There are no summer vacations, classes on weekends; The academic year "can still be made up", but...

The Speaker of the Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, stated at the beginning of the month that, based on the school calendar, March 17 is "D-day" when it comes to the possibility that this academic year will not be lost. Faculties are now considering different compensation models, professors are warning that classical teaching is no longer possible in the stipulated time frame.

Additionally, when compensation models will be introduced depends on how long student lockouts will last.

What happens to the academic year after March 17?

Although March 17 has been repeatedly marked as "D-Day" for the academic year, it has, as it seems at first glance, passed without concrete changes. Nevertheless, the vice-deans and deans of the faculties of the University of Belgrade agree that the precious time to make up for what was missed is running out.

Goran Roglić, dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, spoke about what the current situation at the faculties could mean for the academic year, and why March 17 was referred to as "D-Day" for the academic year.

"The academic year is not threatened for now, March 17 was not "D-Day". Faculties have their own compensation plans, and in principle, the faculties held meetings of all vice-deans for teaching and vice-chancellors for teaching where the compensation plans were analyzed," says Roglić.

Stojanović: "There is a chance to make up for the academic year"

Žaklina Stojanović, dean of the Faculty of Economics, also commented on March 17 as the last moment to start classes at the faculties and not to waste the academic year.

"As a professor, I simply don't want to talk about the subject of the academic year being lost. I still think there is a chance that the academic year can be compensated under some regime that implies intensive compensation. Therefore, we have an obligation to have 6 exam periods and those 6 exam periods will be realized," she said.

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She commented on the current state of the academic year.

"At this moment, I can responsibly say that the academic year is not yet at risk, but the summer vacation is at risk, which no longer exists. Now everything from now on implies intensive work in the teaching process to make up for what was lost, and to take exams within the framework defined by law." Stojanović states.

The academic year was lost only once

As she explained, the academic year in Serbia failed only once during the Second World War in 1942, 1943, 1944.

"We had various circumstances, Covid, bombing... Academic year has never been in the situation to be lost. So now if it is lost this year, it means that it is worse than the Second World War," she says.

It's not the same at every faculty

Stojanović also referred to the fact that at the meetings of the vice-deans for teaching, each faculty presents the situation in which it is and the plan for compensating the activities.

"There is now speculation about different dates because the working conditions at different faculties are different. The activities and programs at the faculties are different. Some will end a little earlier or a little later. As a rule, the semester lasts 15 weeks, but some faculties implement 14 weeks plus one week which is a colloquium, which takes place on weekends," she tells us.

She also commented on the request of 230 Law Faculty students to make up for classes online.

"Online teaching can be one of the options, I'm not sure how the Faculty of Law will react to that. In circumstances that are not regular, online teaching has proven to be a way we can meet students during Covid," she says.

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The Minister of Education Slavica Djukić Dejanović said earlier that not all faculties are the same.

"The situation is not the same in all higher education institutions. Some are working. The Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja is working, as well as the Faculty of Agriculture in Čačak, for example," said Djukić Dejanović, commenting on a letter from the Ministry in which the Ministry of Education asks the faculty to inform whether lectures and exams are held.

Savić: "Only combined classes possible"

Dušan Savić, vice-dean for basic academic studies at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, said that "it is not possible to implement teaching according to the standard model".

"Classical teaching at the university is not possible without an extension of the school year. Teaching according to the classical model cannot be implemented. Also, it takes 3 weeks to complete the winter semester at FON. That is why teaching can only be implemented according to the combined model. The combined model makes it possible to implement complete teaching for two subjects (lectures and exercises) in one day, for each year," he said.

As he states, according to one of the created plans, if classes in basic academic studies start "on April 7th, and the classes can be completely implemented until Sunday, September 28th, when FON is concerned".

It all depends on one thing

Stojanović also spoke about how the teaching will be compensated at this faculty

"At the Faculty of Economics, it will probably be a hybrid model that can eventually help to get through those 15 weeks of classes faster. Weekends are certainly being considered, there is no space for summer vacation, that the exam deadlines will be tied with, say, two months with four dates for each exam, that is something that we are talking about at the faculty, because you simply have to arrange everything properly by the end of the year," says the dean of the Faculty of Economics.

As she emphasized, whether they will continue to teach depends on whether they will have someone to teach.

"Again, everything depends on whether we will have students in the classrooms. We can make all this as a decision, and if the students continue the lockouts, then I simply don't know what to do next," she warned.

The performance and salaries of professors are controlled

The majority of faculty professors did not receive the second part of their February salary, as the state representatives announced. The relevant ministry previously said that competent inspections will control whether salaries in higher education institutions are paid in accordance with performance.

The dean of the Faculty of Chemistry of Belgrade University also commented on the unpaid second part of the February salaries to the employees at the faculties and assessed how it could affect the reimbursement of teaching.

"Given that we were denied a salary, we have no obligation to make up for teaching. If the state pays us as overtime, which is calculated at 126 percent, we can talk about compensating for teaching," he notes.

Even so, he says, colleges will continue to work on compensation plans.

"In any case, the faculties continue to work on compensation plans until further notice. Those plans are updated on a weekly or fortnightly basis. What is certain is that the faculties are doing their job and dealing with the implementation of the year as much as they can," he concluded.