Slovenia to End Nine‑Year Basic Schooling after Weak PISA 2025 Results

Slovenia announced a major overhaul of its school system after the PISA 2025 survey recorded the weakest student performance the country has seen in the exercise's history.

The Minister of Education, Science and Youth, Borut Rončevič, said the government will abolish nine‑year basic education and phase in an eight‑year model starting in the 2028/2029 school year. "The situation is very bad, and the trend is catastrophic," Rončevič said.

Planned changes and priorities

The proposed reform package includes tougher assessment criteria, measures to strengthen students' work ethic, a slimming down of curricula with greater emphasis on true understanding of material, and additional support programmes for high‑ability pupils.

PISA 2025 results show Slovenian pupils fell below the OECD average in mathematics and reading while remaining around the OECD mean in science. At the basic proficiency level, 65 percent of students reached the mathematics benchmark and 64 percent reached the reading benchmark, compared with a 69 percent OECD average.

Authorities and analysts point to several causes for the decline: widespread use of digital devices in and out of class, frequent disruptions of lessons and shorter attention spans. The survey data also indicate that 48 percent of pupils use artificial intelligence tools to complete assignments.

Staffing is another pressing issue: only 17.5 percent of students attend schools whose principals do not list teacher shortages as an obstacle to their work. The Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture of Slovenia says the poor results reflect years of neglect and insufficient systemic investment in the teaching workforce.

The government must now convert the announced plans into legislation and detailed timetables, and the proposals are expected to prompt intense debate among educators, unions and parents ahead of the 2028/2029 rollout.

Photo: press material from the event