Tuesday, 21 January 2025

Eighth Sitting of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society

At the sitting held on 21 January 2025, the members of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society considered only one item on the agenda: the blockade of universities and the protection of student rights.


The Committee sitting with said topic was initiated by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabic, who thanked the rectors, deans and representatives of student parliaments present, who responded to the invitation of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society. She stressed that it is extremely important to comprehensively review the developments at the faculties, universities and higher education in the past two and a half months and what consequences they will have on all students, their families and the higher education system in the Republic of Serbia. The National Assembly Speaker outlined the challenges that the continuation of the blockade of universities will bring, stressing that today's sitting was not convened for political reasons, that education is a topic that is above politics. Brnabic underlined that the autonomy of universities is not only a constitutional category, but a sacrosanct matter for the government and the state. Moreover, she emphasised that the right of students to express their dissatisfaction is welcome in a parliamentary democracy such as the Republic of Serbia, as is the students’ right to express themselves and influence topics in society and social dialogue. "On the other hand, I think that each of us individually, and especially in a parliamentary democracy, must take care that our rights and freedoms do not threaten, in any way, never and at any cost, the rights and freedoms of other individuals," said Brnabic.

The National Assembly Speaker stated that there are currently 268,000 students in Serbia, 230,743 of whom are studying at state universities, and that of that number, 102,413 are studying on the state budget. She asked the attending what would happen to the students financed from the state budget, to the students living in student dormitories, if the blockades of universities continues. She added that the majority of the faculties that are under blockade have not completed the semester, that is, the faculties have not fulfilled their obligations to the students who attend them. She asked who protects the rights of the students who have fulfilled their obligations to the faculties and who protects the rights of the students with scholarships and the students with student loans.

Brnabic concluded that Serbia faces three eminent threats if the university blockade continues, the first of which is that over 100,000 students will be left without the right to state budget funding, 17,000 of which will lose the right to student housing, which will result in some families being unable to provide their children with higher education. As a second threat, the National Assembly Speaker said that self-financing students and their families will be subject to additional costs and debts. And as the third, Brnabic cited the financial blockade of faculties, which could be caused by the demand for refunds from self-financing students.

Minister of Education Slavica Djukic Dejanovic also addressed the Committee, agreeing with the Speaker’s presentation and adding that the Ministry is open to dialogue with all parties expressing dissatisfaction and that dialogue is key to improving the atmosphere in society and the only way to minimize the harmful consequences of the university blockades.

Rectors and deans of universities and faculties in the Republic of Serbia, representatives of university student parliaments and other relevant representatives of student institutions are invited to participate in the sessions.

After a detailed discussion, the Committee adopted the following Conclusion Proposal: At today's sitting, of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society, it was established that the academic year is at risk for over 200,000 students of public higher education institutions, which are currently blocked. The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, in accordance with its control role, and also as a representative institution of the citizens, raised this issue that concerns hundreds of thousands of families in the Republic of Serbia. Fully respecting the rights to express their opinion and to protest, it was determined that it is necessary to respect the rights of students to continue their studies without interference. We express our concern and expect additional efforts, both from the management of institutions of higher education and from the Ministry of Education, with the aim of paying closer attention to the status of budget students, 102,102 of them; students who live in student dormitories; who have student loans, as well as the 108,330 self-financing students who have paid for their studies. It is necessary to consider how all forms of teaching and examination deadlines will be made up, in order to fulfil the obligations of higher education institutions, for which self-financing students paid tuition fees, and the state paid tuition fees for budget students. In order to provide support to families, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia will open a contact centre for the students and their families for all questions and concerns they have in order to exercise their student rights. With this, the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society exercises its supervisory role over the implementation of the Law on Higher Education and provides absolute support to all students and their families, to exercise all of their rights guaranteed by law and the constitution.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Prof. Dr Marko Atlagic, and the sitting was attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Vesna Djurisic, Biljana Jakovljevic, Ana Miljanic, Marinika Tepic, Prof. Dr Djordje Pavicevic, Stojan Radenovic, Zeljko Rebraca, Prof. Dr Mirka Lukic Sarkanovic, Zivota Starcevic, Sladjana Susnjar, Pedja Mitrovic, Goran Spasojevic as well as MPs Ana Jakovljevic, Stefan Janjic, Borko Stefanovic, Aleksandar Jovanovic and Prof. Dr Slobodan Cvejic.


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