Slovenian Gymnasium in Klagenfurt marking 60th anniversary
Klagenfurt, 9 February - The ceremony marking Culture Day in Austria's Klagenfurt tonight will also be an opportunity to mark the 60th anniversary of the Slovenian Gymnasium, one of the staples of the cultural identity of the Slovenian minority in the province of Carinthia.
The ceremony will be addressed by Slovenian Culture Minister Tone Peršak and school head teacher Zalka Kuchling.
Kuchling has told the STA that the secondary school, which welcomed its first students in September 1957, is a very important institution because it is the only such school in Austria where classes are held in Slovenian.
And given that since 1999 its students have been taught in four languages (also in Italian and English), the school has also regional significance.
"This is a very good approach for the youth's future," the head teacher has assessed, adding that the Slovenian Gymnasium is also the educational heart for the Slovenian minority in Austria, which promotes the Slovenian language in Carinthia.
In the future, the school plans, in cooperation with partners from Slovenia and Italy, to put more emphasis on natural sciences.
The school also cooperates with the Ljubljana-based Jožef Stefan Institute, the Biotechnical Centre from Naklo and the France Prešeren secondary school in Italy's Trieste.
A total of 569 students are enrolled in it this school year, with around 15% of them coming from Slovenia.