No decision was reached on members of expert work group for the implementation of the curricular reform in yesterday’s marathon session of the education ministry’s special commission.

After the commission, tasked with implementing the strategy for the national education reform, failed to reach a decision, Education Minister, Blaženka Divjak, said the commission members had decided to take a two-day recess to “thoroughly evaluate the options before making the final decision”.

“We had several topics to discuss, apart from (choosing) expert group members and their leader, we also analysed changes to the education law which are to be sent to the parliament. However, we decided to take a ‘time-out’ to think before making the final decision on the leader and members of the expert work group. The decision will be made within the deadline set by the government,” Divjak told reporters after the eight-hour session which ended late on Tuesday evening.

When asked to comment on the delay, she said greater consensus was necessary for the decision.

“Without it (consensus), we might jeopardise the way the (reform) process itself will be run, and we all care about making sure that everyone in the expert work group is the right choice,’’ Divjak added.

The expert work group will be tasked with working on the national education reform. Some 97 candidates are considered for the group, and another six for the group’s leadership position. It is widely believed that the biggest issue is the candidacy of senior education ministry official Matko Glunčić, who applied to lead the work group, and which Divjak is strongly opposed to due to his well known criticism of the proposed reform.