The Ministry of Education announced that it has sent a proposal to the Government of Serbia to start the winter vacation equally for primary and secondary schools throughout the territory of the Republic of Serbia, on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
In accordance with the proposal, the second semester would begin on Monday, January 20, 2025, the Ministry states, explaining that such a decision was made considering the circumstances that affect the quality and preservation of the teaching process, as well as the interest and right of students to education.
According to the Ministry, the Government of Serbia will consider this proposal at a meeting on Friday, December 20.
Representative trade unions of Serbian educators are asking the Ministry of Education and the Government of the Republic of Serbia to withdraw the proposal on shortening the semester, because the decision was not made in the interest of the children.
Previously, the Government of Serbia reached a conclusion that Ministry of Education orders the first semester to end on Monday, December 23rd.
In the Government's conclusion, which "Vreme" had access to, it is stated that the Ministry of Education is ordered "to ensure that the winter school vacation in the 2024/2025 school year is organized equally for primary and secondary schools throughout the territory in accordance with its competences established by law of the Republic of Serbia, so that the first semester ends on Monday, December 23, 2024, and the second semester begins on Tuesday, January 20, 2025."
Mirjana Gašić, spokeswoman for the Union of Education Workers' Union of Serbia, says for "Time" to be aboutThis is a familiar scenario.
"I would just like to remind you of the situation from a year and a half ago when we experienced a tragedy in 'Fishery' The Government of Serbia shortened the school year by three weeks. We will wait for the official information that will reach the schools and then we will see how to proceed," says Gašić.
"What kind of judgment are we talking about? What kind of school, what kind of fair system are we talking about? It is clear that this is an attempt to quell the growing anger of all actors of the educational and social system," said Gašić.
The vacation in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was supposed to start on December 24, and in the rest of Serbia on December 30.
Work suspensions and blockades in schools
The representative trade unions of Serbian educators previously announced that from December 23 to 27 strike on the territory of Serbia due to non-compliance with the signed Protocol, after which the Government ordered an earlier end of the semester.
The union announced that they are considering a complete suspension of work from January 28 until all demands are met.
This refers to the replacement of the entire leadership of the Ministry of Education. Fulfillment of the material requirements fulfilled by the Protocol for preschool institutions, primary, secondary schools, student homes and higher education.
Signing of amendments to the Special Collective Agreement for employees in education. As well as the change of administration.
The Independent Union of Educational Workers of Serbia (NSPRS) also announced the transition from a "white" to a "black strike". Which means that at the end of the next semester, the students will not be given grades.
High schools joined the student blockades
Over 50 state faculties in the largest university cities in Serbia are under blockade. They started to play with them High school students also show solidarity.In the Philological High School, classes were interrupted at the beginning of the afternoon shift on Friday, and the First, Ninth, Tenth, Third, Zemun, Mathematical High Schools, Lazarevac and Obrenovac High Schools are blocked... In the Eighth High School, all students left classes after the third hour.
Vocational schools also stood up, so the students of the Secondary Technical School in Belgrade and the School of Economics in Zrenjanin, as well as the Electrical Engineering School "Nikola Tesla" in Belgrade, joined their peers.
Classes have also been suspended in high schools outside of Belgrade, such as Zrenjanin and Požarevac high schools, Ivanjica high schools, Karlovac high schools in Sremski Karlovci and Jovina high schools in Novi Sad.
The students of the Gymnasium in Leskovac also supported the students.
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić he harshly criticized ministers at the last session of the Government of Serbia because of the blockades, which also started to involve secondary schools in Serbia. He said that it is incomprehensible to him that the entire Government is silent on the scandalous things that are happening around the performance of our children in the Dadov theater, in schools all over of Serbia, taking minor children out of schools.
"Who are you to take anyone's child to the street?" Vučić asked the teachers.
The Union of Educators of Serbia assessed that the way the president speaks is worrying and humiliating for everyone.
Only the court can determine who caused injuries to whom, said lawyer Edvin S. Prelić, reacting to the claims of the Kreni-promeni movement that Aelksandar Šapić caused serious physical injuries to councilor Tatjana Mićić
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The student list is asking for an investigation into the origin of the fake document, which threatens with the confiscation of pensions and prison sentences. The Ministry of Finance confirmed that the statements in the document are false
The students in the blockade of DUNP reported to the disciplinary prosecutor two Novi Pazar judges for attending the SNS pre-election rally. They say that such behavior undermines the independence of the judiciary
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A black picture and the breakdown of the rule of law subscribeThe archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
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