Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Friday that 84 percent of high schools in Zagreb had expressed interest in introducing the new School and Community program, which is expected to launch in September.

“Forty-seven secondary schools and 116 teachers have expressed an interest in the School and Community subject,” Tomasevic said at a news conference where the program was presented to reporters.

School and Community is billed as an innovative education program which developed by educators from the University of Rijeka and the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb. The program is based around getting students to propose solutions to problems they identify in their community.

Head of the Institute for Social Research, Boris Jokic, said that the purpose of the subject  – which will be elective – is “for the voice of young people to be heard, for young people to connect with one another and feel that their being active in the local community can be useful.”

Around 150 teachers will undergo a five-month training program so that as of next year they can start teaching program.

The cost of the training courses and of the implementation of the subject in schools will be covered by the City of Zagreb, which, Tomasevic said, would amount to 1 percent of the annual budget of the city’s Education Department.

Commenting on the extension of the deadline for applying for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund to repair damage caused by the 2020 earthquakes, the mayor said that it was good news for everyone.

“Had June remained as the deadline, we would have absorbed around 1 billion kuna. Now we will be able to absorb more, but, I would say, not significantly more,” Tomasevic said, stressing that the initial allocation was too high considering the actual damage.