Mojca Škrinjar

Mojca Škrinjar was born on 30 November 1955 in Ljubljana, where she has lived her entire life and completed her education. She attended the classical programme at Šubičeva Upper Secondary School and graduated from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana, where she obtained the title of Professor of English and German.

She has consistently pursued a career in education, initially as a teacher at Majda Vrhovnik Primary School in Ljubljana, where she introduced new teaching methods, and subsequently as the long-serving headteacher of Spodnja Šiška Primary School. She was instrumental in the introduction of new teaching methods, including the integration of components of the Montessori education method and the establishment of the first international department at the primary level within the Slovenian educational system. Her efforts were dedicated to an educational concept based on balancing rights and responsibilities, and fostering dialogue among teachers, parents and pupils. During this period, the school building was completely renovated and extended, one of the largest school libraries in Slovenia was established, and pupils' achievements in knowledge, arts and sports increased.

When presented with a new challenge, she accepted the position of Director-General for Preschool and Basic Education at the Ministry of Education under Minister Milan Zver. Her aim was to transfer good practices from schools to the entire education system. She incorporated her experience into concepts that were subsequently adopted in the Primary School Act, including an entirely new chapter entitled 'School Education Activities'. During this period, she also conceptualised the Available Places in Kindergartens application, which simplified kindergarten enrolment and made the process more transparent.

After completing her term of office, she was appointed Head of the Kranj organisational unit of the National Education Institute. In this role, she focused primarily on mutual learning, with schools in the Gorenjska region sharing good practices and paying special attention to cross-curricular integration.

This was followed by a short but extremely enjoyable period during which she served as Director of CIRIUS Kamnik, an institution for young people with disabilities. During this time, she paid particular attention to the well-being of pupils and students.

She then accepted a new challenge, serving as State Secretary under Minister Žiga Turk. Following that term, she continued her professional career as Assistant Director at the public institution Študentski dom Ljubljana (Ljubljana Student Hall of Residence), where she assisted students with projects that were subsequently featured in their theses and subsequent employment. These projects included the architectural refurbishment of common areas, upgrading the internet network across 29 student halls of residence in Ljubljana, establishing community halls of residence for students, installing sports facilities in residential buildings and outdoor areas, and developing a sports concept. Students thus gained references and launched their careers, with some achieving outstanding success. She conceptualised the digitalisation of business operations, thereby contributing to business transparency, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. She also encouraged the establishment of student study rooms and the systemic introduction of sports activities.

Digitalisation brought her back to the Ministry of Education under Dr Mateja Brenčič's leadership, where she designed the "Smart School" concept for digital leadership and governance. She concluded her professional career by serving as a Deputy to the National Assembly. She then returned briefly to complete a project before retiring. Throughout her career, she remained committed to her vision of digitalising school leadership and governance in a way that would reduce bureaucracy and establish transparency and analytics.

Because of this, and because she believes that everyone has a talent that needs to be discovered and developed, that one must think outside the box, and that Slovenia can become a place of spiritual and material prosperity with its foundations rooted in upbringing and education, she accepted a new challenge and responded to the invitation of the Minister of Education, Science and Youth. Therefore, in April 2026, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia appointed her as State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth.

Mojca Škrinjar also served as a community councillor and, for three terms, as a city councillor in Ljubljana. During her time in office, she worked to ensure high standards in kindergartens and schools, to promote the health of Ljubljana's residents, and to protect the city's cultural heritage. She has a particular appreciation for the work of Jože Plečnik and Ljubljana's other architectural gems. She was a member of numerous primary and secondary school boards, as well as Chair of both the Health Committee and the Street-Naming Commission in the City Municipality of Ljubljana. Under her leadership, the commission proposed, and the City Council approved, the naming of Maria Theresa Square (Trg Marije Terezije) in Ljubljana.

Mojca Škrinjar is married and has two adult children and a grandson. She has been politically active since the JBTZ trial, and is Vice President of both the Association for the Values of Slovenia's Independence and the seniors of the European People's Party (ESU). Her motto is that life is not a collection of achievements, but of experiences, and that the focus should be on people.