Direkt Draht mit die Kanzler, 1580

[Zabuza825]

Alvan 3rd, 1580, 7 PM (Vien Time)
Vien, Volta

Christel Schäfer: Good evening. We are live with the Direct Wire with the Chancellor. I am one of your hosts, Christel Schäfer, reporter for Volta One and regular contributor to Die Volta-Bericht. I am joined by Iztli Olin, reporter for Vien TV.

Iztli Olin: This is being broadcast live on Volta Channel One, you can also watch the broadcast live through the internet on the VTV website, as well as on Ogo Volta, and many other networks. You can also listen live on Voltan People's Radio.

Christel Schäfer: Our collegues Hannes Straub, Engel Protz, Katja Haas, and Berta Hofmann will be helping us in the studio. Isabell Beringer and Gerulf Scheinberg will be helping us in the call center.

Iztli Olin: Our guests at the studio include people from all walks of life. With us we have farmers, students, teachers, peasants, intellectuals, law enforcement officers, active military personnel, veterans, doctors, and many more.

Christel Schäfer: Today we have questions from all over Volta regarding a variety of issues. We have questions covering everything from quality of life, housing quality, utilities, prices of commodities, foreign relations, and many others. We will be asking questions about what is on the minds of all Voltans.

Iztli Olin: Answering these questions will be the star of todays show, the Chancellor of the Socialist Federal Republic of Volta, please welcome, Ernst Krenz.


*Ernst Krenz enters and takes a seat*

Ernst Krenz: Good evening comrades.

Christel Schäfer: Good evening.

Iztli Olin: Good evening. Welcome to the studio, behind us you can see one of many call centers that we have set up that collects the questions that people are senting you for this Direct Wire. These call centers were established by VNF because we anticipated that a single call center would not be able to cope with the amount of calls that we would get.

There are many calls coming in every second, via telephone, SMS, MMS, and even new video calls. If you look around you will see many of our comrades busy taking the incoming calls.

Ernst Krenz: They are doing an excellent job.

Christel Schäfer: Let me show you how it works. This operator is taking a call right now, it is coming from Lövavald. It appears to be regarding infrastructure.

Ernst Krenz: We should get straight to the heart of things, let's hear it.

Question: Hello Chancellor, my name is Lorenz, I live in Lövavald. I am here in front of a major road on the outskirts of the city, and look at this! It's outrageous. There are cracks everywhere, potholes too. It's ridiculous. The local authorities keep saying that it will be repaired, but only the roads in the inner city have been repaired. They say that the outskirts will be repaired as well, but they've been saying that for 3 years now and nothing's happened.

Ernst Krenz: This is in the outskirts of the city, correct?

Response: Yes, it is. The roads in the center of the city have all been repaired.

Ernst Krenz: And you've been waiting three years for the repairs to come to the outskirts?

Response: Yes.

Ernst Krenz: What is your name?

Response: Lorenz.

Ernst Krenz: Lorenz, this is a problem that is around all over Volta, not just Lövavald. I know just from looking at some of what people say on social media that there are a lot of complaints about the roads, especially from less populated areas of the country. Not exclusively from less populated areas of the countries, some from more highly populated areas as well, but there were a great deal more from less populated areas of the country.

This isn't some fluke, in spite of what some members of the party may claim. It is a very real problem that people in Volta have to deal with every day of their lives.

The situation got like this because the central government gives the task of building and maintaining infrastructure largely to local authorities, something that worked well in the past. But now, some local authorities have been slacking off on their jobs, neglecting some functions that they consider non-essential such as infrastructure maintanence. Well, it might not be essential to them, but it certainly is essential to a lot of people and for this reason I believe that this is an issue that the government needs to address.

Once all of my planned reforms, the Neues System, has been fully implemented, the central government should go on a massive infrastructure project so that we can not only repair the infrastructure of Volta, but also bring it up to and maybe even exceed the standards in place in many other countries. The government also needs to implement some measure to encourage local governments to properly maintain the infrastructure of their regions, so that this doesn't become an issue again in the future.

