Abstract:

When presenting decentralization in the sphere of public education, we used a comparative framework that has allowed a three-dimensional analysis: the spheres of decision or regulation, its concerned field or function and its mode. When analysing the level, we thought of national, higher-regional or regional, territorial or county, small regional or district and municipal or local levels. When differentiating the areas of decision-making or the concerned system functions, we distinguished 6 fields: the content of education, education infrastructure, ensuring quality and development, professional monitoring of teachers and educational work, recruitment and student proceeding, financing and economizing. When determining the mode of decision making, we distinguished three modes: decision right or responsibility, regulatory right or liability and consultation right or obligation. We have followed the line, which allowed presenting the modes of legal practice on each level and the involvement of partners in the framework of certain system functions. The areas of decision-making were the following: the content of education, education infrastructure, ensuring quality and development, professional monitoring of teachers and educational work, recruitment and student proceeding, financing and economizing. We have also observed the levels of decision-making or regulation within each area. At the determination of the levels we wanted to emphasize that decentralization is combined with the features of centralization, the two tendencies cannot be separated from each other completely. Thus, in addition to the central level of public education management, we also paid attention to regional and local government administrative responsibilities, the administrative responsibilities of the local government level, and sectorial branch management tasks on an institutional level.

Keywords:

School system, Slovakia, Hungary, decentralization, comparative framework, three-dimensional analysis.