The right to education is exercised by an applicant for temporary protection by submitting a certificate of application for temporary protection or a copy of the registration document.

During their education, applicants for temporary protection may exercise the right to subsidised school meals, free or subsidised transport, and accommodation in residence halls for upper secondary students and residence halls for tertiary students. Applicants are not entitled to a state scholarship. 

Under the applicable legislation, only children granted temporary protection are entitled to enrol in pre-school education. Applicants for temporary protection acquire this right once temporary protection has been granted to them.

Children who are applicants for temporary protection are enrolled in primary school under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. According to the regulations governing primary education, they are usually enrolled in the school district in which they reside. The child is enrolled directly by their parents, guardian or legal representative if the child is an unaccompanied minor. After enrolment, the school issues a Certificate of Enrolment. 

The initial days at primary school are intended for familiarising the pupil with the school environment and learning Slovenian. A pupil granted temporary protection may participate in extended school programmes and extracurricular activities organised by the school. After the introductory period, the pupil joins all activities of the class in which they are enrolled.

Textbooks

Primary schools in the Republic of Slovenia maintain textbook funds from which pupils may borrow the textbooks required for their classes. Pupils must return the textbooks at the end of the school year. 

How do I apply for subsidised school meals?

A pupil who is an applicant for temporary protection who is enrolled in primary school, regularly attends school and is registered for a break-time snack or lunch is entitled to a subsidy for break-time snacks or lunches in accordance with the act governing the exercise of rights from public funds and the act governing school meals.

Parents are obliged to cancel the child’s break-time snack or lunch in time if the child is going to be absent from school. Otherwise, the parent must pay the cost of the meal even if the child does not collect it. 

Free transport

The right to free transport is provided through organised transport. Children who are applicants for temporary protection are entitled to free transport under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia.

A pupil is entitled to free transport if their place of residence is more than four kilometres from the primary school. Transport arrangements are agreed between the school and the local community. 

A pupil is entitled to free transport regardless of the distance from their place of residence to the primary school in the first grade, and in higher grades if the competent road safety authority determines that the pupil’s safety on the way to school is unsafe.

The right to free transport is provided through organised transport. If transport cannot be provided or is not economically justified, parents may be reimbursed for the cost of a monthly public transport pass. In exceptional cases where neither organised transport nor public transport is available, parents may be reimbursed for travel costs calculated per kilometre along the shortest public road, in accordance with the regulations applicable to public servants in the state administration.

Adaptations, progression and learning Slovenian

During the school year, pupils who are applicants for temporary protection may be assessed under adapted assessment arrangements. Their knowledge may be assessed based on their progress in achieving the learning objectives or knowledge standards defined in the curricula. Pupils who have moved to Slovenia from other countries may remain ungraded in certain subjects at the end of the academic year in which they are first enrolled in primary school in the Republic of Slovenia, and may still progress to the next year of primary school.

Primary schools provide additional Slovenian language lessons for pupils who have moved from other countries and are enrolled in the education system. 

If an applicant for temporary protection or a pupil granted temporary protection is enrolled in school and, in the opinion of professional staff, requires education in adapted or special educational programmes, the school will inform the parents or legal representative about the placement procedure.

Students who are applicants for temporary protection may enrol in secondary school under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. This means that secondary education is free of charge for them in regular programmes, provided that they meet all admission requirements applicable to students who are Slovenian citizens, as laid down in the Grammar Schools Act and the Vocational and Technical Education Act. 

Students may also enrol in secondary school during the academic year or outside the regular enrolment periods, but only in programmes where places are still available. A list of secondary schools is available on the website of the Ministry of Education. For enrolment during the academic year, you should contact the school principal or a school counsellor. 

How does the enrolment procedure work?

The enrolment procedure for students who are applicants for temporary protection is the same as for all other foreigner nationals. If you are enrolling for the next academic year, you must submit the application form for enrolment in the desired programme to the secondary school you wish to attend. 

The deadline for submitting the application form is usually by the beginning of April. Only one programme may be selected in the application form. All information on enrolment in secondary school published in the call for applications and the application form you need to fill in can be found on the GOV.si. website and on the Vpisni postopki (Enrolment Procedures) website.

During the enrolment procedure, foreign nationals must submit all required documents for the recognition of foreign education for the purpose of continuing education in Slovenia. 

For this purpose, they must complete the additional form N – Application for Recognition of Education for the Purpose of Continuing Education, and attach the following to the form:

• the original foreign education certificate (for enrolment in the first year: the last three primary school certificates; for enrolment in a higher year: the last certificate from the previous completed year of secondary school); 
• non-notarised copies of the above certificates; 
• notarised translations of the above certificates; 
• evidence of the duration and content of the education; 
• a short chronological description of the entire educational history.

If you are unable to provide these documents, the educational institution decides on enrolment in the programme in accordance with the guidelines of the National Education Institute of Slovenia. 

