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An efficient education system

The elementary cycle offers a unique and compulsory training -osnova sola - from the age of 6 to 15. Thus, primary school and secondary school form one and the same cycle. There is a difference in the orientation at the gymnazija - the equivalent of our grammar school - where the secondary education continues over four years until the age of 19. The matura

is a diploma that marks the end of secondary education, like the French baccalaureate. From then on, students are divided among the country's five universities. The one with the largest student body is obviously the one in Ljubljana, with 40,000 students. It is the first university in the country, founded as early as the Napoleonic era at the time of the Illyrian epic. The second faculty in the country is the one in Maribor, founded in 1961, with some 18,000 students. The third generalist university is Primorska University, which attracts 6,500 students. They are complemented by more specific university courses in Nova Gorica (environmental sciences and agronomy) and Novo Mesto (engineering, management and computer science). There are approximately 65,000 students across the country, including a significant proportion of foreign students - 4,000 people, or 6% of the total in 2019, mainly from the Old Continent.

A society that wants to be egalitarian and progressive

In the areas of individual freedom, protection of human rights and gender equality, Slovenia is committed to its role as a good performer among the OECD countries.

Human rights are improving every year. Corruption has decreased in the country, transparency is gaining ground, although more needs to be done.

On the other hand, Slovenia is relatively tolerant and open-minded. LGBTQI people are safe here, homophobic outbursts are relatively rare. This reality is rather urban, some rural areas remain more conservative and homosexuality is less accepted. Homosexual marriage is not allowed in the country. It was the subject of a bill submitted to a referendum in 2015. The "no" vote won with nearly 60 percent of the vote. However, the Slovenian state has promoted several laws to limit employment discrimination for gays and allowed civil unions between same-sex couples in early 2017. Ljubljana is definitely gay friendly and has proudly defended its gay and lesbian film festival (LGBT Film Festival) for over thirty years. To better understand the complexity of the Slovenian view of sexual minorities, it is advisable to watch Darko Štante's excellent film Consequences

, released in 2018, which deals with the adolescent upheavals about homosexuality in contemporary Slovenia. When it comes to gender equality, Slovenia has made serious progress. There is a fairly good distribution of women and men in high-level positions of responsibility. However, in the political sphere, the current government has only four women among its 16 ministers. Although improvements are expected in the hiring rate of women, which is still lower than that of men, the gender pay gap is beginning to narrow dramatically (around 5 percent), making Slovenia one of the best performers in the European Union in this area.

A sometimes targeted intolerance that needs to be corrected

The fate of "erased" people is emblematic of this variable-geometry tolerance. The first of these are Slovene residents from other Yugoslav peoples who did not apply for Slovene citizenship within the prescribed time limit when the country gained independence. Some 20 000 people were thus removed from the list of Slovene citizens in February 1992 and are now suffering from a form of social downgrading. The situation is in the process of being resolved thanks to the court decisions taken in recent years.

The Slovenian government has also imposed a firm policy against migrants with the construction of a border barrier in 2015-2016. This policy of repression is partly explained by the increase in diplomatic tensions between Slovenia and Croatia over the last decade and has been gradually easing in recent months. However, xenophobic sentiment is not non-existent in the country, with this exacerbated fear of a disintegration of the young national identity. This resentment does not only concern migrants and asylum seekers, but also the Roma minority.

Prostitution and crime

Prostitution was decriminalized in 2003. It is relatively rare in the public square and is limited to a few peripheral addresses of strip bars orescort websites. On the subject, it is worth watching Damjan Kozole's moving film, Slovenian Girl

, released in 2011, which deals with the problem of student prostitution. The crime and delinquency rate is particularly low throughout the country. Slovenia can pride itself on being one of the safest countries in the world. It combines several superlatives in this respect: the lowest imprisonment rate in the EU, very low homicide rate, etc. The most common incivility takes place on the roads with recklessness and sporty driving leading to a higher number of fatalities than the average of OECD countries.

Marriage and birth rate: the central place of the family in Slovenia

Slovenian society, although tolerant, is nonetheless traditional in certain areas. The institution of marriage is still essential in the country. It is often the subject of two ceremonies: one civil, the other religious. An ancient tradition requires the husband to perform the sragna: sawing a log in public to attest to his protective strength. This rite of passage tends to emphasize the centrality of the family in Slovenian society. For example, multi-generational households are still common in rural areas. However, although there is less divorce than in most EU countries, the fertility rate remains low. After the severe drop in the 2000s, there has been a slow recovery that continues today to reach 1.61 children per woman in 2019. This figure, combined with the continuous increase in life expectancy over the last few decades, is pushing the Slovenian population towards a generalized aging process, the negative effects of which are to be feared. This double effect is part of the population increase that is expected to continue until 2030 before declining until 2050.

An efficient but unbalanced health system

The Slovenian health system remains relatively efficient despite its high cost and complexity. Health expenditure of Slovenian citizens is relatively moderate, in the low average of OECD countries. Attempts at structural reforms have often failed due to the division of public opinion and the lack of transparency of those in power. One of the main shortcomings of the health care system is the low rate of doctors compared to the European average, so that consultation times for specialist doctors are getting longer. General practice is less affected and is of high quality.

A relaxed relationship with work

Slovenes do not perceive their personal development only through the prism of professional activity. Indeed, although working hours are set by law at forty hours a week, they organise their days according to their personal prerogatives. The solar gap of about an hour with Western Europe encourages them to start their working day around 7.30 am and to finish it before 5 pm.