Final Word from Thursday, July 10, 2003
A recent photo in Právo showed Education Minister Petra Buzková firing a pistol during a Sport's Day event. Her right finger was on the trigger, but she was aiming with her left eye. As any marksman knows, it's hard to hit the target when you're cross-aiming. Her early efforts in the education field have also been shy of the mark. At a recent conference of the Prague Forum on Education Management and Funding, she baffled international participants with her evident disinterest in education. Her eagerness to back protesting teachers in their efforts to achieve a pay increase prompted Petr Matějů and Radim Valenčík to write in Respekt that her ministry wants more money and power without enacting reforms. Education has gotten short shrift from politicians, businesses and even parents. A strong minister who puts education over career advancement could change this.