Violeta Kecman and Rastko Jevtovic, Serbian language professors at the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium, have been suspended for allegedly damaging the school’s reputation, Danas learns.
– They were suspended because they went with us parents to a meeting at the Academic Board for Education of the SASA (Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts). As representatives of the Parents’ Council, we invited them to attend that meeting, so they did not participate in the organization, it was not an official meeting at all, but they were, unfortunately, suspended based on the fact that they were present – Milosevic told Danas.
We were unable to obtain a comment from the suspended professors by the time of this text’s publication.
Milosevic adds that this is the eighth suspension, of which six are teachers and two are people from the psychological-pedagogical service. Disciplinary proceedings were also initiated against one student after he gave a statement to N1 television in which he commented on the fact that the acting director of the Fifth, Danka Nesovic, received the Saint Sava Award.
– None of those proceedings have been completed. The teachers, the pedagogue, and the psychologist who were suspended earlier were invited for an interview. However, nothing happened after that, there was no epilogue to the disciplinary proceedings. A few weeks ago, a mathematics teacher was suspended, and now we have this. We are losing staff, this is no longer a school, we no longer have anyone to teach – said our interlocutor.
He adds that Danka Nesovic’s acting mandate expired yesterday.
– She is in the school illegally today. From today, we are in a state of lawlessness. What is even worse, we are now in a situation where the school could be closed. I think they did not plan such a scenario, but considering that they are incompetent, that they do not know the law, then everything is possible. They brought us to this situation. The mandate of the temporary school board lasts until April 9, so we have less than 45 days and if the situation is not resolved within that period, that is, if functional school bodies, management and leadership bodies are not established, we truly come to a situation where the school must be shut down by law – claims Milosevic.
Stankovic: New acting director from tomorrow
Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stankovic stated that acting director of the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium Danka Nesovic’s term ends today, and that the school will have a new acting director starting tomorrow, “a man who was not involved in the conflicts (between parents, teachers, and the ministry), who can calm the conflicts within the collective.”
While appearing on TV Kurir, he stated that he does not want to name the new director, but that it is a person who meets all the requirements, that the candidate is from the collective, and that “talks have already been held” with that person.
“(Danka Nesovic) came as a result of institutional chaos arising from the politicization of the gymnasium. I expect malicious and politicking reactions, and I think the ministry has now played something they did not expect,” stated Stankovic.
The minister again criticized the situation in this Belgrade gymnasium, assessing that the situation after the suspension of classes there went “in the direction of media fueling of political differences,” and that the parents who protested “internationalized that crisis.”
“I don’t know if you know, I spoke with UNICEF representatives about the state of the school. (A part of the parents and teachers) formed a non-governmental organization that calculates with the rights of the child, so that exclusively the candidate they propose meets the pedagogical and educational requirements (for the position of director),” added Stankovic.
The minister also announced the formation of a working group for the reform of the education system which will be focused on all three levels of education, that the part of the laws concerning the changes is already in the parliamentary procedure, and that in that case, the alignment of views with the unions is awaited.
He also added that the biggest problem with the shortage of educational staff is recorded in mathematics and natural sciences and that it is necessary to include in the strategy that the professors who teach those subjects be designated as a budget category of “deficit occupation,” which would increase the motivation for young people to enroll in those faculty programs.
“Secondly, the faculties themselves should make those educational profiles more attractive. And there I see the primary responsibility of the deans, because the state faculty must meet both the expectations and the needs of society. Thirdly, you must restore integrity to the teaching profession,” said Stankovic, assessing that this integrity is also threatened by Viber groups through which pressure is exerted on teachers.
Commenting on the allegations that the new legal solutions will also enable retired professors to return to the teaching process, Stankovic states that this would be “extinguishing a fire in a given situation,” that people who want to work even after retirement should be enabled, but that he would still give precedence to younger experts.
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Source: Danas; Photo: ATA Images