The British International School of Ljubljana has just received a delivery of new laptops for all staff at school.  This investment is in preparation for further development of its online provision, use of technology in the classroom and to raise its high standards in the quality of education at school.

This fits in to the ‘Technology for Learning’ plan implemented by the school after the first lockdown. The plan has now been reviewed and enhanced to prepare for the future and any possible transitions to online learning that might occur.  During the second wave of lockdown, the school introduced a more structured day of virtual lessons, further opportunities to learn away from the computer, reducing screen time, or increasing the availability of extra learning resources if required.  It has been a process in an effort to continually improve, with the help of students, parents and staff at school, to refine and increase the high-quality provision of education. 

They have worked with other schools in Slovenia – through virtual meetings, forums and presentations – to share best practices, experiences and successes of what teachers have implemented during this challenging time.  With many educators across the country eager to help others with remote learning, this has been a major positive over the last 12 months.

The Principal Paul Walton with the new technology which will help all staff and students immediately at school.

The Principal, Paul Walton, commented “I am very excited about this project and very happy that this is the first time in the history of the school that we have been able to purchase this type of new technology for all our staff.  I look forward to continue working with schools across Slovenia to share ideas and ways to improve the quality of education for all students”

Having these new laptops for each member of staff will facilitate opportunities to:

• Maintain and enhance the quality of education in class for students.
• Further develop the online learning platform and provision for students to consolidate learning and stretch ahead to challenge themselves.
• Use technology in the classroom more effectively to create new learning experiences for students.
• Use a high-quality device across the school to enable working from various areas around the campus and beyond.

With over 50 staff on site, this is a significant step forward to enhance and transform the learning opportunities for students at the British International School of Ljubljana.  With over a third of the students at school from Slovenia, this is an excellent provision for staff to plan high-quality teaching materials that enable students to receive support at home, and opportunities challenge themselves further with online learning.  A higher quality of online provision enables students to collaborate with others online and continue to work together to ensure they make outstanding progress.

Technology is used effectively and supports the learning of students, from the two-year-olds in the kindergarten through Primary and Secondary and up to the 18-year-old students in high school, who are able to apply to Slovene universities, others in the UK and across Europe and around the world successfully.

One of the staff planning language lessons

This initiative will have an immediate positive impact for the students, and will help in planning ahead further so the right infrastructure is in place for possible remote learning in the future.

The school looks forward to sharing its experiences with others and for students to feel the impact and benefit from these new devices.  The school is a part of the Orbital Education group of schools worldwide.  Find out more about the British International School of Ljubljana here.

Finally, the British International School of Ljubljana is hosting a Virtual Open Day for prospective families at 10am on Tuesday March 23 in English - find out more here if you are interested in joining the event. There is also a similar event in Slovene – Spletni informativni dan – on Thursday March 25 at 3pm, click here for details.

STA, 8 March 2021 - A new hospitality bill that has recently been sent into public consultation brings stricter rules for renting out flats and houses to tourists on platform such as Airbnb. Service providers will have to get registered, have an identification number, and obtain certain permits, while facing high fines for breaking the new rules.

The Economy Ministry has drafted the hospitality industry bill following a growing trend in short-term renting of private property to tourists in recent years.

Over 9,700 pieces of flats or houses in Slovenia were advertised on Airbnb in 2019, generating EUR 66.5 million in revenue, it said.

The figure compares to the combined 2019 revenue generated by Slovenian tourism companies Istrabenz Hoteli and Terme Krka with their 17 top-class hotels, the ministry added.

There has been a lot of rule-breaking in short-term rental business, while property owners do not have to get a permit from other owners in multi-apartment buildings.

The new trend has also a negative impact on the competitiveness of other, traditional accommodation, while also affecting housing policy in major Slovenian tourist towns.

The draft bill allows short-term renting of own or leased homes or holiday homes with up to 15 beds up to 30 days to a physical person as landlord, a sole proprietor as an individual, to an association or a legal person.

The provider of the service must obtain a permit from the municipality in which the property is located, while for two- or multi-apartment buildings, the municipality can limit the period in which such rental is possible.

The service provider who rents out own or leased property to tourists in a multi-apartment building up to 90 days a year and has up to five beds will be obliged to obtain consent from 75% of the apartment building owners.

Providers of the service will also have to get registered in the country's business register, the main public database of all businesses.

They will have to get a special identification number for marketing purposes. The number will not be public, known only to the service provider and oversight bodies.

An individual or a legal entity will face a fine of EUR 4,000-10,000 for failing to obtain a municipal permit or a permit from other property owners.

