Parents of students of Jovina High School from Novi Sad announced today that, together with the Network of Organizations for Children of Serbia (MODS), they filed a complaint with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the violation of the rights of students of that school.
The complaint lists events testifying to a large number of student rights violations, as well as the lack of appropriate measures that would sanction and prevent the continuous violation of students’ rights to education, freedom of association, and freedom of thought.
Pointed out was also the lack of measures that would stop the creation of an atmosphere of fear, which is being created by initiating disciplinary proceedings against students and suspensions of their teachers, as well as the lack of measures to prevent violence against students of Jovina High School, the parents stated.
Evidence was also cited – starting from calling the police, who escorted students through the school, relocating students to three schools, and preventing the constitution and functioning of the Student Parliament, all the way to locking students in the Technical High School, when the principal of Jovina High School, Radivoje P. Stojković, directly endangered the safety of the high school students by that act, who, in fear, jumped out of windows.
The complaint also lists appeals to all competent institutions – from the Temporary School Board, through educational inspections, the provincial ombudsman, and the provincial secretary for education, all the way to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education, which remained silent on all the mentioned violations of student rights.
The parents of the students and MODS addressed the Office with a request that the special rapporteurs for the right to education send an urgent appeal to the Government of Serbia, demanding information on the measures taken to ensure the physical, psycho-emotional, and social safety of students and continuous quality education, and the protection of students, parents, and teachers from retaliation.
It is also necessary to request from the Government the conduct of investigations, especially regarding the events of May 13 when students were locked in, in order to ensure accountability and legal protection, the restoration of formal and informal mechanisms for student participation, and securing conditions so that children across Serbia can exercise fundamental freedoms without fear of intimidation or harmful consequences.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: Danas; Photo: Wikimedia Creative Commons