Abstract:

Moral education has a triple explanation in the key transformation documents of the Slovak state educational program. On one hand, moral education should be implemented in a cross-curricular way, on another hand as a cross-cutting topic of social and personality development, and on the last hand, in an individual subject of ethical education being an optional alternation to religious education. In this way, moral education has been implemented in the Slovak state educational curriculum since its beginning, lasting for almost thirty years now. Currently, however, another educational transformation has been taking place, which seems to be the largest one of all so far (1997, 2008, 2015), covering also the pupils´ moral education curriculum.
The author of this theoretical, critical study focuses on articulating the main differences and shifts in the context of comparing the current and currently emerging new concept of moral education. The theoretical research based on a content analysis of key educational documents analyzes the target and content structure of individual curricular periods and looks for differences also in the context of theoretical outcomes.
In the results, the author presents that social science literacy, which implicitly also includes moral education, and which is developed in the educational area of Man and society, prepares students to express themselves as independent, free and responsible individuals, fighting for their rights and fulfilling their obligations. It leads pupils to be sensitive to themselves and to others and to the country, builds their positive relationship to a democratic society and to the need for sustainability of life on Earth. It strengthens their active attitude towards solving current challenges and problems. It develops awareness of one's own identity in a globalized world. It leads to understanding the geographical, historical, cultural, religious, economic and political specificities of the human community in different parts of the world aiming at respect and consideration for others, their culture and also spiritual values. While the theoretical outcomes are still reflecting to a Slovak educator, L. Lencz and a Spanish psychologist, R.R. Olivar´s thoughts, there are seen new shifts in various areas. The value education is integrated into a broader educational area “A Man and Society for all Learners”, the moral education main aim is not only strictly related to a personality prosocial education, it is broadly related to moral values, responsibility principles, caring attitude, charity, solidarity, cooperation, human uniqueness, self-regulation and democratic values as such. A new curriculum is not oriented at individual subjects, though at educational areas, and is split into three educational cycles in contrast to past two levels. The new curriculum emphasizes strongly problem-solving methods and strategies (instead of information overload), emphasizes critical thinking development, and even more strongly emphasized current global challenges and society problems.
The study is a part of a wider research entitled the Use of the Philosophy for Children program for the development of pupils' moral consciousness.

Keywords:

Moral education, Slovak Republic, ethics in the school curriculum.