A fine of EUR 40,000-100,000 is meanwhile envisaged for a legal entity running a public booking platform for not enabling rental service providers to display their identification number.

The draft bill, sent into a public consultation period at the end of last week, also relaxes the strict definitions of individual types of hospitality establishments.

The change was promoted by the emergence of new types of accommodation such as glamping or other innovative types of outdoor accommodation and by the fact that the line between establishments offering food and drink, such as a cafe, confectionery, snack bar, is often blurred while still heavily regulated by law. This at times has a negative impact on the development of innovative products.

If the new bill is adopted, hospitality establishments will be able to set their working time on their own, while municipalities will still have an option of limiting it, yet only in the period between 10pm and 6am.

STA, 8 March 2021 - Žiga Turk, an opinion leader who served as minister of education, science, culture and sport in the 2012-13 Janez Janša government, has been declared the winner of the Silver Thistle for the most sexist quote in the past year for his Twitter comment on rape.

"If sex is a mere recreation, then rape is no worse than a foul. If sex is not recreation, the basic premise of the progressive view on the issue established since 1968 falls," was the tweet, posted on 5 February, that won Turk the censure.

Ampak bistvo se mi zdi drugje. Če je seks samo rekreacija, potem posilsvo ni nič hujšega kot faul. Če pa seks ni rekreacija, pa pade temeljna premisa naprednega™ pogleda na to vprašanje, ki je uveljavljeno od 1968 dalje.

— Žiga Turk (@ZigaTurk) February 5, 2021

Out of 23 sexist statements shortlisted, Turk's won the most negative votes in an online vote between 19 February and 5 March involving 1,667 people. The winner was declared at the conclusion of the 22nd feminist and queer festival Red Dawns on Sunday, held online.

In explanation, the web portal Spol.si said the author of the most sexist statement believed the 1968 revolution turned rape into a sporting offence, as if to say that free choice about sexuality should be conditional on accepting the opinion of rape.

According to the portal, Turk's comment relativises sexual violence, which comes at a time when colleges in Slovenia are examining students' allegations about being sexually harassed by professors.

Izjava o Neži (če bi kdo predstavil obe strani):

Nagrada je nepoštena, nerazumna in nezaslužena. Utemeljitev ⬇️

— Žiga Turk (@ZigaTurk) March 8, 2021

He says it will be perfectly clear to anyone who has read his statement through to the end that he considers rape the worse crime.

He finds the award irrational because he has publicly supported the "only yes means yes" concept of the crime of rape and deems it outrageous because he believes the award is a punishment for his support for the incumbent government.

The Silver Thistle is awarded annually by the Red Dawns collective and the editorial board of spol.si in cooperation with the interested public.

STA, 8 March 2021 - The Slovenian PEN Centre and Mira, the women's committee at the centre, warned of violence against women ahead of Woman's Day, 8 March, while the Manager Association warned of inequalities at work, aggravated by the Covid-19 epidemic. A number of online discussions on the problems and potential of women will be held today.

The Slovenian PEN Centre and Mira addressed a letter featuring a list of eight demands to the government, National Assembly and Slovenian citizens ahead of Woman's Day. Their main demand is redefinition of rape and protection of the rights and duties of citizens in line with the Constitution.

They oppose a model of society that does not allow women to decide freely on giving birth, and call for a legal restriction of hate speech on social media.

They also warn of women and female writers being subjected to physical attacks, mocking, censorship and violations of rights in the pandemic year.

Woman who are publicly stating their opinion are often intimidated, and women - be it politicians, authors, journalists, experts or any other public figures - are targets of smear campaigns more frequently than men, they said.

Seen in Ljubljana, Photo: JL Flanner

The PEN centre and Mira believe that the ban on assembly as part of epidemic measures has narrowed down the possibilities of men and women to stand up to this.

Due to the pressure on the STA, public media and government representatives of ministers who cannot directly and independently communicate with the media, the public and media life is being subjected to censorship and self-censorship, which puts the fundamental right of democracy - the freedom of speech - at risk, they wrote.

According to the Manager Association, the epidemic has made differences between men and women in professional settings worse.

Results of last year's survey by consulting company McKinsey show that one in four women in the US is thinking of quitting her job during the epidemic although she did not even consider this in early 2020. This could jeopardise the results of decades of efforts to achieve gender equality in business, the association warns.

However, this crisis is also an opportunity to make companies more flexible and sympathetic, and create equal opportunities for both sexes, the association said, pointing to appointments of several women to senior positions in Slovenia in recent months.

