Your child has a right to an education, which is a human right. Education enables your child to become independent and a fully developed individual and member of society. As a parent, you also have an important role in your child’s education. Firstly, you advise and educate your child and, secondly, you provide support for your child in the exercise of his/her right to an education outside the family, such as the choice of an educational institution.
A child’s right to an education
A child’s right to an education guarantees:
- the right of access to state-created or approved educational institutions
- the right to obtain official recognition of completed studies
important In Slovenia, every child has an obligation to acquire primary education. Every parent has an obligation to secure his/her child attends primary school.
If your child has functional disabilities, there should be special educational programmes available according to your child’s needs.
Free primary and secondary education
In Slovenia, the Constitution guarantees your child State financed primary and education. Furthermore, the law guarantees State financed public secondary and Higher education.
Free education also means that the State finances a broad range of school supplies which are necessary for an education. Such school supplies are, for example, didactic games, electronic resources, devices, instruments and sports equipment. At the same time, a parent must ensure that the child has individual school supplies, such as stationery, specific clothing (for example, for sports or chemistry subjects) and individual materials for specific school subjects, such as art education.
Language of instruction
The right to an education does not guarantee the right to obtain instruction in your mother tongue or other language of your choice to you or your child. In Slovenia, children are educated in the official language of the State, which is Slovenian. There are, however, some exceptions.
A child may partly acquire an educationz in his/her native language if it has been recognized as a minority language by the State. In Slovenia, in the border areas where the minorities reside, these minority languages are the Italian and Hungarian languages. There, there are primary schools in Italian language and bilingual primary schools, which combine Slovenian and Hungarian language.
Child’s freedom of thought, conscience and religion
Your child has a human right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. At the same time, you as a parent are have the right to provide your child with religious and moral education in accordance with your beliefs.
Your guidance regarding religious and moral education must be in accordance with the child’s age, maturity, his freedom of conscience and other beliefs.
Respect for a parent’s freedom of thought, conscience and religion
You as a parent, are primarily responsible for the education and teaching of your children. This also means that you may require your child’s school to respect your religious and philosophical convictions as a part of your own right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
At the same time, it is clear that many subjects taught at school have, to a greater or lesser extent, some philosophical aspects or implications. Therefore, teaching and the educational process may involve some religious or philosophical information to be given to your child directly or indirectly. Your freedom of thought, conscience and religion does not give you the right to demand that no such information is ever given to your child. Otherwise, the teaching of your child and other children could prove to be impracticable.