Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca has said that his ministry hopes pupils will become proficient at least in one
foreign language by the age of 15. In an interview he said that “English is the language of experts and to a great extent also of diplomats,” noting that more than half of EU member states have compulsory English in their educational systems.
Opponents of the new legislation do not necessarily disapprove of mandatory English classes. Some people object to what they call the unreasonable preference for English over other foreign languages in the curriculum. But the most common concern is a lack of qualified educators to teach the classes.
According to a recent study by the National Institute of Education,
Slovakia lacks 3,183 foreign language teachers.
As from September this year, English will be mandatory for all incoming third-grade pupils in Slovakia.
