ZAGREB, March 29, 2020 – The Independent Union of Research and Higher Education Employees of Croatia said on Sunday that in addition to doctors, police and the army, employees in the education and research sectors should not be mentioned in public debates on possible public sector wage cuts either.
The union notes that unlike medical workers, civil protection, police and the army, the work of teachers from home, on which online education in the current coronavirus epidemic is based, is not visible to the public even though it requires greater and significantly different engagement on their part.
Interactive communication provides an individual approach to each student and apart from virtual classrooms and staff rooms, teacher-student communication is maintained also through closed groups, social networks and by phone, says the union.
“Work in the education system in the current crisis is much more complex and requires much more time than the usual classes – for teachers and students alike – even though it is not publicly visible like the usual work of educational institutions,” the union says, noting that the system of education is functioning well in the current crisis and that it expects that work to be recognised not only by students and their parents but also by the broader public, notably the government.
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