Private university likely to close

THE YOUNGEST private university in Slovakia may soon close its doors to students, according to media reports which say Goethe Uni Bratislava has failed to meet accreditation criteria. 

(Source: SME)

The government is considering closing the school, which opened in 2012, TASR newswire reported. Moreover, it seems that the number of private schools in Slovakia will not increase as the government has blocked the creation of two new education facilities.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

“There have already been reports on one specific example of the university which does not meet criteria or conditions under which it received accreditation,” Education Minister Juraj Draxler said on March 4, as quoted by the TASR newswire. 

The media outlets wrote he referred to Goethe Uni Bratislava, the German private school opened in 2012. It currently offers studies at three faculties: the Faculty of International Business, the Faculty of Tourism and the Faculty of Media and Culture Studies.

SkryťTurn off ads

Draxler first mentioned the possibility to close the school in the February interview for the Hospodárske Noviny daily.

“I expect that by the end of this year Goethe Uni Bratislava will cease to exist,” he said.

The reason for this was that it did not fulfill its duties, for example having most of the subjects taught in German, the minister said.

The school’s Rector Ľubomír Šlahor learned about the intention only from the newspaper. Draxler informed him with a letter only after the article was published, the Sme daily wrote.

The school now waits for the results of the accreditation process which will be published in the end of June. Its accreditation ends in August and if it fails to get the new one, more than 60 students will have to change schools.

SkryťTurn off ads

The decision comes amid a larger discussion about purifying the academic market and removing the low-quality schools. This goal was also stressed by Prime Minister Robert Fico during his visit to the Education Ministry on March 3.

In this respect Fico emphasised the role of the Accreditation Committee, TASR reported.

No new private schools for now

The government meanwhile did not support the establishment of two new private schools: the Technological Institute of A. Ruprecht in Šamorín and the School of Economy and Business in Banská Bystrica. Draxler hinted already in January that he would not back them. 

“The university education market in Slovakia is already saturated and the specialisations that were to be taught at that school are covered enough from existing university capacities,” Draxler said about the school in Šamorín, behind which financier Mario Hoffmann stood, as quoted by TASR.

The school in Šamorín was to educate 60 students a year in chemical technologies and engineering specialisations. Currently more than 670 students study these subjects at two Slovak universities, as reported by TASR.

The school did not get approval despite getting agreement from the Accreditation Committee.

Another school, which was to operate in Banská Bystrica, backed by company Cognos connected with Germany, as reported by the SITA newswire. This school did not even get the approval from the Accreditation Committee.

There are 13 private universities in Slovakia.

With press reports

Top stories

Janka, a blogger, during the inauguration of the first flight to Athens with Aegean Airlines at the airport in Bratislava on September 14, 2023.

A Czech rail operator connects Prague and Ukraine, Dominika Cibulková endorses Pellegrini, and Bratislava events.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad