History of the Department

The training of special educators changed considerably during the 19th and especially the 20th century. Initially, whoever worked with the handicapped in an institution or as a teacher in an auxiliary school had to (if he wanted to) educate himself, at his own expense and mostly by self-study. In Austria, in 1875, and in Hungary in 1877, by decrees of the Ministry of Education, the school boards were instructed to make arrangements for teacher candidates to be instructed in the education of abnormal children. Initially, in the course of their studies at teacher training institutes, students were also introduced to the subject of the education of the abnormal, admittedly briefly. Later, they took training courses, which were of a post-secondary nature, up to two years long, provided by the Budapest Medical and Pedagogical Teachers' Institute, which prepared students for the competence to teach the deaf-mute, the blind, the feeble-minded and to correct speech defects (at the beginning of the 20th century). Some Slovak special educators also studied here. In Bohemia, teachers of auxiliary schools were trained in courses organised mainly by associations. They passed professional examinations in paedopathology and remedial pedagogy. In Slovakia, however, the associations also ran various courses, e.g. the "Zemský spolok pro care for the feeble-minded in Slovakia" ran the first course for teachers of auxiliary schools in Trenčín on 10-16 October 1932. The second course was held a year later in Banská Bystrica.

Since 1886, teachers teaching handicapped children had to take the Teacher's Competence Examination based on the validity of the Teacher's Competence Examination Regulations. These included special examinations for teaching the blind, the deaf and dumb, the weak in spirit and the morally desolate. An important measure for the improvement of the quality of the work of teachers was the 1937 Teaching Regulations for the Professional Examination of Teachers' Competence in Schools (Institutes) for Deviant Youth. Until then, teachers could take specialized examinations before the examination board for municipal schools in teachers' institutes. Since 1937 this could be done in the seats of the universities and the members of the commissions were university professors. Commissions were set up in Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Uzhhorod and functioned essentially until 1958.

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 After the war, in 1946, the Faculty of Education of the Comenius University in Bratislava was incorporated into the Comenius University in Bratislava as the first post-war pedagogical faculty in Slovakia. The Faculty of Pedagogy of Charles University in Prague was established in 1945.

The Faculty of Pedagogy of the Charles University in Bratislava (as well as the Faculty in Prague) initially provided education for teachers of schools for young people requiring special care as a 2-semester post-secondary course. However, this study was opened only in the academy of secondary education. In 1949/1950. The study was conducted as a study of defectology, focusing in one group on the preparation of school teachers for mentally or socially defective young people; in the other group for physically or sensory defective young people. The study included the completion of a prescribed internship. The studies ended with a state examination with a written (clausal) and oral part in pedagogical defectology, remedial pedagogy, special defectology with didactics and methodologies of the chosen specialisations). The prerequisite for admission to the state examination was a duly completed university degree in teaching (for intact). This two-semester course was more widely followed in the Czech Republic; there was one graduate in Slovakia in 1952. Nevertheless, the year 1949/1950 marked the beginning of a period of different ways of studying university studies in special education. At that time (from 1957/58), a different kind of professional internal and four-year study was implemented at the University of Pedagogy in Prague: the study of the triple combination of pedagogy - psychology - defectology. 

In 1959 the pedagogical colleges were closed down. From 1 January 1960, the study of defectology began to be implemented as a three-year post-secondary course at the pedagogical institutes; only teachers with competence for a school level and two years' experience were admitted to the course. In the 3rd year of studies, they were differentiated according to specializations. This was later changed into different variants of study according to the applicants' previous education (three-, four- or five-year studies), which still had the character of a superstructure. In 1963, the curricula of undergraduate studies changed terminology - instead of defectological or paedagogical terms, the descriptive "special pedagogy of youngsters with defective intellectual development" was introduced. This system was maintained until 1967.

An important milestone in the training of special educators was the establishment of the Institute for Special and Therapeutic Pedagogy at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Bratislava on 1 October 1967. The Institute included the Department of Special and Therapeutic Pedagogy, the Department of Patopsychology and Social Pathology, the Department of Biology and Somatopathology. The head of the Institute in 1969 - 1972 was doc. Predmerský, CSc.

