Drucker: HSR Council Embraces School Bills Without Major Disputes (2)

Bratislava, 18 August (TASR) – No major disputes arose over any of the education legislation discussed during Monday's session of the Slovak Economic and Social Council (HSR), Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) announced at a press conference in the day. According to Drucker, all disagreements were resolved in cooperation with social partners, and many were withdrawn. The proposals have now advanced to the next legislative phase. "A law is not a cure-all, and many things will still need to be implemented. Many of the proposals will not take effect as of 1 January, but in the following years," said the minister, stressing that the transformation of the education system is a long-term process. Drucker described the planned changes to education legislation as a significant step forward. One of the most welcome reforms, according to the minister, is the modification of school catchment areas. He also noted that a proposal to reform school funding passed through the HSR without major objections. "I will support innovation, including the specific approaches that may arise in private education, but not everything can be funded from public sources," stated Drucker. He highlighted that reforms in secondary education are also a priority. "We can all sense that we are falling slightly behind. The labour market is changing. We need to be much more flexible and invest in vocational education and collaboration with employers. New secondary industrial schools and centres of excellence will be created, which, alongside secondary schools, will introduce innovative approaches and specific links to higher education. The same applies to cooperation with employers," he explained. The proposed legislation also addresses current safety challenges, including mandatory sharing of student records, protection of the school environment, parental responsibility for children's high-risk behaviour in the absence of support, and protection measures for both teachers and students. The proposals also address digital textbooks and educational content, ensuring that it aligns with the national education programme and includes a certification process for such curricula. They also touch on artificial intelligence — emphasising the need for ethical and safe environments, digital skills for children and the ability to recognise and resist synthetic content generated by AI. mf/df