The scenario involving a teachers' strike now appears more feasible after a meeting involving Education Minister Juraj Draxler. Teachers expect the Government and Parliament to adopt specific measures to resolve this situation. If they don't, teachers will launch an unconditional strike as of next Monday.
Speaking after the one-hour long talks, Education Minister Juraj Draxler said that he cannot work with ultimatum demands. However, the ministry can draw up technical solutions for all issues concerning this initiative. Juraj Draxler:
"We need all the school organisations to agree on the formulation to be included in the government program so to be able to monitor if the plan of guaranteed finances allocated to the education system and increasing salaries is fulfilled each year to come."
Meanwhile, the ministry stands ready to come up with alternative proposals in the funding of schools and the career development of teachers. Juraj Draxler promised that in case he remains the minister after the election, a proposal involving changes to the continuing education of teachers will be submitted within 100 days. From his current position he can offer only what is technically possible:
"For me, it is not technically possible to initiate an extra parliamentary session and change the budget portion allocated for the Education Ministry by more than EUR 0,5 billion."
Teachers require their salaries to be increased by €170, the tackling the existing differences in the equipment in various schools by €400 million and change the system of continuing education. Slovak Teachers Initiative's demands match those that the Slovak Teachers Chamber addressed to the Government in October 2015.
Slovak Teachers Initiative's Branislav Kocan noted that they had hoped for more to emerge from their meeting with the Education Minister.
"A strike is not our objective. It's only a means to reach what teachers have been calling for and drawing to the attention of the Government for the past five years," said Branislav Kocan.
While it remains unclear as to how many schools would remain shut next Monday, over 10,000 teachers from 570 schools signed up to the initiative by Thursday afternoon. There are almost 89 000 teachers and more than 5900 school in Slovakia.
RTVS, TASR
