HRT to broadcast lessons for primary school students from grades 1 to 4

(Patria) - The Government of the Republic of Croatia decided at its session on Thursday to involve Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) in the implementation of the curriculum and distance learning, under the conditions of the declared coronavirus epidemic in the country.

The coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) was declared on Wednesday across the entire territory of Croatia, and HRT is therefore tasked with ensuring the necessary conditions for the implementation of the curriculum and distance learning.

A special program for students on HRT's third channel

The Ministry of Science and Education is tasked with providing teaching staff who will conduct lessons by grade, starting with the first grade in the earliest time slot, up to the fourth grade in a later time slot, and a special program will be organized on HRT's third channel for this purpose, the decision states.

This concerns the holding of classes in Istria County, where, as a precautionary measure, the suspension of classes in schools and higher education institutions comes into effect from tomorrow.

The lessons will follow the curricula, i.e., the programs of subjects in the lower grades of primary school, and will use open educational materials, materials from HRT's educational and school program, as well as materials created specifically for this occasion.

Students in higher grades of primary school and secondary school students will follow lessons via the internet, but for students in lower grades of primary school, this approach is not suitable due to their age and safety.

"Today and tomorrow we are testing what should start live from Monday for lower-grade students in Istria County, while for higher-grade students and secondary school students, appropriate materials can already be found today in the internet environment," said State Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Education Branka Ramljak.

She appealed to parents to ensure that someone is with the children while this teaching takes place, as it is very important that children receive everything that is intended, and their teachers will also be involved in the entire process.

The government amended the decision on establishing a Working Group for improving business conditions in Croatia, expanding its composition and competence to monitor the impact of the coronavirus on the Croatian economy and propose measures to minimize negative effects.

"The Working Group will inform the Government and the European Commission in writing at least once every seven days about its findings, during the period of the threat caused by the coronavirus," said Minister of Economy Darko Horvat.

Allocation of protective equipment to the Ministry of Health

At the session, a decision was also made to allocate protective equipment from strategic commodity reserves to the Ministry of Health free of charge, for the protection of staff and employees of hospitals, health institutions, and other services from possible coronavirus infection.

The Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, i.e., the Directorate for Commodity Reserves, delivered at the beginning of February to the Crisis Staff of the Ministry of Health 3,840 protective masks and 1,000 protective suits from strategic commodity reserves, which were distributed to hospitals across the country. They are worth a total of 268,000 kuna, and this amount will be charged to the Ministry.

The government also made a decision to provide urgent material aid to Greece, which, in order to prepare for an increased influx of migrants, requested assistance through the Coordination Center for Emergency Response of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

Based on this decision, the Ministry of the Interior will donate and ensure the transport of material aid (tents, electric generators, sleeping bags, and woolen blankets), with a financial equivalent of 200,000 kuna.

A decision was made to call early elections for the City Council of Orahovica and the Municipal Council of Otok, which were dissolved because they did not adopt a decision on the budget or a decision on temporary financing within the legal deadline. The elections will be held on Sunday, April 19.