The goals to be achieved by elementary education are:

- to foster literacy and the competency to understand, communicate and express oneself in the Slovene language and, in the areas defined as ethnically mixed, also in the Italian and Hungarian language, respectively;

The language of instruction in elementary schools shall be Slovene.

The language of instruction in elementary schools providing instruction in the languages of ethnic minorities shall be Italian and, in bilingual elementary schools, Slovene and Hungarian.

In elementary schools in areas populated by Slovenes and members of the Italian minority and defined as ethnically mixed areas, pupils in schools providing instruction in Slovene shall also learn Italian, and pupils in schools providing instruction in Italian shall also learn Slovene.

The protection of special rights of Italian and Hungarian ethnic minorities concerning elementary education shall be regulated by law.

In compliance with international agreements, the teaching of their respective native languages and cultures shall be organized for the children of Slovene citizens living in the Republic of Slovenia whose mother tongue is not Slovene; the teaching of Slovene may also be offered.

Elementary school education of members of the Romany community in the Republic of Slovenia shall be carried out according to this law and other regulations.

Notwithstanding the stipulations of the second, third and fifth paragraph of this Article, in ethnically mixed areas, pupils’ knowledge in:

- the Slovene or Italian and Hungarian language, respectively, and mathematics shall be assessed at the end of the first tier;

- the Slovene or Italian and Hungarian language, respectively, mathematics and foreign language shall be assessed at the end of the second tier;

- the Slovene or Italian and Hungarian language, respectively, mathematics, foreign language and two compulsory subjects shall be assessed at the end of the third tier.