YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

82 Despite the global changes associated with the process of “corporatiza- tion of education”, the closure of schools in the wake of the Covid 19 pan- demic has refocused the attention of the public, as well as of policymak- ers and politicians, on the fundamental socialising role of the public school and the educational process in general. In addition to ensuring equal opportunity for individuals and the acqui- sition of knowledge and skills, public schools remain a key institution for young people’s secondary socialisation in amodern plural society. This is confirmed by the reaction of young people and their parents, as well as educational staff and school management, to the closure of schools in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 2.2  FORMAL EDUCATION 2.2.1  HIGHER EDUCATION One of the expressions of increasing educational opportunities is also the accessibility of higher education. As shown in Figure 3.1, the partici- pation rate of young Slovenians aged 20-24 in tertiary education is ex- tremely high and among the highest in the EU. At 45.1%, Slovenia is al- most 13percentage points above the average of the 28European countries included in the Eurostat analyses.