Among the children returning to school, around 19,200, which is 1,000 more than last year, will head to school for the first time.

The number of children in primary schools has seen a steady decline, as the figure has dropped from 176,000 ten years ago and from 217,000 20 years ago.

Changes this year include a change in the approach to ability grouping, with more flexibility allowed and schools given more autonomy in organising smaller groups.

What is more, changes also include a return to the divided winter holiday scheme, where roughly half of schools, separated according to regions, will have a week off in the third week of February and half in the last week.

Another change concerns children from other countries who are struggling with Slovenian. They will be allowed to remain without a final grade in problematic subjects and still pass to the next grade, but only once.

A cause of discontent on the other hand is the scrapping of the general subsidy for meals in secondary schools. Only children from underprivileged families will be entitled to the subsidy this year.