The epidemic has increased gender inequality, because women took on most of the burden related to providing for children and distance learning as well as household choirs, because men mostly work in the more profitable sectors and because the sectors dominated by women have been more affected by the epidemic.

"This is why it will be an even greater challenge to increase the share of women in top positions in business - in Slovenia it currently stands at about 25%, according to data by the European Institute for Gender Equality," the association said, noting this would be one of the goals of the national programme for equal opportunities of men and women until 2030, which is now in public debate.

One of the measures from the programme is also improving digital competences of women. Slovenia is currently faced with a great challenge of gender segregation in the digital sector, as more than 80% of men are currently educated and employed in this sector, the association said.

Several NGOs have also warned that the health, and social and economic crises have deepened the known problems of women and created new ones. Violence against women is on the rise and it is time for action, SOS Telefon and Iskra said in their call to the government, which was backed by the Karitas Safe House for the Primorska region and the 8 March Institute.

The SOS hotline said that between 1 January and 30 November 2020 an almost 13% rise in the number of cases of domestic violence had been processed by police.

Several events will be held today to mark Women's Day. The PEN centre will host an online reading, and the Office of the European Parliament in Slovenia will host an online debate on the role of women in the fight against the virus.

The Association of Slovenia Journalists will host an online debate on female journalists in the Slovenian society and the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts on women's jobs, from factories to offices.

The National Council, the upper chamber of parliament, will mark the day with a debate entitled To Be Successful and to Be Happy.

Women's Day highlights the issue of violence against women every year. In Slovenia, legislative changes redefining rape in line with the principle that only yes means year sponsored by the government, which the 8 March Institute has also been campaigning for, are expected to bring positive changes.

Recently, a debate on violence against women was sparked by actor Mia Skrbinac speaking up about sexual harassment at the Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television.

The United Nations began celebrating 8 March as Woman's Day in 1977 to commemorate the day when women working in the textile industry in New York staged a protest against inhumane working conditions and low pay in 1857.

STA, 8 March 2021 - Secondary school students in years 1-3 joined their final-year peers on Monday as secondary schools fully reopened under model C, meaning half the class will be in school for a week while the other half will continue learning from home. The vaccination of teachers also started for those over 50 years old.

There are no changes for final-year secondary school students, who have been coming to school every day since mid-February, and also no changes for primary schools, with the only difference being the introduction of face masks for children in years 6 to 9 also in their classrooms and not only in communal areas such as corridors, halls, or dining areas.

"It's a great feeling, seeing your classmates and teachers after a long four months... taking tests will not be as much fun, though," Marko, a Maribor secondary school student told the STA.

Many students share his concerns about tests, with Eva, also a Maribor secondary school student, wondering how much she learnt during remote learning.

Teachers as well are happy to return to brick-and-mortar classrooms. Gregor Galeja, the head teacher of Gimnazija Celje Center said the school observed two holidays today: the International Women's Day and what is the already third first day of school in this school year.

After nearly five months of remote schooling the start of school in classrooms poses a unique challenge and additional stress, as this also marks a symbolic start to the final part of the school year, said Galeja, expressing hope that teachers will be able to facilitate a soft transition into the new routine.

Face masks are now also be mandatory for secondary schools, for both students and teachers.

Teachers will still need to be tested for the new coronavirus once a week.

This week, teachers will also receive vaccines, with those over 50 being the priority group, to be followed by others who have expressed interest in vaccination.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar expressed hope on Saturday that most will decide to get vaccinated and thus protect both their health and the health of children as well as help keep the schools open.

The SVIZ trade union of teachers expects more than half of teachers to express interest in vaccination.

Bars, restaurants in Posavje, SE Slovenia start serving outdoors

STA, 8 March 2021 - Bars and restaurants in two eastern regions, Posavje and South-east Slovenia, are once again allowed to serve food and drinks outdoor. Proprietors are happy that they may welcome patrons back, but are not pleased at all with the fact that this is only the beginning of the one-week trial period.

While Slovenia is in the orange tier of restrictions, both regions had figures last week that placed them firmly in the milder, yellow tier, where serving customers outdoor is allowed, so the government decided to temporarily allow bars and restaurants to reopen there.

Guests are served outdoors between 6am and 7pm and they will have to leave the establishment by 7:30pm.

If the number of infections increases, or if inspectors detect major violations, the government will close the bars and restaurants again.

Proprietors had to slash the capacities of their establishments to meet the safety requirements but are happy to be back in business. However, they do not like the idea of a one-week trial period.

