Scientific Collection «InterConf», (39): with the Proceedings of the 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference «Science and Practice: Implementation to Modern Society» (December 26-28, 2020) at Manchester, Great Britain

1. Adoption of inclusion and its implementation in pre-primary education 
The spread of inclusive education and its development is currently a modern 
pedagogical trend. Ensuring barrier-free access and access to education for all is 
fundamental. As the Slovak Republic is a member of the European Union, it is entitled 
to perform the obligations set out in international documents and conventions 
(Salamanca, 1994; UN Convention, 2006; Social dimension of education and training, 
2010 and others). In 1991, the idea of inclusion was declared by the UNESCO School 
for All project. In 1994, an international conference was held in Salamanca, attended 
by 92 countries and 25 international organizations. There, the basis of a philosophy 
was created, which sounds like "it is normal to be different" (Vítková 2004), which 
assumes that a man is an individual creature and its differences are not determined in 
terms of biological determinism and medical diagnosis but as a social phenomenon. 
International conferences and the subsequent creation of international conventions 

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presupposed the creation of barrier-free access to education, the acceptance of human 
rights and the rejection of any discrimination (Lipnická 2012). 
Although the idea of inclusive education sounds good, its implementation is a 
complex task that contains a number of variables. Each country of the European Union 
differs in cultural, socio-political and economic areas. This difference creates specific 
challenges for each state. The Slovak Republic has also encountered some 
complications in creating an inclusive environment in schools. 
In Slovakia, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was 
ratified on 25 June 2010 in accordance with Art. 45 par. 2. (MŠVVaŠ SR 2020). Since 
its ratification, Slovakia has been adjusted to implement all items, especially the 
provision of education for all. The implementation of inclusive education according to 
the items of the Salamanca Convention has become a challenge for Slovakia. Currently, 
for the Slovak education system and the current problem is the education of students 
with socially disadvantaged backgrounds (hereinafter CAP). The main part of 
individuals coming from the CAP consists of Roma communities. The CAP is 
considered to have a stimulating environment and therefore the child will be classified 
as a pupil with special educational needs upon entering kindergarten / primary school. 
The education system of the Slovak Republic does not provide the necessary 
number of places for the education of children with SEN in the mainstream of 
education. According to the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive 
Education (2017), the Slovak Republic is one of the countries with the largest number 
of pupils with SEN who are educated in a segregated form (in special schools, etc.) [1] 
For this reason in pre-primary education European countries - Slovakia is one of the 
countries with the weakest access to pre-primary education for all. According to 
statistical data from the European Commission, in 2017 only 78.2% of children from 
the age of 4 attended kindergartens in Slovakia, which is a below-average level 
compared to other EU countries. Currently, the goal of the European Union is to 
achieve 95.5% of the students’ integration in kindergartens by the end of 2020. 
(European Commission 2019). 

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