President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has said she respects the dignity and work of teachers and that it is a constitutional right to strike, but that it is also children's constitutional right to an education and that the current situation in education is a consequence of the "harmful policy" of the former Zoran Milanovic cabinet.

The president’s office issued a press release with her position on the ongoing teachers’ strike on Friday after education employees turned down a government offer of higher wage supplements, insisting on higher job complexity indices.

The president said that in its constitution and the international documents it adopted, Croatia undertook the duty to ensure the right to an education for all its citizens.

“Since children don’t have a political voice to fight for their rights, it is the duty of adults to advocate their best interests and see that their rights, including to education, are respected,” she said.

According to her, the Milanovic government was responsible for the current situation in education because it reduced teachers’ wage indices twice.

Since Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and school unions’ representatives failed to reach an agreement on Friday and the school strike is continuing, the president called on both sides to find a solution “at the table.”

She urged them “to find the best possible solution by taking into account the status and dignity of teachers as well as the financial situation in the country and the interests of students and all citizens.”

“It is a fact that teachers are one of the pillars of society and we must absolutely resolve their status, and it is up to the government and the unions to reach an agreement on that,” the president said.