Slovakia

This chapter explores the development of Slovakia’s Adult Learning Systems (ALS) from the post-communist era’s initial decentralisation in the early 1990s to efforts aimed at enhancing regulation in the 2010s. Starting with a state-controlled approach similar to the Czech Republic’s, Slovakia transitioned to a deregulated market characterised by minimal state involvement, in line with wider liberalisation trends. Despite early legislative efforts and institutional initiatives, the 1990s and 2000s were marked by a lack of strategic support for Adult Education and Training (AET), with a growing private sector emerging to fill the gap against a backdrop of limited demand due to economic downturns and high unemployment rates. In the 2010s, the state attempted to introduce regulatory measures and stimulate AET, particularly leveraging EU funding and accreditation improvements, though these efforts encountered significant implementation challenges. While economic recovery and labour market demands led to some increase in AET participation, especially among employers, the overall effectiveness was curtailed by the economy’s reliance on low-cost labour sectors and enduring structural inequalities. Slovakia’s journey through ALS development underscores the complex interplay between liberalisation, policy gaps, and the slow progress in adult learning within a shifting socioeconomic context.