Minister Borut Rončević announces comprehensive reform of Slovenia's education system

8. 9. 2026

• Ministry of Education, Science and Youth

The Minister of Education, Science and Youth, Borut Rončević, announced a comprehensive reform of the Slovenian education system during the presentation of the results of the PISA 2025 international survey. Fifteen-year-olds in Slovenia achieved their worst results in all three domains assessed - reading, mathematical and scientific literacy - since Slovenia has become a PISA participant.

"These are not just numbers in an international report. This is the knowledge of a generation which, in a few years' time, will take on responsibility for Slovenia's economy, science, culture, healthcare, public institutions and the future of our country," the Minister emphasised. He added that the results were not a condemnation of Slovenian children or teachers, but a clear indication that a system-wide change is needed.

"What I am announcing today is a comprehensive reform of Slovenia's education system. We will not carry out yet another superficial fix. We will reform the goals, content, organisation and institutional foundation of the system," said the Minister.

The reform will be centred around knowledge.

"We will no longer judge the system's effectiveness by the number of documents, projects and reforms. We will judge it by what students actually know, understand and are capable of," the Minister emphasised at the press conference. Key priorities of the reform will include clearer standards of knowledge and the overhaul of the curriculum, changes to assessment, national examinations and the matura exam, earlier and more intensive literacy teaching, greater support for gifted students and early intervention for students who are falling behind.

Particular attention will also be paid to the status and role of teachers and schools.

"The state must clearly determine what students need to know. It must, however, trust teachers and schools to decide how to help them acquire this knowledge," the Minister emphasised. Besides greater professional autonomy and powers for schools and teachers, he announced a thorough reduction in red tape within the system. The Ministry will review records, reports, approvals and other administrative obligations, eliminate duplication and integrate information systems. "Teachers were not hired to fill in forms. They were hired to teach and educate. Our principle will be simple: more time for students, less time for paperwork."

The reform will also extend to the area of foundational literacy. The aim will be for children, as a rule, to become literate during their first year at school, whilst in subsequent years they will consolidate and build upon their reading, comprehension, written expression and spelling skills. Preparatory programmes and intensive Slovenian language instruction will be introduced for immigrant children who do not yet have sufficient command of Slovenian. A special programme will also be developed to facilitate the integration of Roma children.

The Minister also announced plans to introduce a transition to a modern eight-year primary school system.

The organisational model, the transition period and the necessary curriculum changes will be finalised as the process progresses. "An extra year of schooling is not valuable in itself. The value lies in acquiring more knowledge," he underlined.

Alongside traditional core skills, schools should also systematically develop the skills needed for the future: computing and information technology, programming, algorithmic thinking, artificial intelligence, data, media and financial literacy, cyber security, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

Moreover, the reform envisages stepping up vocational education programmes, broadening apprenticeship, increasing the scale of practical training, improving mentorship programmes as well as building closer links between schools and employers.

The reform will also bring about significant institutional changes. The Minister announced the establishment of a teachers' chamber, which will strengthen professional autonomy, professional standards and the role of the teaching profession.

In the field of development and support of the education system, the Ministry plans to merge the National Education Institute of Slovenia, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training, the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, the Curricular and Extracurricular Activities Centre and the National Examination Centre to create a single national institution overseeing education quality and development. The aim is to delineate competences and responsibilities more clearly and to eliminate duplication of tasks, support services, projects and administrative procedures.

In the field of research in education and training, there are plans to establish a new public research institute - the Institute for Educational Research - to serve as a national research centre for the empirical study of the development and functioning of the education system and the effects of education policies.

The reform also envisages an alternative pathway into the teaching profession for suitably qualified subject specialists. This will include pedagogical and psychological training, subject-specific teaching methodology, supervised practical training and an assessment of teaching competence.

"Slovenian teachers and headteachers are not a problem. From day to day, they solve problems created by the system. The reform is designed to restore order in the classroom, professional autonomy, respect and time for students," said the Minister.

According to the Minister, the ultimate aim of the reform is clear: to enable every child to develop their abilities and achieve their full potential: "We will restore authority to teachers. Autonomy to schools. Responsibility to students. Trust to parents. We will set limits on bureaucracy. And we will put knowledge back at the heart of it all."

Detailed results of the PISA 2025 survey

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a long-term international project that compares the knowledge and skills of students in OECD member countries and partner countries. The survey assesses the levels of reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-old students. In each PISA cycle, one of the three domains is assessed through a larger number of tasks and questions; in PISA 2025, the focal domain was science. In addition to these domains, this cycle also assessed environmental awareness, responsibility and action, as well as computational problem solving, in greater depth. Ninety-one countries took part in the survey. In Slovenia, 7,366 students participated, including students from 319 secondary education programmes, 60 primary schools and two adult education institutions.

