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We still have a sufficient number of teachers to function smoothly. School administrations coordinate with local crisis headquarters and certain measures are taken against them in special individual cases, says Branko Ružić, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, in an interview for “Blic”.
He points out that the Ministry receives reports every day.
– It is true that the numbers are growing for both children and teachers, but it is important for the public to know that this percentage does not exceed two percent of the total number of children in preschool, primary and secondary school, and the same percentage is approximately when we look at the total. educators.
You said that schools are not a place of serious transmission. How did it happen then that we introduced online classes with several dozen newly infected people, and today, when there are several thousand of them, the children go to school?
– Whether we are talking about the beginning of the pandemic or the current situation, the Ministry is guided by the credible recommendations of the Crisis Staff. Epidemiological studies have shown that students are mostly infected in family and other contacts, not so much at school, which speaks of disciplined students and educators, and we owe them a big thank you. Today, there are still cities where the crown has not entered, but where it is, there are regulations indicating the need to continue the educational process on a regular basis, but through an online model.
As a state, and especially as a health and education system, we have consistently given a clear response to the challenges we face and will face.
In what situation will schools be closed?
– There is no thought of closing schools. If the epidemiological situation changes drastically and in accordance with the prescribed protocols so that it is necessary to change the model of the educational process, it is possible that at the crisis headquarters the idea of moving to online teaching will be raised. We are certainly ready to react daily, what we do.
Is it known if the winter break will be extended or is it still early?
– This is not an extension of the winter holidays, but a proposal to move the winter holidays, since the holiday calendars in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and the rest of Serbia are different, so the break is in the interval from December 21 to January 20 in the territory of the entire country. And that is being discussed in the crisis staff sessions. If we decide to do that, we have all the conditions for students to finish the school year, and the distance education system is a safe base in any unfavorable epidemiological period.
In the new government, you have a completely different department. Did that surprise you, did you accept it immediately, or did you still have a dilemma?
– This department is a special challenge for me and I am ready to respond to it. As a minister, I have with me a team of professionals who have been working on educational reform for a long time. In this story, I am the first among equals to lead the team, which is there to ensure the direction set by the Prime Minister and the government and achieve good results.
What situation did you find yourself in the Ministry, what did Sarcevic leave you?
– We will continue working on key issues, and some of them are the digitization of the system, dual education, new educational standards and more investments in science and technology. The important thing is to ensure continuity in relation to crucial things in the term mandate, and the priority for all now is the health and safety of children in preschool institutions, students and all educators.
They say that it was important to find an apartment for you and Novica Tončeva, because you two can disturb the atmosphere in a foreign country. Is that correct?
– The Socialist Party of Serbia is a democratically organized, state-oriented political organization that puts the interests of its state and its citizens above all else. We do not deal with the political market, nor have we ever done so. The fact that President Dačić is the head of the highest legislative and representative chamber speaks volumes about our willingness to make the greatest possible contribution to the development of Serbia at all levels of government, but also in each branch of government.
The impression is that the SPS is marginalized in the new government, which has fewer departments and less important departments. Are the socialists generally satisfied with the new situation?
– Socialists are always satisfied when citizens are satisfied. That is why we will continue to work diligently to achieve all government and state goals. We are part of a team and we want to be successful together.
Oppositionists and social media users say SPS leader Ivica Dačić was humiliated for the post of Assembly Speaker. What you think?
– Its foundation in the electorate of Serbia speaks of its surreal perception of the political situation. The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia was raised to a higher level by the fact that, for the first time in recent parliamentary history, the leader of one of the most important parties became the head of that upper chamber.
About the 2022 elections.
When you think about the 2022 elections, are you closer to the position that the SPS and the SNS should each have a presidential candidate or their own? And should you go to the parliamentary elections on a list or …?
– The strategic cooperation between the two presidents, Vucic and Dacic, as well as our two parties in the state-building platform, indicates that it is responsible and it is expected that, while preserving our specificities, we will affirm the common value, which is socially fair, economically developed, political and secure. Serbia of European values. It would not be wise to waste energy, and the previous presidential elections are a guide to choosing a model in these next elections.
Part of the opposition protests the announcement of the unification of the 2022 elections. What do you think of that?
– It is striking how the opposition treats each election cycle in such an irresponsible way that it is the only appropriate place to assess and evaluate its strength and legitimacy among the citizens of Serbia. Their political futility is sending them into history faster and faster.
The situation at the Philological University is under control
Do you follow the situation in the Faculty of Philology? The former dean’s illegalities, then her transfer to the post of adviser to her predecessor Mladen Šarčević, then various vicissitudes and obstructions related to the election of a new dean, student protests … What about that?
– In short, the situation in the Faculty of Philology was introduced into the norm and it was resolved with the entry into force of the new statute. The Inspection Supervision Sector carried out the supervision on three occasions within the legal framework. What is also important and valuable is the fact that the autonomy of the university has not been touched as a constant of value.
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