The secondary school will notify you by post whether you have been admitted to the programme. If you are not admitted, you will be given a deadline to transfer your application to another programme. 

Subsidised school meals

As a student who is an applicant for temporary protection you may exercise the right to subsidised school meals and break-time snacks, provided that you are enrolled in a regular programme. You apply for the subsidy at the beginning of the academic year through the school counsellor or the class teacher. 

Parents are obliged to cancel the child’s break-time snack or lunch in time if the child is going to be absent from school. Otherwise, the parent must pay the cost of the meal even if the child does not collect it. 

Adaptations of school obligations and Slovenian language course

Students who are applicants for temporary protection may be granted adaptations of academic obligations, and an individual education plan may be prepared for them. In the first academic year of enrolment, students — except those in the final year — will not receive a failing grade in Slovenian. Instead, it will be recorded that the student has not been assessed, i.e. has not received a grade. Despite this, the student may progress to the next year, provided that they obtain passing grades in all other subjects, and if the principal so decides on the proposal of the class teachers’ council.

At the beginning of the academic year, the school organises a Slovenian language course for foreign students who do not speak Slovenian. The course is free of charge but mandatory. 

Subsidised transport to school

If you attend a secondary school that is located at least two kilometres from your home or place of residence, you are entitled to a subsidised public transport pass. You can purchase the pass from the transport provider or at a bus station in your area.

All information on subsidised transport for students is available on the GOV.si website.

Accommodation in a residence hall for upper secondary students

Students who are applicants for temporary protection are entitled to accommodation in a residence hall for upper secondary students under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. 

You must submit the application form following the published call for applications, which is usually published in February, i.e. by the deadline specified in the call for applications (usually in early April). A candidate may apply for accommodation in only one student residence hall. 

You may also submit the application online via the Vpisni postopki (Enrolment Procedures) website. 

Candidates who were educated abroad in the previous year or who will attend school in another location due to the transfer of their secondary school application may submit the application at a later stage. A deadline is specific for this purpose as well and is available in the schedule. It is also possible to transfer your application if you are not admitted. 

All information on enrolment in upper secondary school student residence halls is available on the GOV.si website and on the Vpisni postopki (Enrolment Procedures) website. The above websites also feature enrolment timelines. 

You will be notified by post whether you have been admitted.

A person who is an applicant for temporary protection is entitled to enrol in short-cycle higher vocational education under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. They must meet the requirements laid down in the Higher Vocational Education Act and the Rules on Enrolment in Higher Vocational Education. Applications for enrolment are submitted through the Higher Vocational Admissions Service.

The website also publishes calls for applications and deadlines to be observed when enrolling. 

Persons who are applicants for temporary protection may enrol in higher education under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. You must follow the published calls for enrolment and application deadlines, which are available on the GOV.si website or on the website of the university or faculty. 

You must submit your application by the prescribed deadline via the eVŠ portal. 

During the enrolment procedure, foreign nationals must submit all required documents for the recognition of foreign education for the purpose of continuing education in Slovenia. 

The university will notify you by post about which of your three programme choices you have been admitted to.

Accommodation in residence halls for tertiary students

Students who are applicants for temporary protection may stay in residence halls for tertiary students under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. 

You must usually submit an application for admission to a residence hall from July onwards via the eVŠ portal. All information on how to apply for accommodation in a residence hall for tertiary students is available on the GOV.si website. 

Persons who are applicants for temporary protection and wish to continue their music education may enrol in a music school under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. A child is enrolled by their parents, who apply directly at the school themselves or accompanied by relatives residing in Slovenia, or by an authorised representative. In the case of unaccompanied minors, enrolment is carried out by their legal representative. The school enrols the pupil granted temporary protection and issues them with a Certificate of Enrolment.

If a child enrols during the academic year, the music school verifies the level of the knowledge previously acquired by the pupil granted temporary protection who wishes to continue music education and places them in the appropriate class of the music school programme. For enrolment in a new academic year, pupils granted temporary protection may enrol in the music school under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Slovenia, namely based on a successful entrance exam and the availability of places.

Persons who are applicants for temporary protection may enrol in primary education programmes for adults under the same conditions as other participants in adult education. A person aged at least 15 who has not completed the primary education but has fulfilled basic school obligation may enrol. A person aged at least 15 who has not fulfilled the basic school obligation due to exceptional circumstances that endangered their life or health (e.g. war, natural disasters) may also enrol. This education is free of charge just as for the citizens of the Republic of Slovenia.

The Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language provides free access to textbooks, workbooks and other materials for teaching Slovene as a foreign language:

Čas za slovenščino 1 in 2 – textbook and workbook for beginner-level learning of Slovene as a second and foreign language for teenagers

Križ kraž – textbook for beginner-level learning of Slovene as a second and foreign language for pre-literate children aged 5 and 6

E-/i-gradiva

Slika jezika – visual materials for teaching Slovene as a second and foreign language. The materials are currently not in stock, but have been distributed to many schools, which can make good use of them.