The study of special and therapeutic pedagogy in Bratislava from academ. 1967/68 was implemented as a 5-year full-time study in the following specialisations: somatopedics, typhlopedics, surdopedics, speech therapy, psychopedics, therapeutic pedagogy (for the difficult to train, it had a teaching and therapeutic-educational direction). The first two years of studies were common, in the 3rd year students chose their specialisation. The studies were specialized and combined both educational and teaching orientations, with the exception of therapeutic pedagogy. (In Bohemia, therapeutic pedagogy did not exist; the severely educable were dealt with within the framework of the Ethnopedia). Graduates of special pedagogy were to be employable in the departments of education, social welfare, health, justice, interior and culture. The studies ended with a thesis defence and a state final examination in the chosen specialisation. The graduate could then obtain a doctorate (PhDr., PaedDr.) after completing his studies in the rigorous procedure. The Institute was closed in 1972 and its tasks were taken over by the re-established Faculty of Education of the Charles University in Bratislava, based in Trnava (until 1986), then again in Bratislava. The dissolution of the Institute and the relocation of the faculty were connected with organisational changes that affected the departments. The Department of Special and Therapeutic Pedagogy was established as one of the 3 departments in the Institute. In 1970, the Institute was divided and a separate Department of Special Education and a Department of Therapeutic Pedagogy were created (1970-1981). Later the two departments were merged again (1981 - 1986). From 1986 onwards, there was again a separate Department of Special Education and a Department of Special Education was established. The first head of the department was Assoc. PREDMERSKÝ, CSc. (1967 - 1972), the second prof. Juraj BRŤKA, CSc. (1972 - 1979), the third prof. Štefan VAŠEK, CSc. (since 1979 with short breaks until 2005). For interest the Department of Special Education had 20 employees in 1989. Among the personalities who helped the development of Slovak pedagogy of the mentally disabled in the second half of the 20th century, apart from the above-mentioned GAŇA or PREDMERSKÝ, we can name prof. J.BRŤKA, CSc, prof. Š.VAŠEK, CSc, doc. I. BA]A, CSc, Dr. I. JAKABČICA, CSc, prof. I.DROBNÉ, DrSc. (and other staff of the Department of Special Education) - worked or work at the Faculty of Education of the Charles University in Bratislava. Dr. G. REHUŠA, Dr. M. GAŽIHO, CSc, Dr. I. UČŇA, MUDr. L. KVASNIČKA, Dr. O. MATUŠKA, Dr. A. PAJDLHAUSER, CSc, Mgr. J. HUČÍK and many others.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, in addition to full-time study, special education was also offered alongside employment (as a 3- or 2-year extension course in various variations - quite a number of psychopedagogues were trained as part of this).

In akad. In the academic year 1977/78, the study of special pedagogy at the pedagogical faculties in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was changed - the study was implemented as a 4-year integrated study of teaching and education for schools and institutions for young people requiring special care. Within this study it was possible to study psychopediatry as a specialisation.

A further change took place in the academic year. In 1980/81, under the influence of the new Higher Education Act No 39/1980 and the subsequent decree, the conditions, course and conclusion of university studies were clarified and standardised. Higher education for special educators began to be offered in two fields of study - Teaching for Young People in Need of Special Care (UMVOS) and Education for Persons in Need of Special Care (VOVOS). This study was designed as a 4-year full-time or 5-year distance learning course, with a 'triple combination': two compulsory specialisations (speech therapy, psychotherapy) and one optional specialisation (somatopedics, typhlopedics, surdopedics, etopedics). This study concept was the same at the Faculty of Education of the University of Bratislava, the Faculty of Education of the University of Prague and the Faculty of Education of the University of Olomouc. A graduate of UMVOS was qualified to teach in grades 1-8 in special and auxiliary schools, in grades 1-4 in primary schools for the differently abled (according to the chosen third specialisation), in specialised classes in primary schools, to carry out professional speech therapy and educational counselling.

In the 1980s, the Faculty of Education of the Charles University in Bratislava continued to provide further education for special educators in the form of other forms of special education (SE) studies, where psychopedagogical issues were also represented to a considerable extent:

Extension studies for teachers of general education or vocational subjects with a university degree (three years of study in addition to employment),

extension studies for workshop teachers and vocational education masters (2-years in addition to employment),

Extension studies for kindergarten teachers (2-years in addition to employment),

Extension studies of the SP for graduates of secondary pedagogical schools with competence for primary school level 1 (2-years in addition to employment).

A further change in the university training of special educators took place in 1990. The changes were a consequence of the widespread social changes in the period following the 'Velvet Revolution' in November 1989. On 4 May 1990, a new law on universities was adopted, which changed the position of universities in relation to the Ministry of Education - universities became self-governing (i.e. no longer centrally managed by the Ministry of Education).

A change in the concept of higher education studies in special education would probably have occurred anyway, since in 1986-1990 extensive departmental research was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and meaningfulness of the concept of studies in special education in the fields of MVOS teaching and education for OVOS. It turned out that the division of the study into teacher and educator courses was not a happy solution.

From the academy of education. 1990/91, the Bratislava Faculty of Pedagogy of Charles University started studying special pedagogy according to the new concept, both as a 5-year full-time and part-time study in the field of pedagogy of the mentally handicapped (single-subject), and full-time study in the fields of pedagogy of the physically handicapped and handicapped (combined most often with teaching for the first year of schooling). primary school), pedagogy of the visually impaired (combined), pedagogy of the hearing impaired (combined), speech therapy (clinical speech therapy), pedagogy of the emotionally and socially disturbed (educational direction), and as an (old) novelty after a few years, therapeutic pedagogy was added. Pedagogy of the mentally handicapped as a single-discipline study that was not combined with anything was designed to prepare graduates for educational, teaching and diagnostic-counselling competences in relation to the mentally handicapped at the same time. The graduates could be employed as teachers in grades 1-9 in primary schools, grades 5-10 in secondary schools, as educators in school clubs or boarding schools for the mentally handicapped, in residential institutions in the Department of Labour and Social Affairs as well as in counselling institutions. Of course, the study of MVOS and OVOS was still catching up until 1994.

