Health education and teacher education students for primary education

The paper deals with the problem of education to health which is not taught as a separate subject in the Slovak education system. Its individual topics are included in the curriculum of several different subjects at the level of primary education. In the 1st and the 2nd years of school attendance it is a part of the Essentials of civics and natural sciences and the Physical and sport education. In the 3rd and the 4th years it is included in the Natural science and the Physical and sport education. In addition, education to health is also taught within the Protection of life and health. The paper discusses the issues of education to health in relation to teacher training for primary education at the Pedagogical Faculty of Prešov University in Prešov. Furthermore, it presents the results of a questionnaire-based survey which was aimed at the mapping of views of future teachers of the role of education to health at primary schools and their ability to implement it in educational process. The survey was directed at the undergraduates attending the teacher training program designed for primary education. Our questionnaire includes five items. It was completed by 30 part-time and 31 full-time students of the teacher training program designed for primary education. The survey results, presented in the form of tables and diagrams, indicate that the respondents consider the education to health to be an integral part of education at primary schools even though 50 % of them are of the view that it should not have the status of a separate subject at primary schools.