The Popular initiative “Not like this” (Takto Nie!) was launched in Slovakia at the end of 2025. The initiative opposes a proposed government amendment to the school law. According to the initiative’s initiators, several thousand people have already signed a “petition for the protection of the rights of parents and children, for equality, freedom of choice, and democratic principles in the school system.” The Protestant Church and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference have also expressed concern.
Among other things, the amendment, prepared by the Ministry of Education, aims to introduce school districts. In the future, full state support will be granted only to schools that do not charge parents tuition fees and are willing to accept all students from their school district. The government claims this aims to address segregation and strengthen inclusion for socially disadvantaged students. For private Catholic and Protestant schools, this would mean they could receive 20% less per student from the state if they charged tuition and accepted only selected students.
In July 2025, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Slovakia expressed concern that the new school law would discriminate against private religious schools. Private schools in Slovakia do not receive funding through the tax share of the municipalities in which they operate. Consequently, tuition fees are expected to increase dramatically, which would jeopardize the existence of private religious schools. In a meeting with Education Minister Tomas Drucker , Protestant bishops expressed their concerns and simultaneously declared the Protestant schools’ willingness to include socially disadvantaged students.
The Slovak Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued two public statements on the bill in August , expressing hope that religious schools would not be disadvantaged compared to public schools. In mid-August, the bishops announced proposed amendments to the bill, developed in collaboration with experts.