Later (1995) these fields were merged under one field of study, namely the field of study Teaching for Special Schools with the following specialisations: pedagogy of the mentally handicapped (PMP, single field), pedagogy of the physically and physically handicapped (PTZP, combined), pedagogy of the visually handicapped (combined), pedagogy of the hearing handicapped (combined). At the same time, the special education - non-teacher studies programme was created (prepared with a focus on diagnosis and counselling). In 1992/93 to 1998/99, more or less as an experiment, 2 x studies were opened in the combination PMP - PTZP.

This concept underwent one more modification - in 1995/96 the so-called course-based system of study was introduced, which was followed in 1996/97 by the so-called credit-based system of study. However, this did not change the basic concept of study.

In addition to full-time and external studies, it was also possible to study the pedagogy of the mentally handicapped within the framework of further education of pedagogical staff (according to Decree No. 42/1996 Coll.) in the form of a 2-year extension study for teachers and as part of the extension study of special education for educators, kindergarten teachers and for masters of vocational education.

Currently, according to the Act of the National Assembly of the Slovak Republic No. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education, as amended, the training of special educators is provided in the so-called three-stage study - the bachelor's degree, the master's degree and the doctoral degree, which may be full-time full-time or external distance learning. Thus, currently offered in the Bc. degree, the combination of pedagogy of the mentally disabled and pedagogy of the hearing impaired, pedagogy of the mentally disabled and special pedagogy - counselling, pedagogy of the hearing impaired and special pedagogy - counselling. At the Master's level, there is a study programme in Special Education and a PhD programme in Special Education. However, we believe that in the near future we will open other specializations of Special Education in B.Sc. and Mgr. degree.

From the beginnings of teacher education in the field of special pedagogy through courses to university specialized training, the study has always included, in varying proportions, related disciplines in the role of auxiliary sciences, then general didactics and methodologies and, of course, professional practice. The latter were most strongly represented in the lower years of study. In the higher years, special education disciplines were then represented, ranging from general foundations through the history of SP, general theory of education or teaching of the disabled to didactics and methodologies in the given specialisation. The special educator upon graduation was expected to have a fairly broad orientation not only in the field but also in related disciplines. This is still the case today.

As can be seen from the outline of the history of the training of special educators, special pedagogy in this country, as in the rest of the world, was built up and developed in both practical and theoretical terms in order to eventually establish itself at the university level in some form of study and to gain a firm place in the system of sciences.

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Special pedagogy, as a relatively large and comprehensive scientific field, has recently undergone significant qualitative and quantitative changes, especially in the 1990's with changes in the paradigm of special pedagogy, expanding its scope to include phenomena and processes that it had not previously dealt with. In this context, we note attempts in special pedagogy to incorporate new trends, paradigmatic changes into a conceptual, systemic form with a transfer to the definitional and terminological field and in general to the theory and practice of special pedagogy, as well as the transfer of reflection of paradigmatic, conceptual, content and structural shifts and changes in the sciences of man and education into the proposal of the system of basic knowledge of special pedagogy, the author of which is prof. Vasek, CSc. (published in 1996 and 2003).

The period from 1990 to the present is marked by a significant shift in scientific knowledge and understanding of the sciences of man and education, not excluding special pedagogy. The following shifts and processes can be identified: innovation and reassessment of the "traditional" knowledge of the sciences in their conceptual, procedural or meta-scientific level, promotion of new philosophical views of man (anthropological philosophy, phenomenology, humanistic philosophy, holistic and hermeneutic approaches) and their translation into axiology, understanding of education (upbringing, education, teaching) as one of the basic social functions serving for socialisation, enculturation, self-realisation and achievement of a desirable level of quality of life for the subject, the plurality of opinions and interpretations in the period 20 years ago hardly imaginable and, at the same time, the impact of eclecticism in the sciences of education, the change of the paradigm of special pedagogy.

It is natural that these changes and shifts are reflected, accentuated and also induced in the theory and practice of special pedagogy, in the thematization, concepts and procedures of the investigation of special pedagogical phenomena and processes and their interpretation. In the future, the Department of Special Pedagogy is likely to focus, among other things, more strongly on attempts to research and theoretically and practically elaborate or reflect on current trends and new possibilities and methods of special-pedagogical interventions, educational and complex rehabilitation for disadvantaged persons from early childhood and preschool age to the elderly. With regard to the preparation of students, the existing range of curricula and other educational activities and opportunities is very likely to be expanded, and in addition to regular bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies, there is likely to be an increasing emphasis on lifelong and postgraduate training for special educators.