'Child MPs' grill ministers in Parliament

On Monday MPs were replaced for one day with 'students' from Comenius Children's University. They filled in for regular MPs in the Parliament building and grilled ministers and top parliamentarians during the Q&A Time. Prominent issues that the kids opened included teachers' salaries, refugees, the threat of war, a wished-for introduction of VAT-free purchases for students as well as the splintering rightist spectrum of party politics. The Education, Interior, Finance and Defence Ministers, as well as Parliamentary Chairman Peter Pellegrini and Vice-chair Erika Jurínová answered their questions. Education Minister Juraj Draxler had to deal with the most questions, however, with a whole gamut of queries, most crucially the salaries of teachers and their lay-offs during summer holidays. A student Maria pressed Interior Minister Kaliňák for an answer on whether admitting refugees based on their religion may be discriminatory. "We're seeking to help those who we think will find happiness in Slovakia", said Minister Kaliňák. Christian refugees will have an easier time feeling at home in Slovakia than their Muslim peers, he added.