In the period 19 – 20 April 2023, a study visit to Slovakia was successfully carried out within the current cycle of EPALE project. Members of National Support Services (NSS) EPALE from ten European countries participated in the two-day study visit. On behalf of Bosnian and Herzegovinian delegation, representatives of the Agency and members of the NSS EPALE team B&H: Mr. Siniša Gatarić, Ms.Daria Mršić and Mr. Slavko Karan, participated in the joint study visit.
On the first day of the study visit that took place in the city of Bratislava on April 19, 2023, on behalf of the State Institute for Vocational Education and NSS EPALE Slovakia, the deputy director of the Institute Ms. Lubica Galova and the national coordinator of EPALE Slovakia Ms. Monika Drinkova welcomed the participants as the hosts of the event. During the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to hear about examples of good practice from 10 European countries. NSS EPALE colleagues from: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina exchanged examples of good practices of their work.
On the second day, April 20, 2023, the delegations visited the city of Trnava, which has been an official member of the Global Network of Learning Cities UNESCO since 2022. The civic association Lifestarter from Trnava, in cooperation with the City of Trnava, prepared a full-day program for the second day of the study visit. The introductory session was held in the premises of the Lifestarter center, where the participants learned more about the main activities and plans of the first Learning city in Slovakia from the Lifestarter team members. Then, the participants headed to the premises of the Town Hall Trnava, where they were welcomed by the Vice-mayor, Ms. Eva Nemčovska who is responsible for activities in the city’s sector for education. During the meeting, the Vice-mayor pointed out that “The potential of Trnava as the Learning City lies mainly in connecting educational organisations and creating a system that facilitates the cooperation of all actors in the field of education and training in the city.”
The study visit continued with a tour of the most important public library in the Trnava region, the famous Juraj Fandli library. This visit was followed by a visit to the University of Trnava, the oldest university in Slovakia. Representatives of the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Trnava presented programs for adults and seniors that are implemented in this university. The final visit was dedicated to the Courtyard student campus, where the participants were introduced to the scholarship program for university students residing on this campus.
The fact that the EPALE network provides an opportunity for new experiences and partnerships in the adult education community in Europe is something that all participants experienced once again during the two-day study visit to Slovak cities, Bratislava and Trnava.