GRADUATING STUDENTS ON SCHOOL TRIPS ON ELECTION DAY, BUT THEY WANT TO VOTE: They are making lists and asking schools to provide transportation to embassies!

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučićhas called snap parliamentary elections for October 25, precisely when a large number of secondary schools organize graduation trips abroad. Whether this is a coincidence or not is unknown. However, education unions say that graduating students will be able to vote wherever they are, but that prior preparation and transportation to the consulate will be necessary.

Final-year students at secondary schools in Serbia travel on graduation trips in October.

This is the practice in most schools — both grammar schools and vocational schools.

And Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has called snap parliamentary elections for October 25, precisely when graduating students will be on their final school trip.

Milorad Antić, president of the Forum of Secondary Vocational Schools, told Nova.rs that it is true that graduation trips for students from certain Belgrade grammar schools and secondary vocational schools have been scheduled for October 25.

“Secondary schools began the process of organizing graduation trips this spring. That is when offers are received, presented to parents, the available options are voted on and arrangements are made for the trip. Therefore, none of the principals knew that the elections would be held precisely when teachers would be taking the children on their trip,” our source believes.

On the other hand, he adds, the president of Serbia knew when the graduating students, who are otherwise adults, would be going on their trips.

“Whether he deliberately chose that election date because of this or not, I really don’t know. But there is no need to create a major panic over it because graduating students can participate in the elections in Serbia wherever they happen to be,” he explains.

He says good organization is necessary, but that voting in France, Italy or wherever they happen to be is feasible.

“Children most often travel to Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Spain, and they can very easily participate in the elections in Serbia. It is only important that they organize among themselves, make a list of those who will go to vote, since some of them are 17 years old, and tell their homeroom teachers, while the homeroom teachers should delegate and organize transportation to the consulate. That should actually be included in the contract as well, so that everything is in black and white,” he says.

We have learned that at one Belgrade grammar school, lists have already begun to be made of students who have the right to vote and who want to go to the polls.

They will be allowed to vote while abroad, on their graduation trip.

Parents also get involved

On the other hand, according to a source close to the portal, parents at several grammar schools protested after learning that the dates of the trips and the elections coincided.

In some schools, part of the parents asked for the trip to be postponed, but their request was not approved.

One parent we spoke to says that everything was “strategically orchestrated,” emphasizing that graduating students are “collateral damage” in this case.

“A large number of final-year students are already adults and have the right to vote. I don’t want to think that the trips were deliberately scheduled for election day. I would rather say that this coincidence comes from the regime, which obviously wants to reduce turnout among young voters, who are presumed to be predominantly critical of the authorities,” says the parent, whose name and surname are known to our editorial team.

This puts graduating students in a “fait accompli” situation, he adds.

“They are now adults and mature enough to look at things around them sensibly. But there are also those children who simply aren’t interested in elections. Not because of Vučić or the students, but because they are completely uninterested in any changes. They naturally want to go on their school trip, and they should not be blamed for that. I am only afraid that there will be some division within classes because of this whole situation, with students judging one another — those who want to vote and postpone the trip and those who want to travel regardless of whether they can vote,” the parent says.

In some schools, parents are organizing votes on whether the graduation trip should be postponed, they tell us.

“We appeal to all parents of graduating students to vote against going on the graduation trip and, later, after the entrance exam, organize the trip themselves, for much less money than it would cost through travel agencies,” say the parents involved in these initiatives.

If the trip is not postponed, they add that it is the responsibility of the homeroom teacher and the school principal to ensure that the children can vote at an embassy.

“If I am correctly informed, and I believe I am, graduating students can vote at an embassy; they just need to notify them up to a month in advance. I think the deadline for submitting a request to vote is October 3. Therefore, everything depends on the school administration and organization,” they add.

At two Belgrade grammar schools, the date of the trip will not be postponed, but the students will depart at noon so that they can vote in the morning an

Parents also get involved

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