An analysis of the state of affairs in preschool education from the aspect of ensuring equity and equal opportunities in the education system of the Republic of Slovenia

Mojca Kovač Šebart and  Andreja Hočevar and Damijan Štefanc

Summary:  In various EU documents, preschool education is emphasised as the most strongly contributing to equity along the entire educational continuum, particularly for disadvantaged children. It has an important role in reducing early school leaving and promoting social inclusion. It can also help reduce social, economic and other differences among children. In a time of undoubted increases in social inequality among the citizens and residents of the Republic of Slovenia, the authors have examined data, analysed systemic solutions in preschool education and thus provided insight into the state of the affairs from the aspect of ensuring equity and equal opportunities for children who do or do not participate in preschool education. Using the data and their analyses, the authors show that existing solutions do not ensure that all children have equal opportunities to participate in institutional preschool education, which is key to their further development and also has an important influence on the school performance of children from less-stimulating environments. They conclude that the responsible ministry should pursue a more active policy in the area, starting at the level of systemic measures and solutions.