Fine and rule: How fines break university protest

Faculty blockades they last almost a full five months. Meanwhile, the political situation in the country became agitated. She fell Vlada, there should be a new one soon chosen, the students are toured the country up and down, visiting places where he had not heard their voice until recently, they ride bicycles to Strasbourg, and deans and professors receive threats.

After verbal threats, one physical attack on dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, withholding wages, in an attempt to return students to desks and professors to amphitheatres and classrooms, Ministry of Education conducted an extraordinary inspection, and faculties began to receive minutes about it and requests to continue classes, as well as threats of fines and new misdemeanor charges if they disobeyed that order.

Misdemeanor charges against the faculty

The Ministry of Education submitted on Tuesday (April 8) 37 misdemeanor reports against higher education institutions and responsible persons for failure to hold classes.

Institutions have been given eight days to start classes, which will be determined in the control supervision, after which new misdemeanor reports can be expected.

The penalty for not conducting classes for institutions is from 200.000 to two million dinars, and for responsible persons from 5.000 to 50.000 dinars.

Previously, the Minister of Education Đukić Dejanović emphasized that the deadline for blocked faculties to start working in order to save the academic year is April 15.

After this date, "it almost makes no sense to discuss compensation for classes and exams", she explained and emphasized that, if the faculties do not start working soon, "two academic years are actually at risk".

When asked what will happen if the students do not return to the faculties after April 15, Đukić Dejanović stated that studies in our education system are not mandatory, but that there is always the possibility of other institutions getting involved in solving that problem.

She also said that "it is not a problem of education, but of the judiciary".

Another attempt to "tramp on" the university

The inspection report has not yet arrived at the address of the Faculty of Chemistry. At least that was the situation on Wednesday (April 9) morning.

Commenting on Minister Đukić Dejanović's statement about misdemeanor charges, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Dejan Roglić, tells "Vreme" that it is another attempt to trample on the University of Belgrade.

"They are basically trampling on the University, we are fighting with legal, i.e. legal means. When we receive the report on the inspection supervision and if we receive a misdemeanor report, we will file a complaint", says Roglić.

Employees at the Faculty of Chemistry have not yet received the first part of their March salary, and the February salary was reduced.

The professors at his faculty are in agreement and in the coming days regular and extraordinary councils should be held where, says Roglić, all possible consequences will be discussed.

He adds that he does not put up with any pressure from employed professors and says that he hopes that someone from the new government will deign to listen to the students.

"If they could go to Pionirski Park, they could also go to student plenums and talk to students," says Roglić.

Further deepening of the crisis

The conclusion of the inspection was received by the dean of the Faculty of Physics in Belgrade, Voja Radovanović.

"Unfortunately, we have come to a situation where the faculties must have lawyers who will tell us what we must do. This latest inspection is a threat to the faculties, where they say they will punish us. I see it as a path to the destruction of the university. We can pay, but if the university becomes party prey, it will collapse," Radovanović told Vreme.

As he adds, the steps taken by government representatives towards universities lead to an even greater deepening of the crisis.

"Penalties and repression do not lead to anything positive, it can only be a step backwards. Since we had a problem with the previous government, I hope that the next government will listen more and start a dialogue with the actors of this crisis, first of all with the university", adds Radovanović.

What is written in the records of extraordinary inspections?

Minutes of extraordinary inspections started arriving at the blocked faculties, and in one of them, which FoNet had access to, it is stated that "the supervised subject is ordered to organize lectures and exams at all degrees of study in all study programs".

In the minutes that arrived at the Faculty of Physics in Belgrade, it is ordered to "establish the operation of the institution in accordance with the Law and by-laws regulating the field of higher education".

The deadline for custom action is eight days from the submission of the minutes, starting on April 8.

The supervised entity is obliged to inform the inspector about the action taken according to the imposed measure to eliminate the illegality no later than three days after the deadline for taking action according to the measure.

Along with the notification, the supervised entity shall attach documentation, that is, other material from which it is evident that the established illegality and its harmful consequences have been removed and the prescribed obligations have been fulfilled.

Deans – the culprits on duty

Radovanović previously told FoNet about such an inspection record, that it was an attempt to make the dean of the faculty guilty on duty.

He also announces an objection to the record of the inspection supervision.

"What next - the lawyers will say," said Radovanović.

He assessed that it is regrettable that the Ministry of Education communicates with faculties in this way and reminds that universities are the basis of the development of any society.

"We are between the hammer and the anvil of the Government, which will not or cannot fulfill student demands, and students whose demands are legitimate," concluded Radovanović.

After the government managed to break the teachers' strike in secondary and primary schools by non-payment of salaries and threats of misdemeanor charges and dismissals, it is now applying the same pressure method to university professors. The blockade of the faculty and the student protest are the engine of rebellion in society, which is gaining momentum. If that source of unrest is suppressed, the government could, at least temporarily, regain control and re-establish a semblance of normality in the country.

Source: FoNet/RTS/Vreme