SLOVENIA - GENERAL FACTS AND A SHORT HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN TUHINJSKA VALLEY

REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA

• Capital: Ljubljana
• Official languages: Slovenian, Italian, Hungarian
• Type of State: Parliamentary republic
• Independence: June 25, 1991 from Yugoslavia
• Flag: white-blue-red, with a coat of arms 
• Accession to EU: May 1, 2004
• Area: total 20, 273 square km  
• Climate: Mediterranean, continental and alpine  
• Population: 2,004.394 
• Currency: Euro (from Jan 2007) 
• Countryside: forests cover almost 60% of Slovenia's land surface 
• National symbols: the linden, the red carnation, the kozolec (the hayrack), the Lipizzaner, the kurent, the Goldenhorn 
• Universities: the University of Ljubljana, the University of Maribor, the University of Primorska
• Links:
  http://www.slovenia.info/intro/
  http://www.burger.si/
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARNES
  http://www.sloveniatimes.com/
  http://www.slovenia-life.com/ljubljana/
  http://www.geabios.com/
  
  
   KAMNIK MUNICIPALITY
  
  
  
  — 
  Kamnik is a historical town just 23 km north of Ljubljana, the capital. It was established in the 12th century under the counts of Andechs.
  
    
  Next to Mali grad (the Little castle) there is a unique Romanesque chapel with 16th century frescoes.  
  www.kamnik.si/

  www.terme-snovik.si/

  
  

  PRIMARY SCHOOL SMARTNO V TUHINJU

  
  

  http://www.ossmartno-tuhinj.si/  

  
  
  Some general information:
  • The first school was founded in 1857
  • New school foundation: 1996 by Kamnik municipality
  • Number of pupils: 386
  • Number of teachers: 40
  • Age of pupils: 6 - 15 years
   Type of education:
  The nine-year basic education divided into three-year cycles
  The compulsory curriculum is provided by school:
  - compulsory subjects
  - electives
  - activity days (culture, science, sport and technology)
   The optional curriculum must be provided by school but pupils are free to decide whether they will participate in it or not. It includes:
  - educational assistance for children with special needs
  - remedial classes   
  - additional classes
  - after school care        
  - interest activities etc            
  

      

    
  

  The Third Austrian Law

  The development of elementary schools in Slovenia began during the Enlightenment period when the state nationalized the educational system.

  The third Austrian law on education had been accepted in 1896 then both schools became eight-year primary schools. The attendance was compulsory. The main benefit of the new school system was education in mother tongue. The state was directly in charge for school buildings and their maintenance, for textbooks, for teachers’ further education and their salary. Still, only little more than a half of pupils attended classes and they did it unwillingly.

  
  

  According to the new curricula they organized education for the following subjects: Religious Education, Reading and Writing, Calculating and Geometric Formation, Natural Science, Geography and History, Painting, Singing, Physical Education and Handiwork.

  
  

  The school year lasted 46 weeks. The number of the pupils ranged from 150 to 200. The schools were organized with a single class, later on, when the new schoolhouse was built in 1902, the school in Zg. Tuhinj was reorganized as a two-class school. In Šmartno the new school building was built in 1891 but the new two-class school was introduced 20 years later, in 1911.

  In the final two years people attended “revision classes”.

  
  

  Third Austrian law on education provided good quality of living for teachers. Their salaries were high enough so they didn’t have to search for additional work. Teaching in distant rural areas wasn’t on the list of priorities for teachers, so the authorities sent there politically inappropriate ones or the beginners. However, they were accepted properly and they left visible traces of their enlightening work. The first known teachers to have taught in Šmartno were Franc Zore, Marija Mica Malenšek and Viljem Rožič. Records for the same period in Zg. Tuhinj, give the names of teachers such as Janez Uršič, Srečko Malenšek and Štefanija Schubert.

  
  
  

  The Austrian educational system was, at that time, the most prosperous edifying system in Europe, which definitely marked the Slovenian industrial and economic progress that we have all inherited. Both schools survived the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

  
  
  SHORT HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN TUHINJSKA VALLEY

  THE TIME LINE SHOWS THE MAIN PERIODS OF OUR SCHOOL HISTORY

  
  
  
  

  1705-1759	Private creditor’s school under the supervision of Franc Mihael Paglovec;
  Before 1857	Sunday school under the supervision of priests;
  16th of Nov. 1857	The first regular school, one-class school in Mežnar's house, teacher Franc Zore was teaching for 54 years;
  1869	The third Austrian law on education – compulsory eight year primary education;
  1872	School library was established;
  1874	The school authorities issued school district decree;
  1891	The first school building;
  21st of March 1911	The school was enlarged into a two-class school, teacher Franc Zore retired;
  1911	The first women teacher taught in school;
  1912	New headmaster Viljem Rožič;
  1914	The First World War;
  1918	The end of the First World War, foundation of new country – SHS;
  1920	Branch-school in Hruševka was established, but it didn't begin to live properly;
  1929	New school law – four class elementary school, four class higher people's school, new evaluating scale – 5 (excellent) becomes the best mark;
  19th of Dec. 1933	School district became smaller, villages Loke, Pirševo, Potok, Laseno and Snovik were extracted;
  18th of Sep. 1934	The school was enlarged into a three-class school;
  1936	Headmaster Viljem Rožič retired after 24 years in Šmartno;
  1939	The school was enlarged into a four-class school;
  1941	The Second World War and German occupation school;
  13th of April 1942	Deportation of Kostanj villagers;
  8th of July 1942	Village Gradišče was incinerated, 13 men died in fire, villagers were deported in internment;
  24th of Dec. 1942	Battle on Kostanj hill, 16 partisans died;
  April 1943	The end of occupation school;
  29th of Oct. 1944	Three days attack on German military post in Šmartno, the church was destroyed;
  March 1945	Village Kostanj was destroyed;
  4th of June 1945	Slovene school was opened, preparative course for regular school;
  July 1945	Deported villagers returned home;
  1946	Seven years compulsory education was established;
  May 1948	Tito's relay race was organized for the first time;
  1950	Electricity was installed, traveling cinema every two weeks;
  29th of Nov. 1951	The first celebration of Constitution Day, next year they organized the celebration of National Day;
  1953	Eight years compulsory education was established;
  1956	Chess players from Šmartno school won the first prize in Ljubljana region and the second in Slovenia;
  July 1958	School reform, lower gymnasiums were abolished, compulsory education without facilities;
  1964	The school became Tomo Brejc's branch-school, all pupils from the 5th class were driven to Kamnik;
  1962/63	Pupils carried courier's bag for the first time;
  1963/64	Commercial enterprise Kočna became school ''donor'';
  1967	Classroom in Mežnar's house was closed down and one big classroom in school was divided;
  1971/72	New mathematics, new school calendar – free Saturdays;
  16th of Feb. 1974	New school building;
  1973/74	The first school in nature and pre-school education;
  1981/82	Branch-school in Češnjice was closed down, some of its pupils were transferred to Šmartno, pupils from distant villages were transported with school van;
  1984/85	School bus with 17 seats;
  1992&93	Descriptive evaluation in the first, second and partially third class;
  1996/97	New school building, establishing of complete primary education in Tuhinjska valley;
  2001	New classrooms were built.