Country information for Slovenia - Financing of inclusive education systems
According to education legislation, learners with special educational needs (SEN) and/or their parents are entitled to certain financial support.
Children and young people with special needs must be offered free transportation to and from school, regardless of the distance between their place of residence and the basic school, if the latter is stated in their guidance order (Basic School Act, last revised 2012). The refund of relevant costs is the responsibility of the local community.
Learners with SEN attending short-cycle education programmes are entitled to free school transportation and transportation during weekends. The amounts awarded are laid down in the ‘Rules for subsidising the transportation of pupils and students in short-cycle education programmes’, adopted by the Minister of Education.
Learners with special needs, whose guidance order contains the provision of additional professional assistance at a specialised institution, are entitled to refunds of the costs of transportation to the institution where the support is being provided.
Transportation costs for learners with SEN, attending specialised institutions during the week and returning home for the weekend, are refunded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.
Learners with SEN and/or their parents are also entitled to specific financial support under social care legislation, i.e. the childcare supplement. The right to the latter expires when the child turns 18. After that, this right is extended if the duration of education has been extended as a result of significant changes in the child’s medical condition. However, this right expires when the learner reaches the age of 26.
Another statutory right originating from employment is to allow one of the child’s parents to terminate their employment contract in order to enter part-time employment so as to ensure the child’s care and supervision. This right is also awarded to parents providing care and supervision to two or more children with a moderate or severe intellectual disability, or a severe physical disability. In this case, parents receive partial compensation for the lost income, which is proportional to their pay for part-time employment, and are exempt from the payment of costs for their pension and invalidity insurance. The costs, which are otherwise paid for by the employer, are covered by the state (the Co-ordination of Transfers between the Individual and the Household in the Republic of Slovenia, 2006). However, parents may not avail of this right if their child permanently resides in a specialised institution.
Parents of children with SEN are entitled to special tax relief for the maintenance of a child requiring special care and supervision. This right is restricted to parents of a child who resides in a special institution (Personal Income Tax Act, last revised 2007).
The provision of medical-technical aids to learners with SEN is ensured by the Health Insurance Institute. Technical aids are prescribed by an authorised medical doctor. The regulations of the insurance company specify which aids are provided to learners, as well as support tool standards. When adjusting to more complex medical-technical tools that require an inter-disciplinary approach and parents’ and children’s familiarisation with the use of such tools, they are supported by the Institute of Rehabilitation of the Republic of Slovenia (e.g. complex wheelchairs, communicators, etc.).
Last updated 13/04/2018