I understand that some people may have concerns regarding how much this will cost, but infrastructure doesn't just effect the average person traveling. Infrastructure that's too poor in quality can negatively impact economic development. The net positive effect of getting our infrastructure on par with that of other countries will be massive. So, spending a few billion on repairing and upgrading infrastructure shouldn't really be a problem.

However, I have to caution against expecting anything to happen instantly. This is not an issue that's going to go away with the blink of an eye, and it will not be easy or quick to fix. I have to ask you to be patient with the government, we promise we will address this. Lorenz, I also encourage you to monitor your local government and record what they are and aren't doing about the issue, we need to pressure them into actually doing their job and repairing the infrastructure and there is no better way to do that than to hold the authorities accountable.

Christel Schäfer: We may return to this subject later on, that was a good start. Now let's look at some other questions. We are also taking questions from abroad as well as domestically, let's turn to one of the questions from a foreign country right now.

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OOC: If you want to post a question, please be sure to include the name of who is asking the question as well as what the question is as well as what nation they are from. Oh, and this TV thing is entirely in the Voltan language, so it would have to be from someone where it would make sense that they speak Voltan.

[BrumBrum]

Recent reports from GBC have suggested Mamadou Obama was considering deepening relations.Would you welcome stronger relations given his right wing stances and would such a deepening relations be in lime with revolutionary value?( Karlmann Krause, businessman)

[Zabuza825]

Ernst Krenz: I presume that you live in Goldecia considering you are talking about GBC.

I will not deny that Mamadou Obama has some stances that are more right wing, in fact I strongly disagree with a number of his proposed policies. Particularly, his proposal to limit immigrants to their country to those with an annual income of £20,000 minimum, with the amount increasing for couples and families, would effectively mean that the vast majority of Voltans will be barred from entering Goldecia based on income alone, and this is not even addressing the issue that when someone moves from one country to another they have to find a new job so temporarily they'd be without an income. Furthermore his proposal to limit the amount that the minimum wage can increase will harm the poorest in their country, and his anti-union stances will no doubt lead to large corporations being able to exploit the worker more easily.

But at the same time, it is the Goldecian people that voted him in. They voted him in in spite of his clearly anti-worker stances, and the choice of the Goldecian people is something that the government is going to have to respect, whether we like it or not. The previous administration's refusal to even deal with a country that is not communist, or heck even deal with a country that is communist but doesn't follow our exact interpretation of communism, has caused Volta to make numerous unnecessary enemies in the world. If we really want to be able to have a meaningful influence in the world, we need to look beyond the narrow scope of our ideology.

Mr. Obama has extended a metaphorical olive branch to Volta, something that he must have done knowing the strong disagreements that we have. I'm not going to simply ignore this, in fact I welcome his moves to mend ties. Right now we have a chance to repair relations with Goldecia, I am not about to abandon that opportunity because of some political disagreements that we may have.

Regarding the question of whether this would be in line with the revolutionary values, I see no contradiction there. Just because the revolution happened that doesn't mean we have to make enemies with everyone who doesn't agree with us. Besides, it is my hope that we can maintain a friendly relationship with non-communist countries while at the same time supporting the global worker's movement.

Christel Schäfer: Let me remind you right now that we are receiving questions, if you would like to submit a question you may do so by calling the free number 10 5401-2323. We have already received nearly half a million calls. Alternatively, you can text your question to the number 2230. We have received nearly 240,000 text messages. In fact, let's go to one of those text messages right now.

Iztli Olin: Goldecian Prime Minister Mamadou Obama has specifically expressed interest in expanding trade with Volta, so let us expand further on this subject. In the Congress of the Communist Party of Volta, held every 4 years, you specifically stated that the Neues System will include reforms to trade law. Many people are asking, what specifically does this mean?

Liselotte Sheinfeld from Köstritz asks, "What will the reforms with international trade mean? Will it mean this mean that capitalism will come back into Volta?"

