Slovakia Advances Fair and Modern Education with Reforms and Teacher Pay Boost

Bratislava, June 2025 - Slovakia has taken a significant step toward improving its education system, as the National Council unanimously approved new reforms that include salary increases, better working conditions, and stronger protections for educators.

Starting in September 2025, education staff will receive a 7 percent salary increase, followed by an additional 7 percent raise in January 2026. Regional education staff will also receive a new 2 percent performance-based bonus, effective from September 2027. This bonus is part of a new system designed to reward high-quality teaching and allow for targeted financial incentives based on performance.

Slovakia currently ranks among the countries with the lowest teacher salaries in Europe. This long-standing pay gap has contributed to challenges in attracting and retaining qualified educators, making the recent salary increases an important step toward improving the profession’s competitiveness (shown in Figure 1 & Figure 2).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Comprehensive Approach to Improving Education and Teacher Wellbeing

As part of a broader reform package, the Ministry of Education is implementing multiple changes aimed at improving the wellbeing, motivation, and protection of teachers while strengthening the quality of education in schools.

Since Slovakia currently ranks among the countries with the lowest teacher salaries in Europe,  this long-standing gap has made it difficult to attract and retain educators, which the government aims to address through the recent pay raises and new bonus system.

Alongside the pay increases, new measures are being introduced to improve school conditions and attract more people and encourage more people to choose teaching as a career. These include flexible training programs to help educators gain qualifications in high-need subjects more quickly and the creation of a new role, teacher candidate which allows bachelor’s students to participate in classroom teaching and gain hands-on experience.

To help school leaders support their staff, teachers will be evaluated across five performance levels, from excellent to unsatisfactory. Each school will set its own evaluation criteria to match its unique context, giving principals a practical way to motivate and develop their teams. A total of €132.5 million has been allocated for the new performance-based bonus system, the same 2% supplement mentioned earlier, which will be introduced in September 2027 for regional education staff as a way to reward high-quality teaching and support teacher development. 

In addition, the Ministry is working on reducing administrative burdens, supporting the use of modern tools including AI, and aligning teaching with the new national curriculum. These efforts will be presented in more detail in the fall.

Another important part of the reform package is strengthening legal protections for teachers. A legislative proposal will be submitted to parliament in the fall to address harmful behavior from students and the public, including issues such as physical attacks, verbal abuse, and the spread of false information about teachers. The goal is to ensure a safe and respectful environment for both educators and students.

These reforms represent a major effort to modernize Slovakia’s education system, improve teaching quality, and provide teachers with the recognition and support they need to succeed.

Context and Challenges in Slovak Education

The recent reforms come at a time when Slovakia is facing several long-term challenges in its education system.

While teaching was the first-choice career for 64% of Slovak teachers, close to the OECD average of 67%, only 5% feel their profession is valued by society, one of the lowest rates among OECD countries. This low level of societal recognition may affect recruitment and retention of teachers in the long term.

The country is also experiencing a gradual aging of its teaching workforce, with 33% of teachers aged 50 or older. This means Slovakia will need to replace roughly one-third of its teachers within the next decade, increasing the urgency for reforms that attract and support new educators.

Despite these challenges, Slovak classrooms remain largely positive learning environments. About 94% of teachers agree that student-teacher relationships are good, and only 9% of school principals report frequent incidents of bullying, lower than the OECD average of 14%.

When it comes to teacher development, areas for growth remain. Only 2% of Slovak teachers participate in collaborative learning monthly (compared to 21% OECD average), and just 33% engage in team teaching (close to the 28% OECD average). Still, teacher feedback practices are relatively strong, with only 3% of teachers reporting they never receive feedback, well below the OECD average of 10%.

Though only 11% of Slovak teachers report high levels of work-related stress, the limited opportunities for collaboration and the low societal respect for the profession highlight the need for reforms that support both professional growth and teacher wellbeing.

Strengthening Teaching and Learning for Tomorrow

These education reforms mark an important step forward for Slovakia’s schools and teachers. By increasing salaries and introducing targeted bonuses, the government aims to make teaching a more attractive and respected profession. At the same time, broader measures to improve working conditions, professional development, and legal protections show a commitment to supporting teachers’ wellbeing and strengthening the quality of education for all students. The success of these reforms will depend on effective implementation and ongoing dialogue with educators, but they set a positive direction toward a fairer, modern, and higher-quality education system.

Sources: 

https://www.minedu.sk/t-drucker-podaril-sa-nam-dalsi-krok-k-modernemu-kvalitnemu-a-bezpecnemu-skolstvu/ 

https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=SVK&treshold=5&topic=TA