Universal Periodic Review of Slovakia

The following report has been drafted by Broken Chalk as a stakeholder contribution to the Slovak Republic.

  • Public schools provide primary and secondary education free of charge. Higher education is also accessible for full-time students, ensuring they do not exceed the standard length of study. Private and church schools may charge for education provided.[i]
  • The state budget allocates funds to schools according to the number of pupils, personnel and economic demands.[ii]
  • Compulsory school attendance lasts ten years between the ages of 6 and 16.[iii]
  • The Slovak language is the language of instruction at most schools.[iv]
  • Decentralisation in the Slovak Republic is based on a dual system of i) self-government by local authorities (regions and municipalities) and ii) “deconcentrated” state administration that refers to the transfer of responsibilities to local units of the central government.[v]
  • As of 2016, Slovakia’s education funding stood at 3.9% of the national GDP, ranking 109th worldwide. In 2019, London think-tank The Legatum Institute ranked Slovakia’s education system 48th out of 167 countries evaluated, and 2019 data from The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted an upward trend in education spending ($15.87 per student). However, the OECD also identified a decline in Slovakian students’ math, reading, and science scores.[vi]
  • Higher education institutions are independent institutions that manage the course and focus of education, research, development, economy, and their internal organisation. Law defines the extent of the self-governing scope of higher education institutions.[vii]
  • In the Slovak Republic, 39% of 25-34-year-olds had a tertiary qualification in 2021 compared to 47% on average across OECD countries. In the Slovak Republic, the share of women among general upper secondary graduates is 59% (OECD average 55%). Men make up 55% of all vocational upper secondary graduates, the same as the OECD average.[viii]
  • Although education in Slovakia is relatively well-organised and of high quality, the system has some issues. These issues are demonstrated by a survey, for instance, conducted by researchers at Bratislava’s Comenius University, which revealed that around 50% of the respondents would rather receive their higher education abroad than at home.[ix]
  • Broken Chalk (BC) appreciates all achievements and advancements of the Slovakian educational system and urges the Slovakian government to address issues in its education to guarantee its citizens their human right to education.

By Müge Çınar

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46th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Slovakia_S

References

[i] OECD. 2016. “School Education in the Slovak Republic.” OECD ILibrary. Paris. February 19, 2016. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264247567-5-en.pdf?expires=1692179646&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B37450E5DE054F38AE5C043EDEC52DDB.

[ii] ibid.

[iii] ibid.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] OECD. 2016. “School Education in the Slovak Republic.” OECD ILibrary. Paris. February 19, 2016. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264247567-5-en.pdf?expires=1692179646&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B37450E5DE054F38AE5C043EDEC52DDB.

[vi] “8 Facts about Education in Slovakia.” 2020. The Borgen Project. February 21, 2020. https://borgenproject.org/8-facts-about-education-in-slovakia/.

[vii] “Education GPS – Slovak Republic – Overview of the Education System (EAG 2019).” n.d. Gpseducation.oecd.org. https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=SVK&treshold=10&topic=EO.

[viii] ibid.

[ix] “8 Facts about Education in Slovakia.” 2020. The Borgen Project. February 21, 2020. https://borgenproject.org/8-facts-about-education-in-slovakia/.

Cover image by Kiwiev on Wikimedia Commons.

Universal Periodic Review of Malaysia

  • Broken Chalk is a non-profit NGO with one main goal to protect human rights in education. The organisation investigates and reports education rights violations worldwide while advocating and supporting human-rights-focused educational development. By submitting this report, Broken Chalk aims to contribute to the 45th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia with a focus on the education sector, encouraging the country to continue its improvement efforts and providing further insight into how to overcome current challenges and deficiencies regarding human rights in education.
  • This culturally diverse country has become an upper-middle-income country for the last two decades. Since 2010, it has grown at a 5.4% annual rate and was predicted to move from an upper middle-income economy to a high-income economy by 2024 [1]. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial negative impact on Malaysia, mostly on vulnerable households. Following the revision of the official poverty line in July 2020, 5.6% of Malaysian households live in absolute poverty. The pandemic worsened issues affecting adolescents, children, and women in many ways. [2].

By Müge Çınar

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45th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Malaysia_1

References

[1] World Bank. (2022, 11 29). Overview: The World Bank in Malaysia. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/malaysia/overview#1
[2] UNICEF. (2022, December 1). Institutionalizing Social And Behavioural Change In Malaysia. from https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/reports/institutionalizing-social-and-behavioural-change-malaysia

Cover image by Pete Unseth.

Universal Periodic Review of Belize

  • Broken Chalk is a non-profit NGO with one main goal to protect human rights in the world of education. The organization investigates and reports education rights violations worldwide while advocating and supporting human-rights-focused educational development. By submitting this report, Broken Chalk aims to contribute to the 45th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Belize with a focus on the education sector, encouraging the country to continue its improvement efforts and providing further insight into how to overcome current challenges and deficiencies regarding human rights in education.
  • Belize’s average Human Development Index value throughout that time period was 0.668 points, with a low of 0.613 points in 1990 and a high of 0.722 points in 2016. The most recent value is 0.683 points from 2021. [1] The Index, which includes factors such as life expectancy, education, and per capita income, placed Belize in the high human development category, with a ranking of 103 out of 189 countries and territories. [2]
  • Belize’s population is projected to be around 1400,000 people, with a slightly higher proportion of rural (55%) than urban (45%) residents and an equal proportion of males and females. The majority of the population, 65.8%, is between the ages of 15 and 64, with another 29.2% between the ages of 0 and 14, and those 65 and above accounting for the remaining 5%. [3]
  • Mestizos/Hispanics make up 47.9% of Belize’s population and the majority of residents in the Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo, and Stann Creek districts, according to the country’s 2010 Census. Creoles are the second largest ethnic group, accounting for 25.9% of the population in the Belize District. The Maya (Ketchi, Mopan, and Yucatec) make up 11.3% of the population and are the majority group in the Toledo District, while Garifunas, East Indians, and Mennonites make up 6.1%, 3.9%, and 3.6% of the overall population, respectively. [3]
  • Despite its diversity, Belize has maintained a stable parliamentary democracy without serious ethnic or religious conflict and there has been numerous and peaceful transitions of power between the country’s two major political parties since its independence from Great Britain in 1981. [3]
by Müge Çınar
 
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UN-UPR_45th_Belize_-

Cover image by James Willamor on Flickr.


References
[1] Global Economy https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Belize/human_development/#:~:text=Human%20Development %20Index%20(0%20%2D%201)&text=For%20that%20indicato %2C%20we%20provide,from%202021 %20is%200.683%20points.
[2] IOM https://publications.iom.int/books/belize-needs-assessment-migration-governance
[3] The Belize Education Sector Plan 2021-2025 https://www.moecst.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Belize-Education-Sector-Plan-2021-2025_MoECST.pdf