Ernst Krenz: Absolutely not. Just because we trade with other countries doesn't mean that capitalism will find it's way back into Volta. You see, the expanded trade will merely give us greater access to the global economy. Our previous refusal to deal with non-communist countries caused us to be unnecessarily isolated from the world economy, and that will only harm us. These reforms are not meant to open the floodgates to capitalism, and neither I nor the Communist Party would ever approve of measures that do that. What it does do instead is give us greater access to products that were produced abroad, and give the world economy more access to products that were produced within Volta.

Merely doing that will never open the floodgates to capitalism, simply because these other countries still have to follow our rules and regulations when doing business in our country. We may have to change some of our regulations due to the fact that some of the regulations are too strict even for Voltans to follow, but it will not bring back capitalism. The hope is to improve the situation of the overall Voltan economy by giving us more access to foreign products.

Iztli Olin: I want to inform viewers that we are also accepting calls via the internet, a new development for Volta. You can send your questions through the social networking site kyberkafe.vo by joining this programs official group. So far we have over 13,000 registered users, almost all of whom are under the age of 30, and over 30,000 questions. This method of communicating with the Chancellor has proven unexpectedly popular, particularly among the younger generation. In fact, let us go to one of those questions right now.

Christel Schäfer: Speaking of the economy, we have a lot of questions about it. We have a question from Lieselotte Fielder, a student at Senevald University. She has a question about economic growth. She says "The official statistics for GDP growth has been under 1% for the past few years, yet the government seems to maintain that this slow growth is good for Volta. This figure seems too slow to me, can you please tell me is this slow GDP growth really a good thing, if so why and if not what will the government do to try and get it growing faster?"

Ernst Krenz: Well, Lieselotte, you ask a difficult question. It is true that the government has until now maintained that this slow growth is good for the Voltan economy. And to a certain extent the government is right, there is such thing as GDP growth that is too fast. Look at some of the countries in the world where their GDP growth is something like 20%, that kind of growth simply is not sustainable in the long run. It will inevitably slow down, or even worse, turn into a decline when a bubble bursts. When that happens, then it is the average person that suffers as the entire economy has to readjust to not experiencing such rapid growth.

That having been said, the current economic growth rate of Volta is something that I believe is too slow. Less than 1% is a very small number, and that is something that I want to raise. That is why I have been pushing through the Neues System. One of the reforms in the Neues System is the adoption of a certain kind of market socialism, and once that has been implemented I believe it will make economic growth jumpstart. My hope is that we can reach a growth rate of at least 4%, preferably higher.

Iztli Olin: Let us go back to one of the questions from outside of Volta.

[Flo]

Being an international football fan, my question is this: when will Volta finally invest in proper football development? Volta is a large nation with untapped potential if it only got a bit of investment.

[Blacaria]

Name: Erin Jepsen
Location: Oslanburg

Do you have any plans to widen Voltan air routes to a wider spectrum of nations, instead of solely focusing on states such as Sevreyane ? Perhaps to states such as Nyland, Florinthus and the Holy Lanlanian Empire?

[Zabuza825]

Iztli Olin: It seems we have a question about football. Rolf Raske asks, "Being an international football fan, my question is this: when will Volta finally invest in proper football development?" He also says that, quote, "Volta is a large nation with untapped potential if it only got a bit of investment."

Ernst Krenz: Excellent question. I'm sure that all of us in Volta have an appreciation for the hard work that our athletes do for us. It's actually kind of sad that we haven't been trying to support them as much as we could. For some reason, I don't understand why, the Voltan Football Association has never seemed to be that interested in investing in our national team, only the domestic ones. The reason this is is beyond me, I don't understand what's going through the heads of some of the people who run that organization. But this is the only explanation I can come up with for some of the decisions they make, decisions which seem like decisions that shouldn't be made if you really want to improve the state of the team.

