STA, 5 January 2022 - Education Minister Simona Kustec is aware that with Covid infections rapidly rising in the country, the situation at the end of this week or the start of next will be hard, but she does not expect schools to switch to distance learning.
The Education Ministry's stance is that instruction should take place at schools in person in a safe manner, and she hopes that strictly adhering to protective measures will result in schools and kindergartens being able to proceed with in-person education, Kustec told the press in Ljubljana on Wednesday.
She said that medical experts will be asked to propose tightening anti-coronavirus measures before proposing closing schools.
"We are aware that difficult days are coming and that some schools could have problems due to their staff falling ill with Covid or having to quarantine. If need be, only individual schools would switch to distance learning."
Kustec said that the ministry was following the situation very closely, and was constantly in contact with the National Institute of Public Health.
She also said that around 1% of the school population did not come to school as their parents opposed rapid testing or mask wearing in classroom. As for grading these children, she said they cannot be graded at the moment because they do not come to the classroom.
Kustec commented on the Advocate of the Principle of Equality's finding that the ministry had violated a ban on discrimination by not awarding a special-needs student an assistant for the period of home schooling while she had had one while in classroom.
The minister regretted this had happened, saying the case concerned "a very difficult individual story". She added that similar cases should be addressed in a humane manner to find optimal solutions, saying she could comment in more detail only once she receives a report she asked for.
Kustec meanwhile declined to answer a question about her future political career or whether should she stand in the general election in the spring, saying she would limit herself to topical issues at the news conference that was dedicated to achievements of Slovenia's EU presidency.
