{"id":219240,"date":"2026-09-25T14:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T12:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=219240"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T12:35:28","slug":"heated-debate-on-n1-brnabic-claimed-that-education-has-flourished-rector-nikolic-told-her-you-failed-the-exam-on-that-subject","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/heated-debate-on-n1-brnabic-claimed-that-education-has-flourished-rector-nikolic-told-her-you-failed-the-exam-on-that-subject\/","title":{"rendered":"HEATED DEBATE ON N1: Brnabi\u0107 claimed that education has flourished, Rector Nikoli\u0107 told her, \u201cYou failed the exam on that subject\u201d!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Third on the \u201cAleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 \u2013 United Serbia\u201d list, Ana Brnabi\u0107, did not begin her opening statement in the N1 debate by answering N1 journalist\u2019s question about \u201cwhether the reason for participating in our debate, given that she has not appeared as a guest since 2017, is that the SNS approval rating has fallen.\u201d Instead, she made accusations against N1, as well as against her debate opponent, Rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade Mirjana Nikoli\u0107, who is on the \u201cStudents\u2019 List \u2013 Students Win\u201d electoral list. She repeatedly criticized Nikoli\u0107 for not shaking her hand when she entered the studio. When the discussion finally turned to the topic of the debate \u2013 education \u2013 Nikoli\u0107, speaking as a professor, told Brnabi\u0107 that she had failed the exam on that subject. Brnabi\u0107 responded: \u201cYou are insulting me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The N1 journalist opened the debate by asking Brnabi\u0107 why she had now agreed to appear on the program, given that she had not been a guest since 2017, while SNS representatives and government officials had previously also been invited to appear on the program during election cycles. In addition, the journalist asked whether the reason might be that there has been public discussion about the Serbian Progressive Party\u2019s approval rating declining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brnabi\u0107 did not answer the question, even though the journalist asked it several times. Instead, she made accusations against the television station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cN1 did not allow our list, during previous election periods, even to pay for airtime in the election program to broadcast campaign spots. That\u2019s how objective you were. On the other hand, I haven\u2019t been on N1 since 2017. I wasn\u2019t happy to come even now, considering how much your television station has engaged in dehumanizing my friend, my president. You engaged in criminalizing him\u2026. On N1, I could hear that he was the product of a snake\u2019s nest,\u201d Brnabi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the N1 journalist insisted that Brnabi\u0107 answer the question, the Serbian Progressive Party representative declined to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard three years of lies about Jovanjica, about Sarajevo Safari, that a young man in Valjevo died because of police brutality, we heard lies about the sonic cannon. Unlike the Students\u2019 List, we have always invited N1 to all our events. The Students\u2019 List only talks to media outlets that support it. I came because Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 insisted, you changed owners, the man said, let\u2019s give them a chance, let people see how impartial you are,\u201d Brnabi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brnabi\u0107 used terms such as \u201cblockaders\u201d and \u201c\u0107aci,\u201d prompting the N1 journalist and Nikoli\u0107 to ask that such terms not be used in the studio or during the debate, after which Brnabi\u0107 began using the term \u201cStudents\u2019 List.\u201d She also mentioned that Nikoli\u0107 had refused to shake her hand, commenting, \u201cThat\u2019s this cultured Serbia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikoli\u0107 told Brnabi\u0107 that \u201ccultured Serbia is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have taken several things out of context in everything you have repeated. Cultured Serbia can still come. I would like us to be responsible toward the citizens, to tell them what the Students\u2019 List and the list you represent plan to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikoli\u0107 explained why she had decided to participate in the N1 debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought about whether this was the right opportunity and the right moment to participate in such a debate. The main reason is that the invitation came from a media outlet through regular channels. I didn\u2019t know whether the format would allow the other side to appear as well. But I was afraid because lately it has often been uncomfortable to participate in discussions when someone is in a position of power. Brnabi\u0107 has a better starting position in terms of control over information. The second reason for my hesitation is related to our two meetings at the parliamentary Education Committee, where that atmosphere of shouting, banging on tables and humiliating speakers represents a danger,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the debate, Ana Brnabi\u0107 said that Rector Mirjana Nikoli\u0107 had participated from 2017 to 2020 as one of the experts in the Ministry of Education\u2019s working group for developing the education strategy through 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had events together in 2020, when we jointly promoted a multidisciplinary program, the first program of its kind in higher education in Serbia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on the figures presented by Ana Brnabi\u0107, Rector Nikoli\u0107 said that Brnabi\u0107 was attempting to mislead citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd to show, through figures, how successful your mandate and the party you belong to and whose list you are on have been. So, I simply think that the media cannot tolerate too many numbers and that we will not prove things with numbers. I would ask our teachers in primary and secondary schools and at universities \u2013 do they live better on the money they receive, which you say is higher?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can now try to convince them that they have higher salaries, this much or that many percent, but they know what they can buy with that money. And what could they buy five, seven, ten years ago? Twelve years? Fifteen years? So, that is a fact, a fact we need to talk about. Data means nothing if we do not have a frame of reference for comparison. How many kilograms of meat could a secondary school teacher buy with their salary in 2012, and how many can they buy today? How many pairs of shoes at an average price could they buy?\u201d Rector Nikoli\u0107 asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to the mention of their meetings, the rector asked Brnabi\u0107, referring to 2022, what was happening with the loan for the major project to construct new faculties: the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Geography and the Faculty of Music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Government of Serbia, you will remember, took out a \u20ac165 million loan and, among other things, we publicly promoted the project for the Faculty of Music and the renovation of the Faculty of Applied Arts. Of all that, only the Botanical Garden, as one small segment of the Faculty of Biology, has been completed. What is happening with that loan, for which the citizens of Serbia pay one percent interest every year? Where is that money?