"Crisis Staff unanimously decided" VIDEO

"Crisis Staff unanimously decided" VIDEO

Minister Ruzic told TV Prva that the media is creating an image of "extreme views of both sides", which, he says, do not exist.

"We were not against what the medical part of the Crisis Staff is proposing, they are the most referenced and most invited to assess the epidemiological situation, we opened all options and made a decision. There are no two sides," Ruzic said on TV Prva.

He pointed out that all the figures show that the education system is not the place where the virus is transmitted, and stated that almost 80 percent of all classes in primary and secondary schools do not have any infected children.

"Currently, there is not even 0.15 percent of those infected in relation to the absolute number of school-age children. The first semester should be completed as planned, and we hope that the measures will be respected during the winter holidays," said the minister. He emphasized that the priority is health and that the situation will be monitored and, he says, appropriate decisions will be made.

"I think the situation is satisfactory, but we are far from satisfied with the level of vaccination in the general population. In education, it has risen slightly to 56.2 percent, but the percentage of vaccinated between the ages of 12 and 18 is worryingly low", Ruzic emphasized and added that educations are conducted both at faculties and schools.

When asked about holding excursions and classes in nature, Ruzic said that the school that wants to organize it should be in the "green zone", as well as the location to be visited, and that it is necessary to consult with local public health institutes seven days prior to the probable trip. As he said, there are no excursions abroad, nor will there be.

"Realization is difficult and there are not many organized excursions," Ruzic added.

The Minister also spoke about the amendments to the law and the proposal to financially punish schools that do not play the anthem at the beginning of the school year, assessing that "it is much more important what the law specifies about singing the anthem", but also that, as he says, it is logical to be punished.

"Performing the anthem is very important from the aspect of preserving identity, belonging to the state, as well as from the aspect of pedagogical approach to children. We want to introduce it into the legislative framework, which will specify the model of intonation of the anthem so that we avoid punitive measures.

When asked whether the quality of objectivity will decrease, if high school students are evaluated three times during the semester, instead of the previous four, Ruzic answered that this is not the case.

"That cannot reduce the quality of objectivity. It is about the need to change what was in practice, because we realized that it would be a more receptive model of evaluation," Ruzic emphasized.