The teachers trade union has rejected the government’s pay hike offer after a grueling five hour special meeting of the trade union board, but no strikes are on the horizon.
The teacher’s union wants salaries to be increased by more than 5% and does not agree with the system proposed by the government where salaries could be increased by an additional 2.5% from expenses allocated to local authorities for the education sector.
Although the union has decided not to keep up any strikes, saying it did not want to disrupt the citizens of the country as we are heading towards the Christmas break, it does plan to organise further public protest marches throughout the country from Tuesday to Friday next week. If no agreement is reached before the New Year, protests or strikes look set to continue.
I could be wrong Ric, but I don’t think computers played a significant role in !9th century education models, unless of course they were steam powered. There is no quantifiable evidence to suggest the Slovak education system is any worse than that in the rest of Europe, except in teachers salaries. Politicians in Slovakia earn ten times more than the average teacher, and a Roma lady with children and all available benefits gets about the same.That situation is clearly not right, however you paint the picture.
Alec. I’m not saying its right. Teacher are underpaid. I think the good ones should get 100% rise. Slovak education is actually as good as UK and Czech on the league tables I have seen. And much better value given the money spent on it.
Regarding the 19th century industrial model of education, you may disagree but learning still mainly takes place in a classroom using a standard curriculum delivered to a group of students by a teacher standing at the front.
There are many different models of learning. And computers are not used in anything like the manner they could be. For example. Students could have personalised online courses and only attend for study groups.
Alec
Have a quick look at nationmaster.com – the figures would indicated there is a major problem with Slovak education, something that is echoed in the UNESCO HDI ( Education report).
Ric has touched upon one area where Slovakia has been repeatedly indentified as failing and that it the application of modern teaching methodologies, the move away from just cramming facts and making a real effort to get children to think and apply the knowledge they have.
The proposed implementation of the National Qualification Framework by 2013 seems to have dropped off the agenda – why? One reason could be that schools and teachers would no longer be able to “tweak” the figures to make themselves look good.
Getting back to the topic – SVK government figures give the turnover in teaching posts as less than 0.02% per year and that includes deaths and retirements so it would appear that despite all the suggestions that the job is poorly paid, unappreciated and an not attractive career choice, those who do enter teaching appear to stay. Strange, is it not? Then again the same stats show that SVK teachers only work an average of 38 weeks a year and that there is a lamentable lack of extra curriculum activities, very few youth clubs, a limited Scouting movement, no cadet forces, after school clubs etc. All in all it appears that the teachers are all take and give back only the minimum required.
Education could be privatised. The state here is believed to be corrupt, inefficient and using 19th century models to deliver knowledge and learning.
People dont value what they get for free. So I suggest the building could be provided by the local council on a long term lease to a community organisation from who, teachers then rent a classroom in a similar way to a barber rents a chair. The better teachers get more students and earn a good living. Students and parents are not stupid they want good grades and will choose the best.
The not interested will select themselves out of difficult classes.
Far too complicated for Slowvaks …….the Teachers could always demand a sacrifice!
What about a shrubbery ? One that looks nice? And not too expensive?
Sack 100 of em, and then increase the offer by another 1% ….Then should sort the men from the blood suckin ones …Unity would just fall apart and the problem over, as the teachers left, just look after themselves and their own interests .