Back to school: The shortage of human resources remains a challenge. "The principals were right to open the schools".

As September’s first school bell rings, educators and parents will once again hear concerns about teacher shortages, overburdened staff, and the increasing difficulty of organizing quality education. Yet amid these familiar challenges, one statistic stands out, perhaps even more than the usual complaints about resources. In the 2025/26 academic year, nearly 21,163 students among Slovenia’s 192,915 primary school pupils have been identified as having special educational needs, representing approximately 11 percent of all primary schoolchildren, or roughly one in nine students. Most of these children are included in regular programs, making them around 9 percent of the student population within standard curricula. This number alone does not necessarily indicate a flaw in the system. Children with autism, dyslexia, physical disabilities, serious learning difficulties, or other actual conditions deserve quality education. This is a sign of societal progress. However, when a category accounts for nearly one-tenth of the school population, it raises uncomfortable questions. Are we still identifying real special needs, or have we begun assigning decisions based on perceived challenges that schools once addressed without formal documentation? Comparing this figure to past decades reveals a striking trend. In the 1990/91 academic year, only 3.1 percent of students had such special needs, while by 1999/2000, that number had dropped slightly to 2.6 percent. With the introduction of the Law on the Direction of Children with Special Needs in 2000, Slovenia began significantly expanding inclusion efforts. Thus, comparing these early figures directly to today's data would be misleading, as they reflect different contexts and understandings of disability. Yet a more meaningful comparison lies within recent years. In the 2004/05 academic year, approximately 3,135 students were enrolled under special provisions in regular primary schools, accounting for 1.8 percent of the student body. By 2009/10, that share had risen to around 4.5 percent. Today, the percentage has climbed to nearly 9 percent. This growth cannot be dismissed with a simple explanation or a quick reassessment of our understanding of special needs. The increase likely reflects improved identification of challenges that were previously overlooked. But it also prompts critical reflection. Have we set the threshold for special consideration too low? Similar to how medical absences are handled, if someone is genuinely ill, they should not be denied care simply because their condition isn’t severe enough to warrant hospitalization. Likewise, there is no justification for denying a child access to appropriate support just because their needs aren’t extreme. At the same time, the system clearly requires oversight, and the right to additional support must not be stretched beyond its intended scope. A paradox emerges in Slovenia’s current situation. While fewer children are entering primary school due to declining birth rates, schools continue to struggle with teacher shortages, particularly in subjects like mathematics, physics, technical fields, Slovenian language, and English. Fewer students should theoretically mean less demand for teachers, yet the reality is far more complex. A typical classroom might include a student who needs extended time, another who requires alternative instruction methods, one who needs frequent redirection, another who demands individualized explanations, and one with behavioral issues, all legitimate needs that can’t be met by a single teacher in a 45-minute class. This scenario illustrates a broader challenge. The number of students with special needs continues to rise, yet the capacity of the education system to meet these needs remains constrained. As the proportion of students requiring tailored support grows, so too does the pressure on educators to adapt. The question is not whether these students deserve attention, it is whether the system can sustainably provide the necessary resources and flexibility to ensure quality education for all.