SOCRATES

SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of education.

The national authorities of the participating countries have established national agencies to facilitate the co-ordinated management of the programme at national level. In the Slovak Republic the tasks of the SOCRATES National Agency have been assigned to the Slovak Academic Association for International Cooperation (SAAIC).

The objectives of the SOCRATES programme are as follows:

• to strengthen the European dimension in education at all levels and to facilitate wide transnational access to educational resources in Europe while promoting equal opportunities throughout all fields of education;
• to promote a quantitative and qualitative improvement of the knowledge of the languages of the European Union, in particular those languages which are less widely used and less widely taught;
• to promote cooperation and mobility in the field of education;
• to encourage innovation in the development of educational practices and materials and to explore matters of common policy interest in the field of education.

In pursuing these objectives, the programme will also seek to promote equality between women and men and equal opportunities for disabled persons, and will contribute actively to the fight against social exclusion, racism and xenophobia.

The SOCRATES programme comprises a range of "Actions" within the field of education:

Comenius seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of school education by encouraging transnational cooperation between schools and contributing to improved professional development of staff directly involved in the school education sector,and to promote the learning of languages and intercultural awareness.

Erasmus seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of higher education, by encouraging transnational cooperation between higher education institutions, promoting mobility for students and higher education teaching staff, and improving transparency and academic recognition of studies and qualifications throughout the Union.

Grundtvig seeks to enhance the quality, European dimension, availability and accessibility of lifelong learning through adult education in the broadest sense, to promote improved educational opportunities for those leaving school without basic qualifications, and to encourage innovation through alternative learning pathways. In addition to learning within the formal educational system, this also includes learning that takes place on an informal or autonomous basis.

Lingua, for the teaching and learning of languages, supports the other SOCRATES actions through measures designed to encourage and support linguistic diversity throughout the Union, to contribute to an improvement in the quality of language teaching and learning and to promote access to lifelong language learning opportunities appropriate to each individual’s needs.

Minerva promotes European cooperation in the field of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. It does so by promoting a better understanding among teachers, learners, decision-makers and the public at large of the implications of ODL and ICT for education; by helping to ensure that pedagogical considerations are given proper weight in the development of ICT and multimedia-based educational products and services; and by promoting access to improved methods and educational resources in this field.

Observation and innovation in education systems and policies contributes to improving the quality and transparency of education systems and furthering the process of educational innovation in Europe through the exchange of information and experience, the identification of good practice, the comparative analysis of education systems and policies, and the discussion and analysis of matters of common educational policy interest. Alongside other activities, this Action includes support for the

Eurydice and Naric networks, and the Arion study visits.

Joint Actions linking Socrates with other Community programmes, such as Leonardo da Vinci for vocational training, and the Youth programme.

Accompanying measures supporting a range of initiatives that contribute to the overall objectives of the programme, by means of awareness-raising and information activities, dissemination and training activities, and activities undertaken by associations or non-governmental bodies.

You can learn a lot about Slovak Republic from the following links:

www.government.gov.sk/english

www.sacr.sk

www.tourist-site.com/www.hotelsite.sk

www.tasr.sk

www.sita.sk