CURRICULA TRANSFORMATION IN THE COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION - AN EXPERIENCE FROM SLOVAKIA

The process of complex political, economical, and social changes in th e countries of Central and Eastern Europe involves far-reaching transf ormations. To transform educational contents, form, and organization i s one of the urgent needs, having in mind the semi-total isolation tha t lasted nearly half a century. In this paper, historical background o f the ongoing transformations of the system of higher education is bri efly outlined, with emphasis on analysis of its consequences for the c urrent situation. The transformations must aim not only at overcoming certain weaknesses of the present system, but also cope with new chall enges that any curriculum in a discipline developing so swiftly as Inf ormatics is facing today. Approaches taken to transform the Informatic s curriculum in Slovakia are discussed. A role of projects for interna tional collaboration is mentioned.