For example, the Voltan Football Association seems to be reluctant to offer players in the Voltan Oberliga a chance to play in the international arena, in fact often times the best players in Volta don't get offers. Instead the offers are given to other players whom people in Volta often have never heard of before their recruitment. Not this is not to say those players are bad, I do believe these players are chosen for merit. But if it's entirely based on merit, then why are those skilled domestic players not getting offers? Literally the only answer to that I can think of is that the Football Association is more focused on keeping the domestic leagues competative than they are about making Volta competative on the international field.

Hopefully this will change soon, but unfortunately the situation is beyond my control. Government intervention in football associations isn't exactly something that goes well with the people who run organizations like SIFA, and I'd rather not be the reason that our team gets suspended. Perhaps if more Voltans were to ask the Voltan Football Association to make Volta competative on the international level that would change, but I can assure you that if the government were to intervene in this it would not end in a way that we would be happy with.

Christel Schäfer: Going back to the topic of transportation, Eric Jepsen from Oslanburg asks "Do you have any plans to widen Voltan air routes to a wider spectrum of nations, instead of solely focusing on states such as Sevreyane? Perhaps to states such as Nyland, Florinthus and the Holy Lanlanian Empire?"

Ernst Krens: That is definitely something the government will be working to do. In fact it is part of the reforms that I am planning for the country, we can't keep ourselves completely isolated from the rest of the world and expect to do well after all. That's not to say we're completely isolated right now, we do enjoy quite close relations with Severyane and a number of other countries. However, often times our friendly relations are limited to those countries, and partially as a result of that air travel to and from Volta is often limited in destinations as well. This is something that I would like to change in the near future. In terms of the exact countries, Nyland, Florinthus, and Lanlania are all fairly high on the list of countries I would like to open relations with.

Iztli Olin: On the topic of the reforms, we have a lot of questions coming in about them. In fact we have a video call right now from someone in Friedberg who has a question about this very topic. Let's go to him.

Question: Hello Chancellor, my name is Leopold Schröder. When you were appointed Chancellor by the Federal Assembly you made reforms one of your top priorities, and in fact have carried through a lot of those reforms. Many people where I live love your reforms, we believe that it's improving our lives and we'd like to see it continue.

(applause)

Question: But one of the reforms you promised was to change the constitution. You promised to hold a constitutional convention and change the constitution, yet that constitutional convention has been delayed again and again. So my question is, when will this constitutional convention actually happen?

Ernst Krenz: You ask an Excellent question uh.... Leopold, correct?

Response: Yes.

Ernst Krenz: I have to admit that when I promised the constitutional convention I did not fully understand the complexities involved in setting one up. There have been many unexpected delays stemming from many different reasons, reasons which I won't get into because that alone would fill in the entire 3 hour segment we have here. But I stand by my promise for a constitutional convention. I believe that changing the constitution is a necessary step in the reforms that I'd like to see Volta adopt. I can't really give you any specific date by which it will happen, but I can tell you that I hope the constitutional convention will happen sometime before the end of this year.

Christel Schäfer: Let's move from politics into something a little more light-hearted. We have also been getting a lot of questions from children as well. Here's one from Diana Kruger, an 10 year old from Vien. She asks "I want to be a Chancellor when I grow up, someone like you. What do I need to become Chancellor? Is it hard to be Chancellor?"

Ernst Krenz: To become Chancellor you need hardwork, dedication, a strong will, and to be able to understand the perspectives of other people. I won't like, it's hard to be Chancellor. Having to lead the country, it's a big responsibility. It isn't one that many people can take. But I'm sure that if you have the will, you work towards it, and you always think about those around you, you can do it.

Christel Schäfer: "Do you prefer your kakauat

Voltan drink, derived from a traditional Tlaloc drink, made from chocolate and chili.
Close

hot or cold?" Matlatl Ozelot, age 8.

Ernst Krenz: I prefer it hot.

Christel Schäfer: Thank you. Let's again go to some questions from abroad.

