Education minister says government may top up missing finances in some schools

Education Minister Mikuláš Bek on Monday met with representatives of school unions to discuss funding issues which they claim will threaten the basic operation of schools in many areas. According to the unions, the funds earmarked for schools for this year do not respect previous agreements and in many cases would necessitate laying off essential non-teaching staff such as janitors, cleaners, cooks and IT workers. Minister Bek said that he believed the government would top-up the missing finances in schools where the situation was critical and where local finances were unavailable. School unions are to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday. Some school unions have threatened strike action if the situation is not resolved.