It is public knowledge that the government at the Thursday session (the minister in charge Pikalo from the departing government was absent, being on leave) took away 80 million euros from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, and earmarked them as a budget reserve, i.e. for subsidized transport of pupils and students. Most of the money (77.7 million euros, which means 33% of the amount) was withdrawn from higher education system. Minister Pikalo, who was at the time of the session abroad, immediately wrote to the Minister of Finance Uroš Čufer asking for an answer by Tuesday, when he would be back in his office, with an explanation on how should the Ministry of Education fulfil its legal obligations with such limited funds.
Only a day later the government corrected »the mistake«, as the departing PM Alenka Bratušek characterized the move, at a meeting by correspondence, and transferred back to the Ministry of Education 70 million - 10 less than were taken from them.
It means that the Ministry, i.e. the higher education system which has been affected the most, still lacks 10 million euros. Minister Pikalo therefore met in the morning with the chancellors of the four Slovenian Universities, and after the meeting emphasized that that kind of actions by the departing government can be considered irresponsible, as the money was confiscated from that part which is financially the most undernourished. The funds for higher education have been diminishing since 2011, while with the introduction of the Bologna reform the work extent has increased by 20 percent, and financing only by 10, he reminded.
Pikalo: Which are the priorities of this country?
That's one of the reasons Pikalo finds it incomprehensible that the government took the money from the higher education system, and not from the funds intended for material expenses, but from the funds earmarked for activities – in the middle of the year, when one half of the money has already been spent. "We should ask ourselves which are the priorities of this country. Is it the development of the topmost knowledge, transfer of knowledge consequently resulting in the development, innovations, adopting good practices from those countries which had invested in higher education – or constant curtailing, and consequently impoverishing our future?" he wondered.
No more development
"The confiscation of our funds means that we cannot speak any more about future, or development," also warned the minister, and added: "By such deeds we are putting a disproportionate burden on the shoulders of the young generation. They have already been impoverished by our acts, but such and similar interventions give them no hope for a better tomorrow. The young generation has already been deprived on several fields – if I mention only employment, coexistence in the society, and now we intend to deprive them on the field of higher education.
Chancellors: There is no future without innovations
The chancellors of the four Universities share the opinion of Minister Pikalo. They agree that the confiscation of money would mean an end of innovations and development, and without those there would be no future. Yet they still hope that the government will correct this mistake and give them back the money.
Ivan Svetlik, the Chancellor of the Ljubljana University, was outraged by the decision taken last week. He said he couldn't recall the higher education ever being put in such position, as they the funds they have left don't even allow them to complete the ongoing programmes, "let alone preserve and provide the quality expected from us". "We can't rely any more even on the budget," he added.
"Why punish the higher education?"
Danijel Rebolj from the Maribor University is convinced that such acts shake the very fundaments of the academic society, and are extremely harmful, as by them "all the efforts to establish a creative environment, and to encourage innovativeness, are negated. " The chancellor of the Primorje University Dragan Marušič finds is incomprehensible that in an export-oriented country higher education is given such a blow – and not, for example, another ministry – environmental, cultural, or any other. "If the mistake is not corrected, the future of the young would come to an end," he claims.
The Nova Gorica University chancellor Danilo Zavrtanik emphasized the fact that the arbitrary confiscation of the funds actually means a revised budget, and he doubts that the departing government is allowed to revise it. He expressed his anger by saying "It is, simply put, a wicked deed."
Protests by higher education union
The higher education union protested against the action of the government. STA reports that they demand the governments immediately stops any budgetary transfers against higher education. "The confusion within the government, and dribbling between the parties come as no surprise, but the juggling with money, and withdrawing funds for performing a public service" are, in their opinion, unacceptable. They claim that it is quite irrelevant whether the government decisions have been prepared and adopted following a political consideration, or because of incompetence and improvisation of individual functionaries.
Regardless of that the ease with which the transfer was made makes it obvious that the departing government – just as the previous governments – still doesn't take the difficult position of the higher education seriously.
The Ministry of Transport needs money as well
The decision of the government to give 70 from the taken 80 million euros back to the Ministry of Education is contradicted by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. Already on Monday they expressed their warning that they urgently need the additional resources for subsidizing the transport of pupils and students, and for some other obligations, and that they need the help from government to acquire them. In the opposite case the realisation of European projects would be jeopardized, reports STA.