SSI: Secondary School in Spisska Stara Ves Didn't Employ Psychologist

Bratislava, January 24 (TASR) - The secondary school in Spisska Stara Ves (Presov region) didn't employ a psychologist and didn't have a school support team, as reported by the State School Inspectorate (SSI) after an inspection carried out at the school last November, inspectorate spokeswoman Katarina Matejkova has stated for TASR in response to last week's tragic knife attack at the school. "The school inspectorate examined the state of provision of safety and security for students and tolerance of diversity in the school environment. The inspection is currently being evaluated," stated Matejkova, adding that the inspection in November had an informative character and its purpose was to monitor the situation across Slovakia. "We plan to publish the results of the inspection later this school term," she said. Matejkova noted that the shortage of psychologists was addressed in the previous school term. The inspectorate, according to the spokeswoman, recommended finding sufficient financial resources to fill posts for specialist employees and to provide necessary psycho-diagnostic tools and testing materials to carry out professional tasks. Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) stated at a press conference on Tuesday (January 21) that the ministry isn't able to manage every school. He stated that ideally, each school should have a school psychologist, but in reality, this isn't the case. "We're heading in that direction, and we are working on it," he added. He also mentioned that the school affected by the tragedy has been promised funds for the immediate provision of a psychologist and for renovating the affected areas of the school. The victims of last week's attack at the grammar school in Spisska Stara Ves were two women, aged 18 and 51, a student and the school's deputy headteacher. Another student was injured. The police have charged the suspect, an 18-year-old student, with premeditated murder. The Specialised Criminal Court remanded him in custody, and he's appealed against this decision. The appeal will be decided by the Supreme Court. lin/df