Education August 2006

The most “significant” change during the first year of this government is increasing teachers’ salaries. Despite initial declarations from both ministers of education and finance that there is no money for this, the teachers’ union leader coped, as written in textbooks, for raising of teachers’ pay with 4% since January 2006 and another 6% since July 2006.

The discussion about educational reform varies from increase of expenditures up to 8% of GDP to change in methodology for wage formation of teachers, introducing of qualifications for teachers (junior teacher, teacher, senior teacher and master teacher) and accepting the subjective evaluation of school directors when promoting teachers.

Generally, we can say that most of the discussed ideas for reforms make sense and will lead to quality improvement, and particularly:

1. Introducing of differentiated payment of teachers
2. Promise to cut teachers’ number by 5 000 until September 2006
3. Promise to close schools that are mot necessary
4. Decentralisation of schools
5. Change in universities’ financing by the state

The most important change in ministry of education proposals is considering introduction of voucher system. In fact, many of the above said changes are consequence or characteristic of this system. We strongly hope that factors that impeded introduction of voucher system in schools will have no effect this time.
We understand that changing and reforming educational system is very hard but there is no time if we want high quality.