President appoints 26 new professors

President Andrej Kiska appointed 26 new university professors at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday. The professors specialise in fields including Catholic theology, environmental engineering, social work, emergency services, Orthodox theology and management. According to Kiska, answers are needed to a number of difficult questions in education. These include, for example, how to measure the quality of universities, how to adapt curricula to practical requirements and how to raise the professional knowledge of students. The president reminded the new professors that from now on there will be higher demands on them, not only professional, but also human. "As of today, every action of yours, every decision, will shape the content of the word 'professor' in the eyes of students and also the whole country", said Kiska in his speech. According to the president, Slovakia isn't among the countries with the best education systems. "The brightest young people leave for quality schools abroad and then remain there to live, and I'm convinced that we mustn't put up with this", said Kiska, adding that what has been achieved in education in Finland, Singapore and Poland can be done in Slovakia as well. Kiska appointed 31 professors in November of last year and another 24 this March.