On the Tasks of Educational Authorities in Slovenia and Europe

Abstract

There are no great differences among exsocialist countries concerning the type of tasks the general and professional public requires the authorities and the government to carry out. These are mostly financing and normalising the educational organisation and setting up priority programmes. These tasks attributed to the governmental bodies demonstrate that the Jatter have retained their governing position by means of their authoritarian attitude towards professionals and experts. On the other hand, the results of factorial analysis show that authorities in Western countries are much more involved in democratic relationships with people and expert groups. In Western European countries among basic tasks of the authorities are ranging : coordination of programmes, needs analysis, developing new educational programmes, abolishing overlapping of educational programmes and raising the level of efficiency in education. As predicted, decisions in Estonia, Tchequia and Slovenia are imposed on professionals and practitioners in adult education. The majority of decisions are thus taken by the authorities. More developed European countries, however, more easily enter a dialogue with educational authorities and the distribution of tasks among professionals and politicians is more equal.