CRO EDUCATION MINISTER SPEAKS AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE MINISTERIAL CON FERENCE

FERENCE KRISTIANSAND, Norway, June 23 (Hina) - Croatian Education Minister Ljilja Vokic on Monday addressed the participants in a Council of Europe ministerial conference on education, taking place in the Norwegian town of Kristiansand between 22 and 24 June. Vokic spoke about education in Croatia at a work meeting of ministers and heads of delegations, whose topic was secondary school education and the study of history and foreign languages. In education policy Croatia did not lag significantly behind European countries, Vokic said after the meeting, adding that in some issues Croatia even led the way. She pointed out that Croatia was the first among countries in transition to introduce a two-way system, and that not every European country had alternative school books. "Croatia gives its minorities such rights in education as no other European country", said Vokic, and announced that on Tuesday, the last day of the conference, she would speak about the schooling of minorities in UN-administered eastern Slavonia, and hold a press conference. The Council of Europe's ministerial conference on education focuses on secondary school education, education on human rights, foreign languages, history, and cooperation with new democracies, with a stress on education in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and eastern Slavonia. Taking part in the conference are 26 education ministers and the heads of delegations from 47 countries. (hina) ha jn 231535 MET jun 97