Country information for Slovenia - Teacher education for inclusive education

The education required to teach at all age levels of education and training is regulated by legislation instituted by the Minister of Education. The same is true for the population of learners with special needs and the professionals involved in counselling work in pre-primary institutions and primary and secondary schools (psychologists, educators and social workers).

Teachers may obtain the required education and training at the three state universities. The Central Faculties of Education in Ljubljana, Maribor and Koper educate and train educators at the pre-primary level and subject teacher level. They also train professionals in the field of inclusive education and training of learners with special educational needs, specifically for the following disabilities or disorders: sight, hearing, speech, language, learning and emotional and behavioural impediments. The essential objective of this programme is to train future teachers for quality implementation of programmes and inclusive education and rehabilitation, enabling them to work with people who have special needs in different work situations.

In addition to regular studies, the Central Faculties offers programmes of in-service training for working with a selected group of learners with special needs and a study programme of in-service training for supporting learners and young people with learning and psycho-social impediments. In this programme, pre-primary and primary school teachers upgrade their professional education with specialised education knowledge and findings that are mostly practice-oriented.

Since the academic year 2011/2012, the principle that all teachers should obtain certain knowledge of learners with special needs was incorporated, irrespective of the subject group of their study programme (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education – subject study).

Pre-primary and primary school teachers may obtain additional knowledge on working with learners with special needs in practice within programmes of in-service training, as they are advertised each academic year and prepared within the National Education Institute.

Last updated 13/04/2018