THE CHRISTIAN Democratic Movement (KDH) held a press conference on February 19 to slam the Education Ministry for what they called a violation of laws and denying centuries-long used terminology for parents.
Prominent KDH politicians accused the Education Ministry of succumbing to the pressure of lobby groups promoting gender equality. They pointed out that the official form of the university application features the terms “parent and parent” instead of “mother and father”.
“Every father wants to be a father and every mother wants to be a mother,” KDH deputy chair Miroslava Szitová said, as quoted by TASR, and accused the government of not protecting family.
KDH MP Martin Fronc, a former education minister, pointed out that the electronic application for university studies also features the option to mark one’s civil status as “in a registered partnership” (as opposed to single or married). Fronc called it a violation of Slovak legislation, since Slovakia does not recognise registered partnerships, TASR reported.
The Education Ministry in response claimed that the scope of data required to be filled out on the university application form are set out by the law, which was amended in 2012.
“When it was discussed the KDH MPs, neither in the education committee nor in the plenum of the parliament, proposed any changes to the formulation they criticise today,” the ministry’s spokesperson Michal Kaliňák said, as quoted by TASR.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
presented in its Flash News postings.
