ZAGREB, February 20, 2020 – Science and Education Minister Blaženka Divjak said on Thursday that she did not have “anything particularly good to say” about Jadranka Žarković, whom President Zoran Milanović chose to be his advisor on education, and that it would be better to wait for Žarković’s first moves.
“If I don’t have anything good to say about people, I rather wait for them to make their first moves,” Divjak told reporters in Brussels, where she attended a meeting of the Council of the EU on education.
Milanovic has confirmed that Žarković, a psychologist and former head of the Education and Teacher Training Agency, will be his advisor on education, dismissing media reports that as the head of the Education and Teacher Training Agency, she used to send teachers and children to lectures organised by “In the Name of Family” association and the association of retired generals.
Žarković was appointed head of the Education and Teacher Training Agency during Milanović’s term as prime minister in 2015, when Vedran Mornar was Science and Education Minister.
She was chosen among as many as 12 candidates, and the media reported at the time that the selection procedure was shrouded in secrecy.
The media also questioned her decision, made at the start of her term, to abolish an award for the most successful Croatian students participating in national and international competitions.
Žarković taught psychology for a long time at one of Zagreb’s high schools, which was attended by one of Milanović’s two sons.
More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.
