The country led by the Serbian Progressive Party has prepared well for the new school year. But not with the curriculum and scholarships, but with new personnel decisions and layoffs.
Right before its beginning, two options befell the directors who supported the strike in educational institutions in Serbia this winter. One was to resign themselves, and the other was to be replaced. It was even worse for teachers of primary and secondary schools who were employed on a temporary basis, and who dared to fight for their own and student rights in the previous semester.
Thus, in a few days, at least seven school principals were replaced, while at least four resigned, allegedly for personal reasons. According to "Vremena" sources, they were replaced almost exclusively by verified SNS personnel.
What particularly worries the teachers, who were on strike, is that these people will now be working with children.
"We used to have a certain recruitment process at the school and not everyone could come to teach," says one teacher at a school where the principal, who supported them in the protests, suddenly returned to teaching, and a well-known SNS bot took his place. "Now, the new director immediately brought five of his people with him to join the classes, without any consultation. This worries us very, very much. After all, it is about education, and my children should be going to that school soon."
They weren't interested in schools.
Even though the party has employed massively in state institutions until now, in recent years the place for easy hiring of personnel was local self-governments or municipalities in larger cities. You often don't need special qualifications to get a job there, so it was easier to get these people in.
This was not exactly the case in schools. Because, although some directors were appointed politically, the specificity of the teaching profession was not so interesting to the bots. Also, no political decisions were made in the schools, so there was no great need to introduce the discipline of the ruling party.
All that changed last winter, when educators across Serbia went on a mass strike in the fight for their own and student rights and said no to the state. Most often with the explanation that the students on the street are their former students and that they have an obligation to support them.
Teachers' strike: Dear patters on the shoulder, educators greet you
State retaliation
Back in July, the media wrote that there was a list of ineligible educators, when from the Ministry of Education, which he took over Dejan Vuk Stankovic, leaked information that they will be removed in all possible ways. We had known about this for ten days, and we were just waiting for him to pass the final exam.
In the previous few days, the principal of the Elementary School "Filip Filipović" in Voždovac, the principal of the Elementary School "15. Oktobar" in Pivnice and the principal of the First Niš Grammar School "Stevan Sremac", who was blocked for the longest time in Niš for supporting student protests, were dismissed. Previously, the principals of the "Ivo Andrić" Elementary School in Miljakovac were replaced, then the principal of the "Banović Strahinja" Elementary School in Žarkovo, the principal of the "IV Royal Battalion" Elementary School, and the principal of the "Dositej Obradović" Elementary School in Omoljica.
Among those who resigned are the director of the Music High School "Stevan Mokranjac" in Požarevac, the director of the Tenth High School in Belgrade, and the director of the Elementary School "Karađorđe" in Saranov near Rača.
"There weren't many opportunities," trade unionist Dušan Kokot told Vreme. "One option for the unfit directors, who supported the staff in the protests, was to resign. Those who did not want to do so were simply dismissed. Acting officers took their places, we all know from where."
Chatziland in Peta
This kind of expulsion of principals from schools, Kokot adds, has never happened in Serbia.
"Many teachers are worried because unprofessional staff will further lower the quality of education in the country," he says. "That's why the question is how the school year will start now, when we see students being arrested and beaten. Educators bore a heavy burden in the previous period, and this is now revenge. Then they were left alone, and now the state must prepare so that something similar does not happen again."
Kokot thinks that there will be a certain kind of rebellion in the schools again, which will be quiet at first.
However, to the resignations and dismissals of the directors, we should also add the throwing out onto the street of all unfit teachers who participated in the strike and had fixed-term contracts. Thus, from the Fifth Gymnasium in Belgrade, which was the most vocal in the fight against state retaliation, dozens of educators were fired, that is, all those who did not have a permanent contract. This is the message of the new principal, that is, the acting principal, whom the teachers say carried out "an unethical crackdown on employees who expressed their opinion and participated in protests."
In their place, Kokot fears, SNS personnel will also come.
"We are talking about an elite Belgrade high school that will turn into Ćaciland," he adds, given that it is about the number of between 20 and 30 teachers.
Ruthless on the local
With the decision of the Ministry of Education, signed by Minister Dejan Vuk Stanković, the director of the First Niš Grammar School "Stevan Sremac", the school that was blocked for the longest time in Niš due to support for student protests, was dismissed, and Vera Dujaković was dismissed.
She is, as they say, Southern news, pointed out that her dismissal was "retribution for public support for students and employees who suspended classes, as well as for previous political 'disobedience' and pointing out problems".
It is similar in smaller places. The teachers of a village school tell "Vreme" that the headmaster's position has largely been replaced by a progressive staff, of whom no one is allowed to mention anything.
"An additional problem is that now some people are naturally retiring, or have lost faith in education. They are being replaced by children, and I can't even imagine how this will affect our children. Because it is different in the villages, for some children it is crucial for the future that they have a good teacher who will direct them to further education," said a village teacher of the Serbian language for "Vreme".
The Ministry of Education made a decision on the dismissal of Patrik Malina, the director of the Elementary School "15. Oktobar" in Pivnice near Bačka Palanka, they announced BAP News. The decision on the dismissal came on Monday, August 18, just five days after a protest rally in support of the director was held in the same place.
The principal of the Primary School "IV Royal Battalion" Marina Vučinić was dismissed by the decision of the Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stanković because she refused to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the teachers who were on strike.
