The Government of Republic of Srpska held today its 72^nd regular session during which it approved the changes and amendments to three laws with regard to preschool, primary and secondary education.

Proposed amendments to the Law on Preschool Education prescribe that children without parental care and children with disabilities will have preschool classes free of charge.

Minister of Education and Culture Natalija Trivić stated that the money for free attendance of preschool institutions for children with development difficulties and without parental care will be provided from the budget of republic of Srpska and that it was a part of pro-natalist measures.

"In underdeveloped local communities where there are no preschool institutions, schools for children with disabilities and institutions of social care will perform preschool education within a special department or organizational unit. We want to enable children in such local communities to be able also to attend preschool education", Minister Trivić explained and added that the law also included a pre-school program which has been implemented in previous years in cooperation with preschool institutions and also offered the possibility that in places where there are no preschool institutions, this program can take place in primary schools in order to include as many children as possible.

As for the changes in the field of primary education, Minister Trivić said it referred primarily to innovation of the curriculum and the innovative approach to teaching and organization of teaching as envisaged by the Action Plan for Education Reform.

"It was necessary to introduce new legal provisions that primarily refer to organization of optional classes so that children can choose between courses according to their interests and affinities that they want to attend as part of the optional classes", Minister Trivić pointed out.

The changes further prescribe the way how the inspection of the employees in schools will be performed and it is planned to adopt a rulebook on the textbook standards for primary and secondary schools to define the textbook content and teaching outcomes.

Minister Trivić further said that proposed amendments to the Law on Secondary Education referred to secondary vocational schools and definition of secondary art schools to include music, ballet and art schools.

"We have prescribed that practical classes with the employer will include up to 25 percent of the total practical classes and we have also introduced the term project classes which differs from practical classes. The term of art school was often too generalized and not specific enough what it meant so we had to define the artistic occupations. We have therefore introduced a new profession of culture and art", Minister Trivić said adding that the possibility was given for students to enroll electronically.

Minister Trivić concluded by saying that it had been planned that those draft laws would be sent to the National Assembly for consideration in a regular procedure. However, due to the situation caused by coronavirus epidemic, they will be enacted following the urgent procedure of adoption which was necessary in order to proceed with the Action Plan for Education Reform in September because otherwise a year would be lost.