[BrumBrum]

Chancellor Krenz, my name is Volker Munz , I am 12 and hd to leave due to my bad treatment in Volta because I am Autistic. My family and I didn't want to as we love Volta but we couldn't live in country that saw me as sick.As you know Volta has had a bad history with its treatment of autistics and I am not the only one who was badly treated , with Volta even outright oppressing people like me.Now I know many reforms have made a huge difference but what do you plan to do to integrate autistics in a positive way that allows them to be themselves and will the state appologise for its past and give the deserved compensation? Also do you agree if we want to get the best out of autistics we need to accept them in positive way , work to their strengths and get them involved in the party in a meaningful way? ( Volker Muntz a 12 year old Voltan abroad)

[Aerandariel]

"Chancellor Krenz, my name is Leos Thias and I am a reporter for the Angirisian Foreign Policy Inquirer. My question, sir, is with the recent rise of Akhadist terrorism in the Near East and around the world where do you see Volta's place in that battle, if any? Or do you think more regional powers, like the Angirisian and Mestran Empires in the Near East, should bear the bulk of responsibility?"

[Ceausescu]

Chancellor Krenz, my name is Octavian Dumitru and I am a reporter for Info.Net. Given recent events which seem to indicate the formation of closer ties with the Allied States, such as the Voltan purchase of Carpathian military hardware, is it possible for Volta to join the Trilateral Alliance in the near future?

Also, a second question: There are rumors circulating about possible further purchases of Carpathian military hardware, by Volta, such as the NX-36 assault rifle, CARPAT camouflage and even X-17 "Hatchet" Air Superiority Fighters. Can you confirm any of these rumors? If so, please explain what made you choose Carpathian hardware, over Severyan or Nylander?

Question number three: Would Volta consider approving the opening of a local Info.Net office? This would also mean the creation of a Voltan branch of the CBN television and radio channels, as well as a printed newspaper.

And the final question: Considering the nearly fifteen years since obtaining independence, as well as the fact that the Monroe Republic has repeatedly and consistently demonstrated that it is a viable state with viable, functioning institutions, as well as its consistent track record of respecting civil rights and constitutional order, is Volta going to officially recognize the Monroe Republic as an independent, sovereign state?

[Zabuza825]

Christel Schäfer: We have one question from a 12 year old boy, a Voltan expatriate who claims his family was forced to leave the country. Let's see what he has to say.

Question: Chancellor Krenz, my name is Volker Munz , I am 12 and had to leave due to my bad treatment in Volta because I am Autistic. My family and I didn't want to as we love Volta but we couldn't live in country that saw me as sick. As you know Volta has had a bad history with its treatment of autistics and I am not the only one who was badly treated , with Volta even outright oppressing people like me. Now I know many reforms have made a huge difference but what do you plan to do to integrate autistics in a positive way that allows them to be themselves and will the state apologise for its past and give the deserved compensation? Also do you agree if we want to get the best out of autistics we need to accept them in positive way, work to their strengths and get them involved in the party in a meaningful way?

Ernst Krenz: Well, this is a very difficult question. I will definitely acknowledge that the government has in the past done some horrible things to the autistic community in Volta, acts that undoubtedly led to them being discriminated against when it was not justified at all. I also feel that the government should apologize for it's failures, particularly the failure to recognize sociopathic hysteria as a disorder separate and unrelated to the autism spectrum. This one failure can be said have been the root cause of most of the problems the autistic community in Volta faces, considering that most policy decisions regarding the autistic community that were made by the government were in some way affected by that failure. This is something that the government needs to face, it is a wrong that needs to be corrected.

Regarding the question of providing compensation, I believe that the government should do that. But not in the form of monetary compensation. If we were to give monetary compensation, that would simply give them temporary relief. Once that money runs out they simply go back to the situation they were in before, what good would that do? No, compensation has to come in policy changes meant to correct this wrong. Government programs meant to guarantee employment need to be expanded to allow autistic people to be granted jobs much easier. We also need to provide more support services to those who are autistic, so that they can better function in society. Compensation shouldn't be just giving away money and calling it a day, it needs to take the form of actual policy decisions meant to fix the damage that was done.

