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Prime Minister Pahor attends the gala ceremony of the 200th anniversary of Kranj Grammar School

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, today attended the gala ceremony on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Kranj Grammar School, where he delivered an address and presented his perception of the role of education system in creating the Slovenian identity and ensuring our role in the world of tomorrow. In his introductory address, the Prime Minister pointed out that we Slovenians are not a military or political power and do not possess relevant raw materials, but we do have people and their knowledge.

 

(Photo: Nebojša Tejić/SPA)

 

“The institutions which contribute to the fact that knowledge has become a priority value deserve all our respect”, emphasised the Slovenian Prime Minister and added that not many European countries had such a long-standing tradition of compulsory and mass education as Slovenia. “This education has been and still is of key importance for the formation of national awareness.” The introduction of the Slovene language into schools has proved that it is possible to raise the Slovenian intelligentsia. The newly developed expertise has then guided Slovenia and created the idea of a united Slovenia and other visionary ideas on how to preserve our nation during rough times. On this important anniversary, the Prime Minister thanked professors “who rather than forcing us to learn things by heart formed us to become personalities, and by hard work at grammar schools helped us to grow from teenagers to mature persons." At the close of his address, the Prime Minister Pahor said to the present students – as a friend and not as the Prime Minister – that they had “an incredible opportunity to be in a situation when they can enjoy life while at the same time they obtain knowledge which will protect their dreams of the future.”