Universities in Serbia hope to reopen their doors in September after months of boycotts by students, but Jellena Stanković is determined: “I will not return to my studies.”
Stanković is a student at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad — the city in northern Serbia that has been the epicenter of the country’s largest anti-government protest wave in nearly 30 years.
Last November, the roof of a railway station in the city collapsed, killing 16 people.
Since then, students have led protests demanding accountability.
“The fight must go on,” Stanković told Radio Free Europe’s Balkan Service.
She is part of a generation of students who have sacrificed a year of studies and are now deciding whether to continue the boycott or return to lectures.
For Stanković, this year has not been wasted.
“I’ve met extraordinary people, both students and professors, with whom I expect to stay in touch even after all this is over,” she said.
“For me, the most beautiful discovery in life is that I can do something else, not just play the piano,” Stanković reflected.
In Belgrade, Konstantin Cvetanović shared photos of student protests at the Faculty of Physics, with the word “Blockade” written on a blackboard.
He said the past year had given him a different kind of education.
“Even though we had a shortened academic year, what we learned about professional integrity during this blockade will be far more valuable than the knowledge we might have missed,” he explained.
However, Cvetanović thinks it may now be time to return to universities, while still allowing protests to continue.
“To be in a situation for months where only universities don’t function simply makes no sense. By doing this, we would only give the authorities motivation to shut down the university,” he said.
Some institutions took the unusual step of trying to reopen as early as June, before the summer break. One of them was the Technical College in Subotica, in northern Serbia.
Nenad Gojković said he does not want to continue his studies but admits that many other students have already returned.
“I know that many colleagues have sacrificed a lot, both financially and in terms of time. Many have found jobs to cover expenses. Some are not supported by parents and manage on their own. Many have also lost scholarships,” Gojković said.
Stanković is prepared for the same in Novi Sad.
“I cannot say I will feel any dissatisfaction toward colleagues who, for objective reasons, cannot continue the fight with as much passion as at the beginning,” she added.
Belgrade and Novi Sad host the largest universities in Serbia.
Their data suggests that teaching is expected to resume soon.
The University of Novi Sad opened more than 9,500 places for new students in the upcoming academic year. In the first round, more than 5,300 enrolled, while the next round will be held in September.
The University of Belgrade announced that 10,984 students were admitted in the first registration — 538 fewer than last year.
