Higher Education Ministry Fulfilled Most Goals, Says Minister
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has achieved most of the goals it had set for the 2004-2008 period. Investment in education and science has been increasing and better conditions for cooperation between research and business have been created, Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar said on Thursday.
Presenting the achievements of her ministry over the past four years, the minister stressed that direct as well as indirect investment in research and development had increased, including with the introduction of R&D tax breaks for companies. "The curve is rising and we are successfully following [trends]," the minister said.
Ales Mihelic, the head of the ministry's Directorate for Technology, added that the statistical figures would improve as a result of the tax breaks. The fresh investment would bring Slovenia closer to the target of 3% of GDP for R&D.
The ministry has also spent EUR 40m on new dormitories with 1,401 beds and it renovated dormitories with over 1,000 beds for university students. This comes on top of investment in various education infrastructure at all three Slovenian state universities - in Ljubljana, Maribor and Primorsko.
Minister Kucler Dolinar also highlighted the accelerated introduction of Bologna programmes at universities. Over 350 programmes have already been accredited and preparations for the conversion have been stepped up in the natural sciences, arts, sports, social work, teacher training and health.
Finally, the status of employees in higher education has improved with the reform of the wage system for the public sector. On average base wages will increase by 17% by 2010, Kucler Dolinar said.
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