Council of parents of "Vladislav Ribnikar": Children want to go to school VIDEO

Council of parents of "Vladislav Ribnikar": Children want to go to school VIDEO

Council of parents of Elementary School "Vladislav Ribnikar": Children want to go to school and we must make it possible for them.

A member of the Council of Parents of "Vladislav Ribnikar" Primary School, Dejan Ristić, said that more than 80 percent of the children expressed their desire to continue going to school until the end of the school year.

In a guest appearance on PRVA Television, Ristić pointed out that it is the parents' obligation to support their children in their desire to go to school and that the Parents' Council took a unanimous position that the school year is ending.

When asked by the presenter why the news that the school year ends on Friday was published yesterday, Ristić says that he is not the right address for that question. "We, as parents of students, cannot say why it was published, we need to check who published that information. The Parents' Council held a session on Monday and took the position that the school year should be held according to plan and program, without any shortening, unanimously. We decided unanimously that the children who want to go to the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School go to that school, and those who don't want to go there can go to the facilities that the Government of the Republic of Serbia provided on time, so there are 13 facilities in the immediate vicinity of the school for all children who are not ready for any reason to go to their school - for example, Dadov, the Children's Cultural Center and other suitable facilities for teaching," Ristić begins.

He further states that the children's desire to save their school and finish the school year in that building is noticeable.

"My child is among more than 80 percent of the children of Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School who have expressed their willingness to go to school, and she is going. In her class, 25 out of 25 students want to finish the school year in that facility. We are parents who want to support our children because we believe that they have the right to decide what they want to do. To be clear, the children do not want to go to school to improve their grades, that is not primary to us or to them. It is about their community, they need to be together as a class, with their teachers, students. They want to preserve their school, which of course will have its memorial part, there is no doubt about that, we all agreed on that. This will be done when the psychological conditions for such a thing are created. There was never a dissonant tone about it. Most of the children have a need to protect and return to themselves that school, to which they have only the best memories, until May 3. Is that understandable to us as parents - not completely, honestly yes, but we must not deny it to our children. I repeat, more than 80 percent of children want this and we have to support them," Ristić explained clearly.

It is clear that there is also a group of parents who want the school year to end immediately, and Ristić says that this is completely fine, given that the state has allowed everyone to choose what they want, without any consequences. "That's completely fine and understandable. Each of us in such, infinitely tragic situations, reacts the way he thinks he should. But you shouldn't interfere with your decision and your opinion, please. Well, the state has made it possible for everyone to do everything they want. Who wants to go to Ribnikar, goes to Ribnikar. Those who don't want to go to that school, go to the neighboring facility, those who don't want to go at all, don't have to, they will finish the school year in an appropriate way. No one is denying anything to anyone, all decisions are up to the child and his/her family. Yes, they say what they are ready for and what they can do," he adds.

Ristić emphasized that it is necessary to be fair and say that everything has been done on the part of the state and that the Council of Parents does not have a problem with the state, but that misunderstandings arise in media appearances.

"On its part, the state has done everything. We have teams that work with our children and teachers. They have been with us all the time, starting from the day of the tragedy."

"The state met every request, need of the parents. But we cannot allow anarchy, and I believe that the media has a great responsibility. How to convey information and place one personal position as the position of everyone. That is not right. The Council of Parents is grateful to the state authorities for good communication and the implementation of parents' requests. We have no problems with that. What causes misunderstandings are the individual views of some parents, which the media present as the voice of all of parents," says Ristić and ends by saying:

"We should listen to our children no matter what decision they make. Whether they should go to their school, to some other facility or not to go to school at all. Let's not make decisions for them, let's listen to them, talk to them, support them in whatever decision they make. Their needs should be above the needs and desires of all of us."