"We had to organise, buy everything needed and get ready," Luka Retar, a proprietor from Novo Mesto told the STA. "I don't think it's right for the entire burden coming with a shut-down to fall on our backs again. We've almost had enough."

Rok Klobučar, another proprietor from Novo Mesto, said guests came in immediately after the opening this morning. He expressed satisfaction that bars have reopened and that staff is no longer on furlough.

He believes, however, that the one-week trial period is too short a time to show results. He believes a 14-day period would be more sensible, warning also that the number of infections may increase again due to other reasons, not bars opening.

Customers have to wear masks at all times, except when they are seated at their table, and staff will have to wear masks at all times and get tested for coronavirus weekly. Those vaccinated against coronavirus and those who have recovered from the disease will be exempted from the testing requirement.

Tables have to be three metres apart and no more than four guests are allowed at each table. The number of guests is also restricted based on the size of the terrace or garden. Guests are allowed to go inside only to use the toilet.

Since travel between municipalities is not restricted any more except for the Obalno-Kraška region, which is in the red tier, patrons from around the country will be able to wine and dine outdoors.

Slovenian restaurants have been closed for indoor service since mid-October. Both bars and restaurants were able to offer take-away service, and, since last month, restaurants were allowed to serve B2B guests indoors.

Check the date at the top of the page, and you can find all the "morning headlines" stories here. You can also follow us on Facebook and get all the news in your feed.

This summary is provided by the STA: 

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Broken Bones is perhaps best known for its London Dry Gin, which was named Best in Europe at The Gin Guide Awards 2020. Quite an achievement for a young distillery working out of a blank looking building on the edge of Ljubljana, a boutique producer of classic and small batch gins and whiskies, a world away from mass market offerings.

Broken Bones first three gins. Photo: Broken Bones

While the pandemic meant that public visits to the distillery and store had to be limited, the demand for alcohol remained high and online sales brisk. The Broken Bones team of Borut, Boštjan and Polona also used the lockdown to work on the company’s fourth gin, the Broken Bones Old Tom. This is based on a British gin recipe from the 18^th century, when the drink was sweetened with sugar (and sometimes liquorice). However, in keeping with Broken Bones focus on both quality and local ingredients, the company’s version of the old school favourite is sweetened with Slovenian linden honey, a logical addition to the linden flowers that help provide the smooth, complex flavour of all the firm’s gins. A little lemon completes the profile, and brings a shine to the drink, which can be enjoyed neat or with mixers.

To date Broken Bones Old Tom Gin has been entered in three competitions, and come out with three awards:

• • The Gin Brin Festival 2020 - Gold Award.
• • The Spirits Business Awards 2020 - Gold - ‘an unusual take on Old Tom’ was one of the comments by the judges, with Broken Bones Old Tom Gin receiving the only gold awarded.
• • The World Gin Awards 2021 - World's best Old Tom ' An intense nose with herbal, citrus and root notes, freshly cut grass, clear juniper and coriander, and peppery spice. These juniper, citrus and spice notes follow through to the palate with a hint of sweetness. Very long finish. Well balanced with great complexity.'

Outside the distillery. Photo" JL Flanner

Borut, Polona and Boštjan. Photo: Broken Bones

A nice cool gin. Photo: Broken Bones

It’s difficult to find Broken Bones products in stores, as the limited batches produced tend to be snapped up by fans, collectors and bar owners. One way to get a bottle is to visit the distillery in person (at Tržaška cesta 132, Ljubljana), the other is to order online, with shipping all over Europe “and more”. On the site you’ll find details of all the team’s gins and whiskies, as well as cocktail recipes to help you enjoy them.

STA, 6 March 2021 - Media developments in Slovenia are being monitored by the US administration, which has noted in this respect that freedom of the press is a fundamental principal of democracy.

Asked by the STA about whether they follow the media developments in Slovenia, the US Department of State said the Department and the Embassy in Ljubljana were monitoring threats against journalists and the integrity of public media in Slovenia closely.

Freedom of the press is a fundamental principal of democracy, and the United States looks forward to continuing to partner with Slovenia to promote the open exchange of ideas and information essential for accountable governance around the world, the Department of State added in its comment.

The New York Times reported on developments in Slovenia in January, describing Prime Minister Janez Janša as a nationalist politician who has been compared to former US President Donald Trump.

"Mr. Janša has long been known for attacking opponents online, including news media he considers biased, as well as for opposing immigration. But since his return to power, another issue beloved of populists has become a focus: culture," the New York Times wrote in an article focusing on replacements of museum directors.

