Butora: I Hope Election Will Produce Minister Able to Serve for Four Years

 Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - Caretaker Education Minister Daniel Butora believes that a government will emerge from the snap general election that will generate an education minister able to serve in the post for the whole four years.
       The minister added that the education sector deserves and badly needs this, and teachers would appreciate it very much.
       Butora was speaking at Dolinskeho Combined School in Bratislava, which he visited on Friday on the occasion of the end of the 2022/2023 school year. He handed out certificates along with his predecessor Jan Horecky there.  
       The minister noted that 40 primary schools across Slovakia will start teaching in line with new rules as of September. Therefore, it will be necessary for the new minister to work systematically.
       According to Butora, the past couple of weeks and months have brought calm and stability to the education sector. "Teachers need this to be able to prepare for the challenges ahead," he said. The minister ascribed the stability to the fact that some key issues have been settled, such as a third class of physical education, textbooks and energy prices.  
       More than 680,000 students received certificates on Friday, including 63,775 first-graders. The summer holiday starts as of July 1 and will last until August 31. The 2023/2024 school year will begin on Monday, September 4. A well-deserved rest also awaits almost 44,000 teachers of primary and 18,000 teachers of secondary schools.
       No summer schools will take place during the holiday this year. Butora noted that this decision was made before he assumed his post. He pointed out that previous summer schools were only a reaction to short-term education needs related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, he as an expert would recommend organising summer schools systematically in the future.