Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Friday primary and secondary school students accounted for 8.7% of coronavirus cases and that this was an argument in favour of schools staying open, adding that no county had requested switching to online classes.

Speaking on Croatian Television, he said not even counties with very high coronavirus numbers had opted for closing schools, adding that the impact of online classes “is very hard” on students.

As for a longer-school-days project starting next autumn, Fuchs said it was chosen because the hours Croatian students spent in school was far below the EU average, adding that the project would expand and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.

Speaking of the reconstruction of schools damaged in the 2020 earthquakes, the minister said that in Zagreb the reconstruction of some was put in the remit of the city and that the mayor had said they would be rebuilt by the next school year.

He said new schools would be built in Sisak and Petrinja.