Janša endorsed Trump ahead of the EU presidential election last year, tweeting that Joseph Biden "would be one of the weakest US presidents" should he win. A day after the 3 November election, when vote count was under way, Janša tweeted it was "pretty clear that American people have elected Donald Trump". Janša congratulated Biden after he was inaugurated as president.

Media freedom in Slovenia will be discussed at the plenary session of the European Parliament next week.

STA, 5 March 2021 - Film director Ema Kugler was honoured at the American Filmatic Arts Awards (AFAA) festival of independent film in New York. Her Man with Shadow (Človek s senco) was declared the best feature film of 2020 in what is the 15th award for the film.

Man with Shadow is marked by the idea that the biggest human delusion is the illusion of freedom. A newborn has no choice but to be born into this world as a completely helpless being that becomes subjected to the civilisational norms set by those in power. But what if there is more to it than that, reads the description of the film on the website of the Base of Slovenian Films.

According to the director, the 2019 film speaks of the inability of beings to be autonomous, free beings. The other question it deals with is the question of human reproduction or the question of what forces humans into reproduction.

The film was produced by Zavod ZANK in co-production with VPK, NuFram, Zvokarna, Mb Grip VPK pro, Big Heart Studio and with the support of the Slovenian Film Centre.

It has won a number of awards, including for the best experimental drama at the 53rd international festival of independent film WorldFest Houston, the best experimental film at the European Cinematography Awards festival in Amsterdam, an award for experimental film at the L'Age d'Or (LIAFF) festival in Kolkata, and the best experimental and best narrative film at the Los Angeles Film Awards festival.

It also won the best experimental film award at the 22nd Festival of Slovenian Film and Kugler was named the winner of last year's Štiglic lifetime achievement award in film and theatre directing.

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This summary is provided by the STA: 

Covid-19 hospitalisations drop below 500

LJUBLJANA - The number of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in Slovenia dropped below 500 for the first time in months as the country met one of the conditions to move to a lower, yellow tier of restrictions. With 920 new coronavirus cases confirmed Friday, the 7-day average of new cases fell to 776, which is still well above 600, beyond which new easing of restrictions could begin. Six Covid-19 patients died. Noting the flattening of the falling curve, Health Minister Janez Poklukar urged caution, in particular in view of novel variants of the virus.

Washington monitoring media developments in Slovenia

WASHINGTON, US - The US Department of State told the STA it was monitoring threats against journalists and the integrity of public media in Slovenia closely. Freedom of the press is a fundamental principal of democracy, and the United States looks forward to continuing to partner with Slovenia to promote the open exchange of ideas and information essential for accountable governance around the world, the Department of State added in its comment.

Police commissioner says indications some investigations politically motivated

LJUBLJANA - Police Commissioner Anton Olaj, who took over in late January, told the newspaper Delo in an interview there were indications some police investigations had been politically motivated. Olaj would not elaborate on details of politically motivated investigations in the police but he noted that the success of criminal procedure depended most on prosecution. He agrees with the opposition's demand to set up a parliamentary inquiry into alleged political pressure on the police.

Golnik clinic to get modern isolation ward

GOLNIK - Health Minister Janez Poklukar visited the Golnik University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases in the north-west of the country to learn about its work and challenges, and plans for a new isolation ward, to be build with the help of EUR 25 million in EU cohesion funds. The five-storey isolation ward is to be built by the end of 2023. It will include a modern tuberculosis micro laboratory such that Slovenia as the only country in the Balkans does not have yet.

Slovenians discarded 12.3kg of clothes per capita in 2019

LJUBLJANA - Slovenians discarded 25,079 tonnes of clothes or 12.3 kilogrammes per capita in 2019, according to a survey conducted by Ecologists without Borders in cooperation with partners. The NGO, which surveyed 1,300 people in cooperation with the environmental NGO Focus and fairtrade store 3MUHE Slovenija, said the main reason garments got thrown away was their becoming useless through tear and wear because of the poor quality of fabrics sold by fast fashion shops.

Žan Košir wins Rogla snowboard World Cup event

ZREČE - Slovenia's veteran snowboarder Žan Košir won the Snowboard World Cup parallel giant slalom event on Rogla only days after a disappointing performance by the home favourites at the World Championships at the same venue. In the finals, the 36-year old beat Russia's Andrey Sobolev, having already secured his third World Cup podium this season by besting Italian Edwin Coratti in the semi-final. This the sixth career World Cup victory and the 21st podium for Košir.

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