Changes in University Education in Serbia

Dual Reign until Elections

Changes that have occurred in the country in October have extended to the University. But, as weeks went by and the defeated gradually gained their breath back, the throwing of spokes into the governmental and academic wheels commenced. These parallel processes were not always obvious and are still in motion up to this very day

AIM Belgrade, December 20, 2000

The weighing out of "the new and the old" forces at the University is still in progress: while some are striving to do away with the negative selection, party tutorship and poverty, others are trying to stop the clock at the leisurely times when they ruled adorned with professorial titles and party and state appointments. And, while the relieving of duty of key figures in the economy - whether carried out in accordance with the law or not - went smoothly, the university and the health services are presently run by provisional management, just because the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) cadre holds the majority in the provisional government and refuses to verify the appointment of the new deans and Chancellor Collegiate Body. In spite of the altered circumstances, the detrimental University Act is still effective and only serves to add to the already rather chaotic situation at the University operating in the interim rule of the old and the newly established authorities.

At the time when the front figures of the old university management were removed from office and the new deans chosen by the faculty staffs appointed - a move as of yet unverified by law - it turned out that over 90 per cent of the deans nominated to office by the former Serbian government did not enjoy the support of the faculties. No wonder, therefore, that the former, imposed, party-deans drove away more than 200 professors and assistant lecturers merely from the Belgrade University. Anyone who thought differently or stood up against the comprehensive politicization of the University was pronounced undesirable. The driven away were replaced by over 300 new employees, mainly party cadre of the Yugoslav Left (JUL), whose expertness will have to be put to a test as soon as possible. They came by their posts and titles effortlessly and swiftly, regardless of their competence, scientific accomplishments or aptness for pedagogical scientific practice. The University has been literally ruined, while poverty, discontent, politicization and the effect of the inexpert cadre have devastated generations of students and young scientist scholars in terms of education. For the sake of social tranquillity, anyone wishing to study at the University was enrolled. According to some estimates, the University of Belgrade itself has nearly 60 thousand students.

Professor dr. Marija Bogdanovic, the acting Chancellor of the Belgrade University said for AIM that "the situation at many faculties is rather difficult, not only because of the departure of the professors and assistants and under-equipped laboratories, but because of the intolerance burdening interpersonal relations for a long time. Those previously privileged, aware that they are loosing ground, put up a resistance, while those striving for changes set themselves to work in earnest. In the past months, things were worst at the faculties of Forestry, Electrical Engineering, Architecture and Law where the undertaking, obviously, hasn't been carried through to the end. But, things are calming down and I hope that solutions will be found within the academic community."

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF) is one of the faculties that have suffered most damages. Every fourth professor or assistant was driven away or dismissed from ETF.. And while the professors' salaries amounted to 103 DM per month - starting from October 1998 up to November 2000 - the recently relieved management paid out 162,000 DM merely for the upkeep of bodyguards positioned at the entrance to the ETF, plus an additional 8,500 DM on account of the chains, padlocks and iron plates placed on doors along faculty hallways, and another 4,500 DM as a retaining fee of the lawyer representing the ETF in lawsuits instituted by the maltreated professors and assistants. The Faculty, or to be more precise, the former dean Vlada Teodosic, lost all of the mentioned suits. Just as a reminder, the generously salaried bodyguards engaged in throwing the professors out of their studies and beating up the students with baseball clubs.

"The changes came practically at the last possible instant. We still have time to set things right and restore the reputation of this, once elite faculty, though. We will reinstate the dismissed professors and assistants willing to do so. We will review all decrees concerning employment and promotions. We hope we will better our financial situation - without relying solely on government aid - but rather endeavoring to enlarge our income on our own" - says dr. Borivoj Lazic, acting dean of the ETF, remarking that the new management hasn't been able to do much, since its hands are bound by the fact that it still hasn't been officially appointed. By way of illustration, previous to Teodosic's era, the ETF had an annual income of 5,600,000 DM - nearly three and a half times more than at present. In 1997, 800,000 DM was spent on the acquisition of new equipment, as opposed to the 30,000 DM spent this year.

One of the victims of the former ETF dean, Professor Dr. Srbijanka Turajlic, sued the faculty at the time of her dismissal, won the law-suit and is now waiting for her claim to be validated. Then and only then, she is steadfast in her resolution, will she be coming back to her old post: "If our goal is a state based on the reverence of law, nothing can excuse us from not abiding by the law. In other words, at this moment, my return would represent a political act based on the fact that my friends won the elections and that I may resume my old post due to that. I believe it's not good to set up a country or, for that matter, a university either, in this manner" - says Dr. Turajlic, in an effort to explain her point of view and her clinging to each and every article of the law. When asked of her opinion on the present state of affairs at the University of Belgrade, she said that it is quite satisfying, although the absence of quality cadres is obvious in many academic fields: "But, from the standpoint of a vision of a modern university, we are far behind time and I fear that people working at the university are not entirely aware that something has to change. By way of illustration, my colleagues say that after the changes they have simply "reset" the time turning it backwards, to the era before the University Act was passed. I fear that the entire university has "reset" the time in its mind's eye and turned it backwards, and that is precisely the problem we are dealing with here because, unfortunately, time cannot be made to run backwards" - warns Dr. Turajlic, adding that things have, nevertheless, changed with the accession of the new authorities: "The anathema laid on the Serbian university has been removed, we have been readmitted to the European Chancellor Conference and at the meeting recently held in Belgrade, representatives of the European Council and Chancellor Conference have confirmed our affiliation to the academic community. We received a handful of compliments and were also given assurances that aside from assistance, we will soon be included into international scientific projects as well."

Those familiar with circumstances in the education system in Serbia, claim that it has been set back to the beginning of the century and that the entire school system needs to be reformed. Consequently, as far as this year is concerned, the changes at the university will be but transient and for the most part statutory. The truly reformatory ones will have to wait for the more fundamental social and economic changes in Serbia.

OLGA NIKOLIC

(AIM)