Serbian President Boris Tadic said Saturday that the ideal number of ministries for a country the size of Serbia would be between 10 and 15, adding that it mostly depends on the country's political system whether the size of the public administration is going to be reduced or not.

The political and electoral systems in Serbia are such that they promote large numbers of parties in the parliament, increasing the chances of a coalition government, which in turn demands more ministries, Tadic said addressing a university student conference in Belgrade.

The political system should be such that it favours smaller numbers of parties in the parliament, Tadic noted.

"This is not intended to erase political ideas, but to group them with several other political parties," the president explained.

However, this alone would not cut down the number of public employees, said Tadic. He feels that Serbia should have 150 parliament members and 10 to 15 ministers, but does not think it would save a lot of money.

When it comes to education, the president remarked that the government was short on funds, but that education was not the least important thing when deciding on the budget.

According to Tadic, "there is not enough money to invest in the future."

"Unfortunately, we do not have enough money to invest in science and education in the amount required to gain quick results in technological development, which is a big structural problem for the society," he stated.

This government should be remembered for investing in education and science, and not just road construction, Tadic concluded.