Anna Belousovová, the vice chair of the Slovak National Party (SNS) said at a press conference on February 11 that its coalition partners, the Movement for Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and Smer violated the coalition agreement when they voted in favour of an amendment to the law on universities on the previous day.
According to Belousovová, the amendment submitted by Mojmír Mamojka (Smer) interferes with an agenda that belongs exclusively to the remit of the SNS-led Education Ministry.
“The vote that passed the proposal to its second reading was an unpleasant disenchantment for us. There were coalition agreements that this law doesn't get round,” she said as quoted by the TASR, adding that SNS doesn’t interfere in the agendas of its coalition partners.
Belousovová stressed several times that one of the aims of Education Minister Ján Mikolaj has been to halt the devaluation of Slovak university education, including by tightening up accreditation conditions, but Mamojka's proposal is a step backwards and dismantles university reform. She is convinced that SNS's expert arguments will ensure that Mamojka's amendment won't pass its second reading.
The amendment to the law on universities allows colleges to grant masters and engineering degrees, as well as doctorates. Of the 128 MPs present, 112 voted in favour of the amendment, including five from SNS.
HZDS chairman Vladimír Mečiar denied that the coalition partners HZDS and Smer violated the coalition agreement at a press conference. The Universities Act amendment represents a professional issue that shouldn't be subject to politics, Slovak Premier Robert Fico and Smer chairman said after an informal EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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