Next Year

Bratislava, 29 December (TASR) – A key change next year will be the introduction of a new curriculum in primary education, the so-called curriculum reform, Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) has said in an end-of-year interview with TASR. As of the new school year, the reform will apply to all primary schools. Drucker recalled that the change is being introduced gradually and that around half of primary schools are already teaching under the new system. The curriculum reform will apply to all primary school pupils entering the first grade. Pupils in the second and third grades will continue to learn under the existing education system. Schools that joined the reform in previous years will have older pupils in the new system as well. The minister underlined that the reform isn't primarily about changing content, but above all about changing teaching methods. The aim is to develop pupils' skills and lead them to understand what they are learning. "It isn't essential for them to memorise something and recite it by heart or to calculate a few maths problems, but to understand why it works that way, because these are the skills that children will need," he said. According to the minister, primary education is fundamental because it builds the foundations of knowledge and learning. These foundations should be transferable regardless of whether a pupil becomes a doctor, an industry specialist or a scientist. mf/df