By: C.R.
Today in Brdo pri Kranju, Prime Minister Janez Janša convened a consultation before the final discussion of the consent to the content of the tender for enrolment in undergraduate and uniform master’s study programmes in the academic year 2021/2022. Determining the number of enrolment places in public schools and faculties, which are financed from taxpayers’ money, is, in his opinion, one of the most important strategic decisions of any country. Therefore, before the final adoption of the document, the Prime Minister wanted to consult with representatives of universities, independent higher education institutions and chambers of commerce and associations.
The Prime Minister pointed out in the introduction that we have important segments in the country where there is a shortage of staff. “When the government gets the lists for enrolment in study programmes on the table, we see one picture, but when we walk around the field, companies, hospitals, we often hear that there are no engineers, doctors and other profiles,” said the prime minister, adding that in addition to acquiring useful knowledge, it is also very important to know how to use this knowledge. In the sea of information available, in his opinion, it is important to find the right information, which means that you find yourself. “This part of the knowledge or skills should be acquired regardless of whether young people are studying social sciences or technology, health care or anything else,” the Prime Minister added, pointing out that overall we are still too focused on quantity and less on ingenuity.
At the beginning of the conference, the general picture of the labour market and the greatest needs in it were presented, as well as a presentation of Slovenia’s position in relation to other trends. The main part of the conference was dedicated to the representatives of universities and independent higher education institutions, and the presentation of their offer, which is expressed in the proposal of enrolment places prepared by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the consultation does not mean a meeting at which decisions would be made, but it is a meeting for which we want to greatly assist the government in making the right decisions. The Prime Minister then presented some information on which professions are lacking in Slovenia, however, not only because there are not enough educational profiles, but also because they are underpaid, or employees do not have satisfactory working conditions thus they look for work elsewhere. Among the surpluses on the labour market, the categories of business and administrative sciences and law especially stand out. Data on the lack of suitable staff for employment and the number of unemployed graduates were presented, as well as the main directions for which we have programmes with limited enrolment in Slovenia, and applications far exceed the number of enrolment places. Nursing, general medicine, and medicine stand out in particular, where the interest is more than twice the number of advertised positions. There is also more interest than enrolment places in the field of computing. “We have a marked deficit, we have an interest among young people to study, but this study is not possible with current tender places,” said the Prime Minister, adding that it is necessary to shed light on the situation and find solutions. “If the interest is great, if the needs for certain fields of study are great, but there is no space or money, we will provide premises and funds and enrolment will increase. The interest of professors will also be greater if the salaries are better,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša.
He added that the structure of supply and demand on the labour market also shows us that we need to change something about education, “above all to make sure that educated people do not flee abroad because they do not get a suitable job in Slovenia.”
He further said that the future, of course, cannot be predicted, “so it makes no sense to go for targeted education, but it is important that when people finish their studies, they can get a job, and companies and others the necessary staff.”
The Prime Minister Janez Janša also said that the government was firmly determined that the salary system would be reformed, which would also affect the university, professors and assistants. He went on to point out that “he does not agree that nothing can be done”.
The rectors of the universities highlighted the issue of brain drain, wage disparities, the need for cooperation of the government, ministries, and universities. They emphasised the importance of finding integrated solutions, ensuring a successful work environment and confirming enrolment for the next academic year as soon as possible.
Representatives of chambers of commerce and associations drew attention to the changes that have taken place in the world due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus. They highlighted the problem of vocational education, the need to adopt an appropriate scholarship policy and the promotion of deficient professions, the need to establish a modern apprenticeship system, the importance of cooperation between companies and educational institutions, the importance of adaptation and rapid action.
The Minister of Education, Science and Sport Dr Simona Kustec, Minister of the Economy Zdravko Počivalšek, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Alenka Forte and mag. Marijana Bednaš, Director of the Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development also spoke at the consultation. They highlighted the needs of the labour market, supply and demand, the need for rapid adaptation, staff shortages in the field of health care, and projections for the future. The conference also highlighted Slovenia’s lack of integration into the international environment.
At the end of the consultation, the Prime Minister said that some things were much clearer after the consultation, that some things needed to be fixed now. He pointed out the need to secure more places at the medical school, he promised amendments to the Budget Execution Act that make it impossible to recruit for research projects. He emphasised the importance of creating a school network, which will include quality vocational education, and the need to correct wage relations. He also pointed out the incorrect and unfair division into private and public, the government must have the same attitude towards public and private institutions if they implement public programmes. It is in everyone’s interest that we have a quality education that is accessible to young people under the same conditions, so that they have the same basic opportunities for success in life and that competition is also needed in the field of education. He also said that this is not the last meeting on this topic, that the future cannot be predicted, but that many things are clear. “We know that some professions will disappear in the future, we know that there are shortcomings that will be even greater, but we also know where our strengths are and where we can be a model of excellence.”
