Information for pupils at the opening of the 2025/26 school year at the primary and nursery school in Slovenský Grob, western Slovakia, on September 1, 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Baumann)
From September, pupils, parents and teachers will face a series of changes to Slovakia’s education system. Primary and secondary schools with high rates of absenteeism will have to introduce tighter rules for excusing missed lessons.
Parents will still be able to excuse a child for up to five consecutive days. But across a school term, that can total no more than 15 days. Any absence beyond that will require a doctor’s note.
The Education Ministry is preparing guidance to support schools in applying the new system. Each school will set out the exact procedures in its own code of conduct, including deadlines for notifying absences and the type of evidence required.
Tackling absenteeism
On average, pupils currently miss 120 excused hours of lessons each year. About 5 percent of schools report average absences of 356 hours per pupil annually – roughly a third of the school year.
