Imagine this – a concert by Marko Perković Thompson, scheduled for July 5th at the Zagreb Hippodrome, has completely disrupted the grading of the state matura exams! Yes, you read that right. Around a thousand graders, mostly teachers, were supposed to grade exams on that very day, but had to cancel because they couldn’t get to the Velesajam due to the chaos the concert would cause.
The director of the National Center for External Evaluation of Education, Vinko Filipović, explained that it was assessed that grading could not be conducted on the day of the concert. Although they checked with the police whether traffic regulations would hinder graders’ arrival a day earlier, the answer was that there would be no obstacles. However, Saturday was scrapped, and grading postponed.
This decision caused an uproar among students and teachers because the dates for publishing preliminary matura results are July 9th, and final results on July 16th, which means the entire university admission process is at risk. Imagine – because of one concert, thousands of young people might face problems with their future education!
Was it worth it? Marko Perković Thompson is known for his concerts that gather large crowds, but is it justified that the education system suffers because of it? Did anyone consider how irresponsible this is towards young people taking the most important exams of their lives?
If you have an opinion, feel free to share it – maybe it’s time to ask ourselves what’s more important: music or the future of our children?