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also addressed Brnabi\u0107\u2019s claims about employing researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, at a time when there was a ban on hiring in the public sector, you once again found a \u2018good way\u2019 to bypass the system and hire researchers. It was prohibited at the time. You organized a major event, a promotion, a promotion of the success of 1,000 researchers. But this was not a sincere desire to improve research infrastructure, because our country is far below the European level in terms of the number of researchers, and therefore, simply to meet the figures and European averages, you created a researcher program. That is good for our young people, but it is not a sincere desire, it is not a sincere desire to improve it, as the subsequent actions of the government and governments will show, especially over the previous three years,\u201d Nikoli\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana Brnabi\u0107 responded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is terrible when you hear that employing 1,000 young researchers and doctoral students through projects is actually not good and is not a sincere desire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the aforementioned loan, she said that they were continuing with design and planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, no, no, it is not being repaid… We took out the loan if it is necessary to build those buildings,\u201d Brnabi\u0107 said at one point regarding the loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brnabi\u0107 then said that the Lo\u017eionica had been built as part of that loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that you were given the right to manage the state budget does not mean that you are above the people, that you built it, that you have the right to decide,\u201d Nikoli\u0107 responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On education: Brnabi\u0107 says she is proud of what the SNS has done<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Asked about the very topic of the debate, Ana Brnabi\u0107 said that she was \u201cproud of everything the Serbian Progressive Party has done in the field of education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am the only prime minister who, in 2017, singled out digitalization and education as priorities in my inaugural address, and at that moment everyone laughed except Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, who gave his support,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then cited salary figures. Among other things, she said that \u201ca teacher\u2019s salary in 2012 was 391 euros, while in December 2026 it will be 1,030 euros.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, that is from 391 to 1,030 euros, that is a salary 2.6 times higher. The salaries of university professors in 2012 were around 77,000 dinars, while in December 2026 they will be 191,000 dinars. That is 2.5 times higher. These are all things we did for the dignity of teachers, a better standard of living for teachers, and to thank them in every possible way for everything they do. The education budget increased from 140 billion dinars in 2012 to 425 billion dinars in 2026. That is more than three times the education budget,\u201d Brnabi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that in 2011, the share of children enrolled in preschool education was 48 percent, while in 2025 it was 64 percent, adding that they wanted to raise it above 80 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brnabi\u0107 said she was \u201cproud that they built four science and technology parks and three new scientific institutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe started a program for employing young scientists and doctoral students in 2018, and that year we employed more than 1,000 young scientists on projects, and around 100 every year thereafter; we introduced programming as a compulsory subject from the fifth grade of primary school; we invested more than 60 million euros to introduce high-speed wireless internet into all schools, including the most remote schools across Serbia. These are just some of the things we have done,\u201d Brnabi\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikoli\u0107: Education is the beginning and foundation of every normal society<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rector Mirjana Nikoli\u0107 emphasized that \u201ceducation is the beginning and foundation of every normal society\u201d and that society expects education in the future, from primary to higher education, to be the engine and driving force of the entire society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want dignity, expertise and security, and within this complex of ideas that are absolutely prevailing throughout this entire process, we also advocate for free education. We advocate for free education, not as a phrase and a populist idea of \u2018free textbooks\u2019 and the like, but truly free education, with everything that entails,\u201d Rector Nikoli\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikoli\u0107 said they wanted equal opportunities for all participants in the education process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, whether we are talking about students or professors, teachers, and all the support staff in schools and at universities who help make education possible. And finally, what is very important to us is modernization, in all segments, from study and school programs to approaches, methodology, curricula and everything else. We are now talking mostly about free textbooks, and at first glance this looks like an excellent measure. It is an excellent measure, but we also have to look a little into the future. Perhaps in the future, with modernization, we will have the possibility of having free textbooks on our children\u2019s tablets, which they will practically use in that way,\u201d Nikoli\u0107 added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that we must nurture \u201cthese wonderful people who will build our children\u2019s values and turn them into young people who think critically, and who do not make decisions solely on the basis of information they happen to receive on social media, but who reflect and arrive at comprehensive answers to questions about everything that troubles them and about which they need to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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TRAGIC END TO SEARCH FOR YOUNG CHESS PLAYER: Body of missing Luka pulled from the Sava River! (PHOTO)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFTER FOUR YEARS ON THE RUN: American wanted for murder of 15-year-old girl in Tennessee arrested in Ljubljana!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTS HOST REMOVED FROM THE AIR: Dragan Vu\u010deli\u0107: \u201cI did not want to remain silent. If that is the price, I will pay it with pride!\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>N1<\/a>, Foto: <\/strong>N1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Third on the \u201cAleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 \u2013 United Serbia\u201d list, Ana Brnabi\u0107, did not begin her opening statement in the N1 debate by answering N1 journalist\u2019s question about \u201cwhether the reason for participating in our debate, given that she has not appeared as a guest since 2017, is that the SNS approval rating has fallen.\u201d Instead, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":219241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[856,4311,862,14439,876,14440,2609,113,7162],"class_list":["post-219240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-serbia","tag-aleksandar-vucic","tag-ana-brnabic","tag-debata","tag-mirjana-nikolic","tag-politika","tag-rektorka","tag-sns","tag-srbija","tag-studentska-lista","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t