Schools are preparing for the era of artificial intelligence: starting in the 2026/27 school year, AI is to enter teaching safely, ethically, and meaningfully. The aim is to bridge the yawning gap between students, who already use AI on a mass scale, and teachers, who are lagging behind. Coordination among the state, schools, parents, and technology partners will be key.
What will change in curricula and in teachers' practice
The plan includes an adjustment of the curricula in primary and secondary schools along two lines: developing digital competencies and strengthening computer science education. In practice, this means working with data, the basics of prompting for generative AI, and integrating topics across subjects, from mathematics to civics. The ministry is preparing methodological materials, a portal for teachers, and new textbooks so schools can get ready for the 2026/27 launch. It also includes extensive upskilling of teachers, since around 80 % of students use AI today, but only roughly a quarter of teachers.
AI is meant to help teachers individualize instruction, automate routines, and reduce bureaucracy. Alongside equipping schools with hardware and licenses, talks are underway with major technology partners about safe EDU solutions. Slovakia hosted the international Bratislava AI Forum with the OECD, UNESCO, and EU representatives, where an important message was heard: do not wait for perfection; instead continuously monitor and adjust what works. The pace, diligent implementation, and support in the field will determine whether we join the leaders.
Safety, ethics, and students' healthy habits
Safe use of AI concerns both technology and content: closed EDU environments and data storage in the EU, ideally locally, are preferred. Ethical dilemmas (for example, decision-making by autonomous systems) should be addressed in age-appropriate ways so students learn responsible reasoning. The aim is to protect and develop key skills – problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking – while also nurturing healthy interpersonal relationships at a time when technologies are replacing part of social contacts. With younger children, active guidance is important so that virtual relationships do not replace human ones.
As of January, a ban on mobile phone use in primary schools up to age 15 (with exceptions) is in place to reduce distraction and increase focus; its results will be evaluated with the OECD. Data from other countries suggest that this step does not harm digital skills, since schools use other suitable tools. Equally important is informing parents, who often have no idea what children experience in the digital space. Preventing cyberbullying and strengthening emotional maturity are therefore integral to safety.
Concerns, collaboration, and equal opportunities
The most common concerns among teachers and parents are "kids will cheat" and "kids will become dull." The answer is not prohibition, but thoughtful didactics: AI should be a guide for thinking, not a producer of ready-made answers. Educators can lead students toward argumentation, reflection, and comparing outputs under different prompts, while gaining an overview of the class’s progress thanks to data. Such an approach requires time, technical infrastructure, and clear rules, but it delivers genuine individualization and "evidence-based" teaching.
A major risk is the deepening of regional disparities, so emphasis is placed on equipping schools, changes to school catchment areas, and quality pre-primary education, which narrows the "starting gap." Cooperation with the private sector also helps: for example, long-term programs for teacher–student–parent teams, prevention of cyberbullying, or making AI tools accessible to the general public. Surveys show that roughly a quarter of people trust AI and a quarter fear it – good communication and support in practice are therefore decisive. Finally, the labor market will demand transferable skills, from the ability to learn through collaboration to new professions such as an "AI ethicist."
