Fico: State to Force Regions to Adjust Schools to Needs of Labour Market

Banska Bystrica, November 21 (TASR) – Prime Minister Robert Fico on a tour of Banska Bystrica on Monday announced that he’ll meet regional governors early next month to deal with a long-term problem involving discrepancies between education provided by secondary schools and the needs of the labour market.

While there are still many unemployed people in Slovakia, there’s also an “absolute lack” of a skilled workforce needed especially by industry, car transport companies and services, said Fico.

“This is probably the first case in which the state will have to intervene resolutely,” stated the prime minister.

Secondary schools in Slovakia come under the remit of regional authorities, and Fico is now determined to tell governors of the urgent need to adjust curricula.

“The job centre sends them various analyses and prognoses for each year, including recommendations, but at the end of the day regional councillors do what they please anyway. This is probably going to be the first breakthrough in relations between the state and regions. They’ll have to respect it,” said Fico.

According to Fico, regional authorities shouldn’t keep creating grammar schools without regard for the lack of special skills on the labour market. “This is a path to hell. If the regions don’t accept these decisions, it will be prescribed by law. It’s going to be achieved by hook or by crook,” added the prime minister.