The bulk of the increase was in the age group of between three years and six, the age at which children enter proper school in Slovenia.

The figure went up by 8% so that 92% of the children in that age group are enrolled in pre-school education.

The number of children in the first age group of up to 3 years rose by 4.6% to 55.7% of the population of that age.

Among the 4- and 5-year-olds, 93.6% are enrolled in pre-school education, which is just below the European strategic goal of 95% by 2020.

A total of 10,200 education staff, among them 4,881 kindergarten teachers and 5,317 assistant kindergarten teachers provide care and education to children at kindergartens in the 2011/12 year.

Just slightly below 2% of the teaching staff are male, a majority of them assistant teachers.

A pair of kindergarten teacher and assistant teacher is in charge of an average of eight children; an average of six in the first age group and an average of nine in the second age group.

Pre-school education is provided by 922 kindergartens and their units. Most of these, 95% are public, while 42 kindergartens of 5% of all are private.