Just as Slovakia has so far failed to fully harness the economic potential of incoming adult migrants, it has been slow to adopt systemic measures in the field of their children’s education. Shortcomings in the state’s migrant registration systems prevent the education system from working with data on incoming children of school age. “It is gradually becoming clear that some children are outside the Slovak education system. This puts them at risk of isolation, exclusion and – later, due to poor language skills – reduced chances of finding work, poverty and related social risks. A proactive approach and ensuring compulsory participation in education is the solution to unlocking their potential for integration in Slovakia and is in the state’s interest,” stressed SAO SR Vice-President Jaroslav Ivančo. Between 2022 and 2024, the highest average number of Ukrainian refugee children at primary schools was recorded in Bratislava District II – 780 children on average at 71 schools. Nitra District ranked second, with an average of 682 children at 82 schools. In Petržalka, an average of 601 Ukrainian children attended 67 primary schools over the past three years. The share of Ukrainian refugee children in the total pupil population was 3.56% in the Bratislava Region, 2.44% in the Nitra Region and 2.38% in the Trnava Region.

Based on its findings, the national audit institution recommends that the parliamentary education committee request the Ministry of Education to develop a concept for the education of foreign children, including mechanisms for handling migration crises. The SAO SR also recommends that the government propose legislative measures to establish a system for exchanging data on the movement and change of status of foreigners aged 5 to 16 between the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education and local authorities, with the aim of identifying the number of children of compulsory school age. To the Supreme Audit Office of Poland, as coordinator of this international audit, Slovak auditors recommend asking the European Commission to initiate the creation of a shared database of information on Ukrainian refugees aged 5 to 16 who have entered the Schengen Area.

The auditors also found that public institutions in Slovakia gradually created conditions for Ukrainian children to be educated. Support for teaching staff from the ministry improved over time. A thematic anonymous survey by the SAO SR, with responses from almost 380 primary schools, showed that the establishment of a dedicated website in March 2022, where support materials were published, was positively received. The ministry provided schools with financial resources to cover the increased costs of educating refugee children. However, the first so-called “euro-normative” payments were sent to schools only after six months, in September 2022. The following years were characterised by delayed funding at the start of the calendar year. As for numbers, data were regularly collected on how many children were being educated directly in schools. However, there was no information about children outside the education system or those studying remotely under Ukraine’s compulsory education rules. The state had figures on how many Ukrainians crossed the Slovak border in connection with the war, but did not – and still does not – know how many of them remained in the country, partly due to the free movement of people within Schengen. A 2024 analysis by the Educational Policy Institute estimated that by the end of September 2023 there were 15,103 Ukrainian refugee children aged 3 to 16 in Slovakia, and that more than a quarter of them were not enrolled in any level of formal education.

A total of €1.8 million was allocated for children’s language courses. These were mostly held after school and taught by instructors without qualifications in teaching Slovak as a foreign language. In 2022, 56% of primary schools organised such courses, but by 2024 this had fallen to 22%. For other activities – such as school supplies, school trips, ski training courses, counselling and prevention – schools were allocated €1.9 million. “Despite the various challenges in integrating Ukrainian children into schools, we can ultimately assess the handling of the situation positively. Our schools have gained new experience for further improvements in areas such as introducing an individual approach to pupils, strengthening specialist teams – which should include psychologists, special educators and social workers – and, not least, the active promotion of multilingualism, as the greatest obstacle is, and will remain, the language barrier,” added Mr Ivančo.