Threats to teachers because they allowed free textbooks from the Alek Kavčić Foundation

The Vojvodina committee of the Zajedno party announced that the teachers at the "Sremski Front" elementary school in Šid are being threatened with disciplinary punishment for allowing students to use free textbooks from the "Alek Kavčič" foundation, not "Logos".

In addition, in the letter sent by the school director Dalibor Farbaš to the teacher Olivera Stanojević, it is stated that within seven days she must call a parents' meeting and inform the parents that they must buy Logos textbooks.

If she doesn't do that, disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against her, and if the parents still don't buy textbooks after that, the school will have to report them to the Center for Social Work "because they didn't fulfill the obligation of their child's primary education." We consider this behavior absurd and unacceptable. The party called on SNS in Šida to immediately stop the persecution of teachers and parents whose children use free textbooks and stated that a set of new Logos books, which parents would have to buy, costs about 12.000 dinars.

Read more Price of school textbooks: Half price in Serbia, free in the region

"We are aware that some teachers and parents of children are exposed to various types of pressure when choosing textbooks, and we are sincerely sorry for that." As all the textbooks of the Alek Kavčić Foundation are approved by the Ministry of Education for teaching and follow the plan and program of the Republic of Serbia, there are no obstacles to their use, but we also emphasize that we do not insist on their application if teachers and parents decide otherwise," they told "Time" portal from the Alek Kavčić Foundation.

They add that the Foundation strongly opposes the selection of textbooks under various types of pressure, and that systemic problems in the selection of textbooks, which include the realization of benefits on behalf of individuals through various incentives that lead to or are corruption, must also be systematically and legally resolved.

"The Alek Kavčić Foundation strongly condemns any attempt to force parents to buy any textbooks, especially the most expensive ones. Free education is guaranteed by the constitution, and it is a value that we strongly support, and we are glad that more and more schools, teachers and parents of elementary schools in Serbia, who have chosen some of the free textbooks of the Alek Kavčić Foundation, cherish the same values," said the Foundation. .

We tried to call the elementary school in Šida, however, no one answered the phone.