A number of policies have been proposed in the government regarding that recently. These proposals include reforming the guaranteed employment program to accommodate the needs of autistic people, reforming and expanding support services for autistic people, and implementing mandatory early-screening for newborn children to help detect autism at an early age so that necessary support can be given as soon as possible. There are even proposals that there should be a formal branch of government, made up of not only experts in autism but also people with autism themselves, that advises the government on policy proposals that would directly impact the autistic community. All of these ideas have my full endorsement, though how many of them get enacted is a question that can only be answered after each proposal has been reviewed by the Federal Assembly.

And to answer your final question, none of these proposals would have my endorsement if I didn't believe one thing. That is that the problems the autistic community in Volta face is not because of their own failures, but because the rest of the country failed to provide an accommodating environment that would allow them to thrive. I believe that autistic people can be just as successful as others, the reason that they haven't I think is that Volta simply hasn't allowed them to develop to their full potential.

Iztli Olin: We have another question, this one from a reporter in Angiris. Here is the question.

Question: Chancellor Krenz, my name is Leos Thias and I am a reporter for the Angirisian Foreign Policy Inquirer. My question, sir, is with the recent rise of Akhadist terrorism in the Near East and around the world where do you see Volta's place in that battle, if any? Or do you think more regional powers, like the Angirisian and Mestran Empires in the Near East, should bear the bulk of responsibility?

Ernst Krenz: This is an interesting question. Obviously, the Voltan government opposes these terrorists. They are religious fundamentalists that don't represent the overall Akhadist faith, they give all Akhadists a bad name with every act of terror that they do. However, as much as I would like to assist in this program, part of me feels that if Volta gets too involved it could actually backfire. Many people know that the government of Volta is secular, and that the government rejects any sort of religious influence in politics. Now imagine how that would play out in the narrative of the terrorists, I'm certain that many of them would have a propaganda field day. I can already imagine their slogans, for example "destroy the godless infidels", or "protect the religion from godless enemies". We can't have this happening.

For this reason, while I believe Volta should play a role in the fight against terrorism, I think that Volta needs to approach this issue with caution. The best option would probably be for Volta to play no more than a supporting role, with local powers taking the spotlight.

Christel Schäfer: We also have several questions from a reporter in Carpathia. Let's go through them one at a time.

Question:Chancellor Krenz, my name is Octavian Dumitru and I am a reporter for Info.Net. Given recent events which seem to indicate the formation of closer ties with the Allied States, such as the Voltan purchase of Carpathian military hardware, is it possible for Volta to join the Trilateral Alliance in the near future?

Ernst Krenz: Well, I don't see Volta joining the Trilateral Alliance as a full member anytime soon. This is not to say that Volta won't continue to pursue reconciliation with Carpathia, we will definitely continue to do that. Joining the Trilateral Alliance as a full member simply isn't a step that my administration believes would be appropriate considering the current political situation. However, if some form of observer status were available, the government may pursue that.

Question: Also, a second question: There are rumors circulating about possible further purchases of Carpathian military hardware, by Volta, such as the NX-36 assault rifle, CARPAT camouflage and even X-17 "Hatchet" Air Superiority Fighters. Can you confirm any of these rumors? If so, please explain what made you choose Carpathian hardware, over Severyan or Nylander?

Ernst Krenz: Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors. All I can say is that the government is considering all available options, including but not limited to those from Carpathia, and will announce it's decision when it sees fit.

Question: Question number three: Would Volta consider approving the opening of a local Info.Net office? This would also mean the creation of a Voltan branch of the CBN television and radio channels, as well as a printed newspaper.

Ernst Krenz: I cannot say whether or not it would be approved, you would have to go through the legal process of doing so and follow all of our laws. If the decision was left up to me I would approve it, but I cannot say for sure whether or not such a branch would be approved by regulators.

