A GROUP of parents associated with a civic group called the Initiative of Parents for Good Schools has issued a collective statement in response to several legislative measures proposed by Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič. Parents who have signed the statement disapprove of the right of municipalities to set limits on the number of students allowed to enrol in grammar schools and also question the authority of the State School Inspection, part of the Education Ministry, that has the power to revoke accreditation and halt funding of any school financed by the state, regardless of the nature of the flaws found within the institution, the SITA newswire reported.
“We regard this as a very strong tool of repression,” said Dana Spurná, one of the parents who had signed the statement prepared by the civic group, as quoted by SITA.
The statement also expressed disapproval of a five-year term limit placed on headmasters of private and religious schools who were appointed to their positions after 2008.
The statement has been signed by 1,500 people.
The parents also sent a letter to Prime Minister Robert Fico in which they ask him to withdraw the proposed measures relating to technical education as well as changes in the method of financing schools, claiming that Čaplovič has prepared these changes without discussing them with parents and others who are concerned, SITA wrote.
“We expect that [our requests] will not be ignored and that a discussion about improving the education system can begin,” said Ľuboš Tvrdoň, another signer of the statement, as quoted by SITA.
The statement has been endorsed by the Association of Private Schools and Schooling Facilities and the Association of Catholic Schools of Slovakia as well as by MP Richard Vašečka from the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) party and independent MP Jana Žitňanská, SITA wrote.
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