Author
Asylum-seeking children are subject to compulsory schooling under the same conditions as Slovak nationals. Compulsory education applies from the age of 6 until the age of 16.[1] In practice, however, access to education depends on the stage of the asylum procedure and the type of reception facility in which the child is accommodated. Children residing in the Reception Centre in Humenné do not attend school during their stay in the facility. Access to formal education is generally ensured only after transfer to the Accommodation Centre in Opatovská Nová Ves, where most families with children are accommodated.
Children residing in the Accommodation Centre attend the Primary School and Kindergarten in the nearby municipality of Nenince. Education is provided within the regular public education system and children are enrolled in a state school together with other pupils. No separate educational facilities for asylum-seeking children exist within the reception system. Children attending the local school are transported between the accommodation centre and the school by a dedicated school bus. The school provides access to a school psychologist, who conducts regular sessions with the children. The outcomes of these consultations are communicated to parents through written reports prepared in Slovak.
No specific accelerated education programmes for out-of-school youth have been identified. Similarly, no special educational schemes or vocational training programmes tailored specifically to asylum-seeking children or young adults are available within the reception system.
[1] Article 19(2) of the School Act.