The number of Slovak students who are leaving for their studies abroad – to the Czech Republic is dramatically rising. This is the biggest threat Slovakia is currently facing, stated Ivan Ostrovský from the Academic ranking and rating agency (ARRA) adding that “this could have an extremely dramatic effect on Slovakia and its economy”.
Last year, 6.4 percent of Slovak students studied abroad, while 10 years ago the number was by almost a half lower. On the other hand the number of students attending the standard daily University studies in Slovakia is declining. While in the year 2006 – more than 60,000 started their first year of University, last year the number was a little over 40,000. Slovak Universities have thus still free space; some 33 percent of their capacities have not been filled. Ivan Ostrovský believes that the number of students at Slovak Universities will continue to fall in the following years, culminating in the years 2021 and 2022. The most sought out Slovak Universities are the Jessenius faculty of Medicine of the Comenius University in Martin, the Faculty of Economics of the Technical University in Kosice, The faculty of Education of the Trnava University and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the Comenius University. Ivan Ostrovský from the Academic ranking and rating agency further noted that the finances in the sector of University education could be distributed more wisely, directing more of the finances into research and to support the top education and research centres.
