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EACEA National Policies Platform
Slovakia

Slovakia

6. Education and Training

6.8 Media literacy and safe use of new media

Last update: 28 November 2023
On this page
  1. National strategy
  2. Promoting media literacy and online safety through non formal and informal learning
  3. Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media
On this page
  1. National strategy
  2. Media literacy and online safety through formal education
  3. Promoting media literacy and online safety through non-formal and informal learning
  4. Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

National strategy

Conception of Media Literacy Eucation in the Context of Lifelong Learning (Koncepcia mediálnej výchovy v kontexte celoživotného vzdelávania) 

  • approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic in 2009 without time restriction.

The goals of Conception of Media Literacy Education:

  • increasing the media literacy of all age groups of the population,
  • updating media literacy competences, responsible and critical access to media,
  • efficient use of media and new communication technologies,
  • teach individuals "learning to learn" to use the media and new means of communication in favour of their personal and professional growth,
  • protecting children and adolescents from the threats posed by media and new communication technologies in the content offer or the way of communication,
  • the protection of specific groups (specific groups of adult population, seniors) from content and services that might pose a threat and those who can´t evaluate the threat due the inadequacy of media literacy,
  • to prevent forms of generational "communication and information lag" (parents, teachers, specific population groups, seniors, etc.),
  • to prevent any form of official exclusion due to a lack of media literacy.

Target groups:  children, pupils and adults.

Competencies within the state administration in the field of media literacy education are reallocated between the resorts of culture and education.

Important subjects of media eliteracy education and their competencies:

  • Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic - control of fulfilment of tasks and effectiveness of media literacy education,
  • International Centre for Media Literacy (Centrum mediálnej gramotnosti) established by the Faculty of Mass Media Communication of University of Cyril and Methodius in Trnava
  • Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic - media literacy education in the field of formal education, accreditation of programs, education of pedagogues and others.
  • colleges, universities - teacher education, conceptual activities, research,
  • regulatory authorities - evaluation of the development and regulation systems in the media field with a focus on the protection of minors from specific media content,
  • Slovak Audiovisual Fund - supporting activities,
  • public media - production of programs, media education projects and others,
  • church, civic associations, independent experts - project creation and implementation, education, research and others,
  • wide public, target groups, parents - participatory activities such as declaring needs, suggestions, reporting illegal content and services and others,.

The media education assessment in practice is realized by the Interntional Centre for Media Literacy, for example Media and Information Literacy Policies in Slovakia. 

Media literacy and online safety through formal education

Media literacy education

  • is an integrated theme within the State Educational Program for Primary and Secondary Schools, including vocational education,
  • can be taught in various learning areas such as language and communication, art and culture, mathematics and work with information, man and values, man and society,
  • according to the decision and the possibilities of the school, media literacy education can also be a separate subject, course or other school activity (e.g. short-term school campaign).

Topics of integrated media literacy education in ISCED 1 (examples)

  • computer and Internet – understanding of risks, etc.,
  • the reliability of advertising, etc.

Topics of integrated media literacy education in ISCED 2 (examples)

  • media reality and its effects on the personality
  • Boulevard (yellow press) and serious media
  • Manipulation in media, etc.

Topics of integrated media literacy education in ISCED 3 (examples) 

  • critical and active use of media and their products
  • specifics of current media
  • media impact on the life of the individual and society, public opinion, media and their relations to politics (linking media content with politics)
  • the use of new media, the danger of abuse and effective protection, and others.

Goals of media literacy education ISCED 3 for vocational training schools are visible in the defined key competences of the graduate such as the ability to interactively use the knowledge, information and communication technologies, communicate in the state and mother tongue.

Vocational education graduate should know:

  • to identify, search, sort and process various information and information resources,
  • to assess the credibility of various information sources,
  • to critically evaluate the information obtained,
  • to formulate, observe, sort and measure hypotheses,
  • to verify and interpret the data obtained, etc.

Training of teachers in media literacy education:

  • Institution for Teachers´ Education and Training e.g. 

  • Faculty of Mass Media Communication of University of Cyril and Methodius in Trnava 

Promoting media literacy and online safety through non formal and informal learning

  • Programmes for Youth of Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport (MESRS)
  • Public and opinion-forming media
  • Activities of NGOs, non-profit organizations, foundations and others​​

Public and opinion-forming media

Radio and television of Slovakia (RTVS) 2010:

Media spies (Mediálni špióni) - 40 parts cycle focused on media literacy education for young people with their direct participation.

Activities of NGOs, non-profit organizations, foundations and others

NGO ŽABKY

Salesian Media School

  • accredited educational program.

Portal detinanete.sk (Children on Internet)

  • Orange Slovakia
  • a project focusing on children's safety when using the Internet
  • various educational and advisory materials for children and adolescents, parents and teachers.

Portal Family and media

  • Catholic University in Ružomberok.
  • The issue of parental media education.

Raising awareness about the risks posed by new media

eSlovensko (http://www.eslovensko.sk/start_en.htm)

  • the leading non-profit organization in Slovakia with the aim to raise awareness of the risks of new media,
  • in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic,
  • awareness raising, counselling and educational activities,
  • target groups: children and youth, parents and educators,
  • products: websites, publications, flyers, campaigns, and more,
  • seminars and workshops at elementary and secondary schools,
  • free phone line for cyberbullying, reporting illegal and dangerous content on the Internet,
  • Children in the Net - A Guide for parents, teachers and youth workers about the main threats of children and young people in virtual space and how to protect them.
  • SHEEPLIVE series of animated fairy tales at spreading the awareness about risks of the internet, mobile phones and new technologies.

Thematic websites:

Survey on Youth and the Media, Youth Council of Slovakia, 2019. The survey took place in October 2018, involving young people aged 15 to 24. The results of the survey point to the need of guiding young people to validate information from a variety of sources and to be able to identify unverified and misleading information. 

Just think about it. Findings of the Media Literacy Index 2019. Open Society Foundation, Sofia. 2019. The index assesses the resilience potential of 35 countries in Europe to false information and conspiracy theories. Compared to 2017 and 2018, the score of the Slovak Republic is deteriorating (decreased by 4 points compared to 2018). It is therefore necessary to develop the ability of pupils to assess the credibility and quality of information at school age.