Question: And the final question: Considering the nearly fifteen years since obtaining independence, as well as the fact that the Monroe Republic has repeatedly and consistently demonstrated that it is a viable state with viable, functioning institutions, as well as its consistent track record of respecting civil rights and constitutional order, is Volta going to officially recognize the Monroe Republic as an independent, sovereign state?

Ernst Krenz: Until now Volta has refused to recognize Monroe, and I don't see the government changing that position anytime soon. However, I will acknowledge that for all intents and purposes Monroe is functioning as if it were an stable independent state with viable, functioning institutions. I am open to talks with the leaders of Monroe, though I will emphasize that diplomatic recognition from Volta is contingent upon the resolution of the conflict involving Monroe in a peaceful manner that respects popular sovereignty.

Iztli Olin: Thank you. We also have a question coming from the Socialist State of Tollan, it seems to be a question about education and the Tlaloc language.

Question: I am Cualli Ipil, and I come from the Socialist State of Tollan. Tollan is one of the very few places in Volta where the native Tlaloc people are still a majority, and the Tlaloc language is still thriving. But on a national scale, the Tlaloc language has been on a decline. This is something I find very sad, I feel like an important part of my people’s heritage is going to go away. So my question to you, Chancellor, is do you have any plans on addressing this issue?

Ernst Krenz: I do find it sad that the native tongue of your people has been on the decline. Not only is the Tlaloc language an important part of the heritage of the Tlaloc people, but it also is one of the languages that greatly contributed to the development of the Voltan language. It’s an important part of the culture of all Voltans, not just that of the native people. But this isn’t an issue that has a simple solution, language decline is a complicated issue that can arise from a variety of factors.

That said, the government does have a plan to address this issue. First of all, we plan on encouraging more people in the Socialist State of Tollan, those who don’t speak the native Tlaloc language, to take Tlaloc language classes. Secondly, we plan on adding the Tlaloc language to our elementary and middle school curriculum. Of course, once a child gets older they should be allowed to choose whether or not they want to continue taking those courses, but we will make a concerted effort to teach our children a language that is an important part of our nation's culture and heritage.

Christel Schäfer: Building on the subject of education, we have many people asking if the government has any plans to improve the education situation in Volta. Let’s go to a question from a teacher in Kerseruck and see what she wants to ask.

Question: Hello Chancellor, I am Elsa Hildebrand and I am a middle school teacher in Kerseruck. I have a question about education. Our schools are fairly decent, but they aren’t the best in the world by any measure. Where some foreign countries have already moved to regularly incorporating computers into their classes, we haven’t been able to do anything like that because of a lack of funding. In fact, our education system has largely remained unchanged for the past 30 years. Is there anything the government is planning to do to improve the education situation in Volta, so that our children can grow up to be smarter, more productive members of society?

Ernst Krenz: This is an issue that I’ve thought quite a bit about, and I think it can ultimately boil down to several things. First of all, our education system as a whole needs more funding. Not only do teachers deserve a long-deserved raise, but we need to provide schools with the funds necessary to acquire better learning materials.

Secondly, we need to reform classes so that children are more engaged in them. Sure, there are some Ostaran countries that produce superb results with the standard lecture model, but their specific models come with it’s own set of problems. Namely that children are given a massive amount of pressure to succeed in school, to the point that some children are driven to extremes such as suicide if they fail. I feel that Volta needs to develop it’s own model, one which teaches children what they need to learn and keeps them engaged throughout the classes, pressuring them to where they are learning at a regular pace but not causing them a ridiculous amount of stress.

These reforms will not be easy to make, and I feel that the government shouldn’t act on it’s own when it makes these reforms. Input from not only the educational community, but also experts on child psychology will be key to developing such a system. Perhaps we could look to certain other countries which have had success stories with such models. The point is, we have to develop a model that works for Volta.

I can’t say how soon these reforms will happen, it will most likely happen after the constitutional convention. However, they will happen eventually.

Iztli Olin: Thank you. Let’s again turn to questions from foreign countries.