Students advised to get tuition money "from Obama"

Education Minister Zarko Obradovic has repeated that the state does not have the money to pay tuition for all students with 48 ESPB points. After unsuccessful protests, students from several University of Belgrade faculties have announced that they will go on a hunger strike "until their requests are fulfilled". Students advised to get tuition money "from Obama" They decided to make such a radical move because their protest in front of the government headquarters yesterday, which blocked traffic in that part of the city, ended without any results. The education minister told B92 that his ministry did not have the money to pay tuition for all the students who had 48 ESPB points, which is enough to enroll into the next year. The students yesterday asked to be received by Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic. However both of them were discussing a budget revision in parliament at the time. Obradovic told B92 today that his ministry had already provided enough support for the students, although no official of the Education Ministry received the protesters yesterday after they spent several hours waiting in the street. “I can only repeat what I already said, that we really don’t have the money for all the students on all levels of studies. I’m very sorry, but that’s how it is,” he pointed out. “We changed the law twice, even at the end of last school year. We made it possible for as many students as possible to meet the condition by reducing the number of points and increasing the number of exam periods - some understood that as moving to the budget,” the education ministry explained. Students have announced that they will gather in front of the government headquarters on Thursday and begin their hunger strike. Over 500 students took part in the protest on Tuesday, but organizers believe that there would not be more than 100 of those willing to go on a hunger strike. Dean of Students of the Faculty of Geography Dejan Petrovic says that behavior of Assistant Education Minister for High Education Slobodan Jaukovic, who had a meeting with the students last week, was “extremely rude”. “He tried to pass the ball to the faculties but the ministry is more responsible than the faculties. The faculties don’t have such autonomy to be able to decide on these issues,” he pointed out. “We simply asked the ministry to pay for our tuition, and he told us to ask (Miroslav) Miskovic to pay, or to talk to (U.S. President Barack) Obama, if we were so democratically-minded,” Petrovic told reporters. A student protest in Belgrade earlier this month (Beta)

Students advised to get tuition money "from Obama"

They decided to make such a radical move because their protest in front of the government headquarters yesterday, which blocked traffic in that part of the city, ended without any results.

The education minister told B92 that his ministry did not have the money to pay tuition for all the students who had 48 ESPB points, which is enough to enroll into the next year.

The students yesterday asked to be received by Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović and Economy Minister Mlađan Dinkić. However both of them were discussing a budget revision in parliament at the time.

Obradović told B92 today that his ministry had already provided enough support for the students, although no official of the Education Ministry received the protesters yesterday after they spent several hours waiting in the street.

“I can only repeat what I already said, that we really don’t have the money for all the students on all levels of studies. I’m very sorry, but that’s how it is,” he pointed out.

“We changed the law twice, even at the end of last school year. We made it possible for as many students as possible to meet the condition by reducing the number of points and increasing the number of exam periods - some understood that as moving to the budget,” the education ministry explained.

Students have announced that they will gather in front of the government headquarters on Thursday and begin their hunger strike. Over 500 students took part in the protest on Tuesday, but organizers believe that there would not be more than 100 of those willing to go on a hunger strike.

Dean of Students of the Faculty of Geography Dejan Petrović says that behavior of Assistant Education Minister for High Education Slobodan Jauković, who had a meeting with the students last week, was “extremely rude”.

“He tried to pass the ball to the faculties but the ministry is more responsible than the faculties. The faculties don’t have such autonomy to be able to decide on these issues,” he pointed out.

“We simply asked the ministry to pay for our tuition, and he told us to ask (Miroslav) Mišković to pay, or to talk to (U.S. President Barack) Obama, if we were so democratically-minded,” Petrović told reporters.