The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth (MŠVVaM) of the Slovak Republic is systematically addressing the issue of school capacities and seeking solutions where they are lacking. The ministry responded on Thursday to an appeal by the Association of Towns and Communities of Slovakia (ZMOS), which had pointed to insufficient capacities in primary schools (ZŠ) and kindergartens (MŠ) in western and eastern Slovakia.
The Ministry’s Communications and Marketing Department recalled that it had announced a call for expanding primary school capacities with an allocation of nearly €34 million. “However, demand exceeded the original allocation, so the ministry subsequently added additional resources to the call, ensuring all successful projects were funded. In total, more than €70 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan supported capacity building in primary schools, covering 35 projects,” the ministry explained.
As part of a separate call to eliminate double-shift operations in primary schools, another €91 million was allocated from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, supporting 32 projects in total.
“The Ministry of Education is also continuously strengthening kindergarten capacities, with investments from the Recovery and Resilience Plan amounting to nearly €170 million. So far, more than 8,100 new kindergarten places have been supported, and the ministry will continue expanding capacities. We expect the implementation of more than 220 projects, which will increase kindergarten capacity by over 11,000 places,” the ministry added.
It also reminded that all school infrastructure projects financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan must be approved by April 30, 2026, and included in the network of Slovak schools and educational institutions by June 30, 2026. “Given that only 7.5 months remain to complete project implementation, including final approvals, it is not realistic to expect a revision of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, an increase in funds, preparation of a new call, assessment of applications, and the actual construction within this timeframe,” the ministry stated.
On Thursday, ZMOS warned about insufficient primary and kindergarten capacities in both eastern and western Slovakia. In the west, the issue mainly concerns Bratislava, municipalities in the Bratislava Region, and parts of the Trnava Region. It described investments into education from the Recovery Plan and the Operational Program Slovakia as insufficient so far and called on the government and responsible ministries to secure a revision of both the Operational Program Slovakia and the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Source: TASR
