Meeting between representatives Ministry of Education and dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, after the decision of the Government of Serbia to "split" the Faculty of Philosophy and establish it Faculty of Serbian Studies, is the reason for the protest organized by the assembly of citizens of Mediana. The students of the University of Niš are also invited to the gathering. The meeting is on Monday, November 10, and the location is the "Radon" hotel in Niška Banja, Juzne vesti announced.
The Government's decision, which was adopted on November 6, establishing the Faculty of Serbian Studies by separating the Department of History, Serbian Studies, and Russian Language and Literature from the Philosophical Department, was condemned by the Philosophical Administration. A meeting of the dean and representatives of the Ministry of Education, most likely the assistant minister, has been announced, and the meeting place is neither the Philosophical University nor the University of Niš, but Niška Banja and the "Radon" Institute, whose director is the president of the Council of the new faculty, Assoc. Dr. Sci. honey Milan Lazarevic.
The meeting is at 12 o'clock, and the Citizens' Assembly calls Mediani to the protest, which starts half an hour earlier.
Solidarity with professors and students
"That's why we invite you to stand side by side with professors and students in defense of their rights! We don't need to be reminded that in the last year the academic community has made the greatest sacrifice in defense of the freedoms, rights and dignity of all citizens of Serbia - it's time for solidarity! Let's show the Ministry what we think about this decision, and show the professors and students that we are with them," they say.
Students of the University of Niš also provide support to everyone at the Faculty of Philosophy.
"We, the students of other faculties of the University of Niš, stand in full solidarity with our colleagues and professors of the Faculty of Philosophy. Their struggle is the struggle of all of us, the struggle to preserve academic freedom, the dignity of teachers and students, and the right of the university to independently decide on its own development," the students said.
Their duty is to defend the university from political instrumentalization, they add, as well as not to allow the Faculty of Philosophy, a symbol of free thinking and critical thought, to be destroyed under the pretext of "reform and quality improvement".
Against splitting the Faculty of Philosophy
Let us remind you that the City of Niš proposed to the Government that this university city get a new higher education institution - the Faculty of Serbian Studies, where the departments of history, Serbian studies, and Russian language and literature would be separated from the Faculty of Philosophy.
The management of the Faculty of Philosophy, as they said, were not familiar with the procedure that preceded that proposal.
The Council of the University of Niš, as well as the Teaching and Research Council and the Council of the Faculty of Philosophy, were against the "splitting" of the Faculty of Philosophy.
The Free University also said yesterday that the establishment of the Faculty of Serbian Studies in this way is illegal.
Source: Southern News
