Since 2023, primary education in the Slovak Republic has undergone significant changes in terms of goals, content, as well as teaching methods, forms, and assessment of student learning outcomes. The aim of these changes in primary education is to develop the comprehensive personality of the student through a curriculum that is not only consistent and progressive but also common, inclusive, and adaptable, providing holistic development for each student. In the context of these described changes, it was necessary to reassess the role of Slovak language teaching. The new content of Slovak as a foreign language therefore places greater emphasis on the goal of language education, which the authors see primarily in removing language barriers in education and self-development of the student. The main purpose of teaching the first (native) language and Slovak (state) language as a second language is to create opportunities for each student to explore and experience the world through language and to functionally use communication skills in various environments and situations. In this paper, we focus on describing the basis of the changes in teaching Slovak as a foreign language, the specific implementation of the intention in the state educational programme, and the vision of changes in the educational process itself. We describe the changes in goals, content, as well as strategies for teaching Slovak as a second language in the context of the comprehensive reform of primary education in the Slovak Republic.

Acknowledgement:
The paper is the result of research carried out within the project Creation of Textbook and Methodological Material for Teaching Slovak Language for Children of Slovaks Living Abroad' (KEGA 008UMB-4/2024).

Keywords: Primary education, Slovak as a second language, primary curriculum.