Data collection was conducted entirely on computers. In Slovenia, the survey has been conducted by the Educational Research Institute in cooperation with schools since the country joined the programme. The national coordinator is Klaudija Šterman Ivančič, who also presented the latest results.

Achievements in scientific literacy

In 2025, the average scientific literacy score of students in Slovenia was 484 points, 16 points lower than in 2022 (500 points) and 29 points lower than in 2015 (513 points), when science was also the focal domain assessed in the survey. The 2025 result was the lowest recorded since Slovenia first participated in PISA in 2006. In 2025, the average OECD score was also lower than in 2022, by three points. For the first time, Slovenia's average scientific literacy score of secondary school students is in line with the OECD average. In Slovenia, 76% of secondary school students attain at least the baseline level of scientific literacy (Level 2), which is six percentage points lower than in 2022. Seven percent of Slovenian secondary school students demonstrate the highest levels of science proficiency (Levels 5 and 6), the same share as in the OECD countries. The PISA 2025 survey also revealed a significant gender gap in scientific literacy, with girls outperforming boys by 21 points.

Achievements in mathematical literacy

In 2025, the average mathematical literacy score of secondary school students in Slovenia was 460 points, 25 points lower than in 2022 (485 points), when mathematics was the major domain assessed in the survey. The result was the lowest recorded since Slovenia first participated in PISA in 2006. In 2025, the average OECD score was also lower than in 2022, by nine points. For the first time, Slovenia's average mathematical literacy score of secondary school students is below the OECD average. In Slovenia, 65% of secondary school students attain at least the baseline level of mathematical literacy (Level 2), which is 10 percentage points lower than in 2022. Six percent of Slovenian secondary school students demonstrate the highest levels of mathematical proficiency (Levels 5 and 6), which is two percentage points lower than in the OECD countries. As in all previous survey cycles, there was no gender difference in mathematical literacy in Slovenia in PISA 2025.

Achievements in reading literacy

In 2025, the average reading literacy score of students in Slovenia was 445 points, 24 points lower than in 2022 (469 points) and 50 points lower than in 2018 (495 points), when reading literacy was last the major domain assessed in the survey. The result was the lowest recorded since Slovenia first participated in PISA in 2006. As in 2022, Slovenia's reading literacy score was below the OECD average. In 2025, the average OECD score is also lower than in 2022 by 15 points. In Slovenia, 64% of secondary school students attain at least the baseline level of reading literacy (Level 2), which is 10 percentage points lower than in 2022. Three percent of Slovenian secondary school students demonstrate the highest levels of reading proficiency (Levels 5 and 6), which is one percentage point lower than in 2022. In OECD countries, 6% of 15-year-olds attain the highest levels of reading literacy. The gender gap in Slovenia, at 51 points in favour of girls, remains one of the largest among OECD countries.

Achievements in environmental awareness, responsibility and action

In PISA 2025, the average score of Slovenian secondary school students on environmental awareness, responsibility and action was 480 points, the same as the OECD average. There was also a significant gender gap on this scale in Slovenia, with girls scoring 26 points higher than boys. The gender gap was smaller across OECD countries, at just 4 points in favour of girls.

Achievements in computational problem solving

In PISA 2025, the average score of Slovenian secondary school students on computational problem solving was 486 points, lower than the OECD average (500 points). Girls in Slovenia also outperformed boys in this area, by seven points. Across OECD countries, the gender gap on this scale was larger, at 14 points in favour of boys. 

Accompanying factors of achievements

In Slovenia, scientific literacy varies significantly based on students' socioeconomic background, immigrant status and secondary education programme. Students who report a higher socioeconomic status, those who do not have an immigrant background, and those enrolled in general upper-secondary education programmes achieve significantly higher scores. Compared with their peers in OECD countries, Slovenian secondary school students report below-average levels of enjoyment of science, curiosity, persistence in learning, perceived support from science teachers and family, and critical evaluation of information and understanding of the importance of scientific evidence in decision-making. One of the more encouraging findings of the survey is an improved sense of belonging at school.

"The results of PISA 2025 clearly show that Slovenia is facing serious challenges in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy. The decline in knowledge and skills across all three domains should therefore be treated as one of the key development priorities. Priority should be given to strengthening reading literacy among Slovenian students and, alongside strengthening knowledge and skills in mathematics and science, particular attention should be paid to creating a learning environment that fosters curiosity, persistence in learning, a sense of support from teachers and the ability to critically evaluate information and understand the importance of scientific evidence in decision-making," emphasised Klaudija Šterman Ivančič, the national coordinator of the survey.