Analyst: Slovak universities need to internationalise

Slovak Universities will not improve without internationalization, said analyst Renáta Hall of the To dá rozum initiative. She pointed to the fact that only 8% of PhD students in Slovakia are citizens of a foreign country, while the OECD average is at the level of 25%. Hall also added that only 6% of employees at Slovak universities are foreigners, whereas this number is around 50% at the best schools in the world. Moreover, according to her, only 3% of Slovak students take part in student mobility programs. "Students should not have a problem with having their studying accomplishments recognized in other countries, and teachers abroad should not have twice as much work as those who have not traveled anywhere," said Hall. When abroad "students acquire skills highly valued by their employers, such as language, presentation, argumentative and intercultural skills, as well as the ability to adapt flexibly to change," stated Hall. She added that these skills can also be developed in their home country, if people study together with foreign students and spend free time with them.