The new school year begins today and brings with it burning issues in the field of education. The public was recently alarmed by news that several high schools let go a number of teachers right before the start of the new school year, because there was no more work for them. At the same time the directive for reallocating excess workers to other schools undermines the chances of young people getting jobs. "The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport adopted and is already implementing measures aimed at employing professional workers in education, like for example changing the rules for the certification exams. Also in the making is a project for the inclusion and employment of interns (for around 300 positions). With the help of cohesion funds we are also preparing other projects aimed primarily at youth employment, like for example the Youth for Youth and Healthy Lifestyle projects. Due to the environmental and social changes we all experience, all of the employed also face the concept of lifelong learning. That’s an area in which we also implement and prepare projects, connected to employment," said the minister about the changes in the area of employment.

With the abolishment of voluntary internships, doing school internships has also become a problem for the young. And to a lack of financial funds the new call for applications for new internees has still not been published. "As soon as the Government Office for Growth and European Cohesion Policy confirms our development projects, and we expect that to happen by the end of 2015," was the minster’s reply as to when the call for applications would be published.

The minister was also asked whether she thought it was right for a primary school form teachers to only get a 50 cents monthly supplement for being a form teacher, although the responsibility takes up at least 10 hours a week and the form teacher has more work to do than his colleagues receiving the same amount of pay. Minister Maja Brenčič Makovec replied: "The work form teachers do constitutes an important part in the mission of being an educator and the work of individual teachers and schools as a whole. We will therefore look into this issue from the aspect of content i.e. concept, as well with regards to how it is incorporated in the working hours of the teacher."

Another area the ministry covers is sport. Slovenian athletes are in an increasingly more difficult financial situation, as there is less and less money coming from sponsors. "We are now in the period of planning the budget and sport does have its place in it. I will aspire for us to preserve the quality of sport. We will also put effort into securing a few development projects in the frameworks of the cohesion funds, especially for promoting healthy lifestyles for all generations," said the minister about what she would do for Slovenia’s athletes.