The day after the tragedy at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, an emergency session of the Parliamentary Committee for Education was held, which turned into an examination of the rector, with a live broadcast on TV Informer
The day after the death of the girl who fell from the fifth floor Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, an emergency session was held in the National Assembly of Serbia on Saturday (March 28). Committee for Education, Science and Technological Development, which was convened by the Speaker of the Parliament Ana Brnabic.
The session, which lasted more than three hours, was directed as a kind of public hearing of the rector of the University of Belgrade Vladan Djokic, with live broadcast on Informer television.
At the beginning, Brnabić urged not to politicize the tragedy and not to “create a circus”, stressing that no one should “make a victim out of themselves”.
“We are here to look at the situation at our faculties, to discuss whether the laws are respected or not, and to respect the university’s autonomy. We respected it even in 2025 when, in our opinion, it was abused in the worst way,” said Brnabić.
She assessed that the tragedy that happened at the Faculty of Philosophy was “a consequence of the stupidity that reigns in our universities.”
Questions for rectors
In the following, she listed certain provisions of the law, pointing out the responsibility of the dean and the rector.
Ana Brnabić, the President of the Assembly, acted as an investigative body of the Udba, and her performance reminds her of the staged Stalinist trials.
She addressed several questions to the rectors, especially to Rector Đokić. He refused to answer them, stating that he had already spoken about all the questions that Brnabić asked him in front of the prosecution during earlier hearings.
He added that the Faculty of Philosophy is cooperating with the competent authorities in order to determine all the facts related to the accident.
“The tragedy requires a detailed investigation, dignity during the investigation and justice. Constructions are put forward without established facts. I came here to say what is the truth, and the truth is the following – after the tragic event, the Faculty of Philosophy cooperates with all state authorities in order to establish the circumstances and facts. It is in the interest of all employees of the faculty and the University that the case be clarified, in an impartial and transparent manner,” said Rector Đokić
The Rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade, Mirjana Nikolić, said that she, like the Rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, believes that the Board is not the place to answer the questions posed by the President of the Serbian Parliament, Ana Brnabić, and that she is not used to “talking to the academic community in this way”.
“At all our meetings, we talk with the deans and discuss the situation at each of our faculties,” Nikolić said, stressing that the rectors do their job very responsibly.
The Minister of Education also spoke at the session Dejan Vuk Stankovic, who, among other things, asked Rector Đokić if anyone planned to resign regarding this case.
Opposition: Abuse of tragedy
MP of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) and member of the Committee, Peđa Mitrović, assessed that today’s session of the Committee on Education is a performance for the public with the aim of condemning the University of Belgrade.
“I appeal to stop all these performances for the public immediately. You are using the tragedy at the Faculty of Philosophy for politicization in the most terrible way. Let the competent authorities conduct an investigation, and when we have the results, then we can talk,” Mitrović said.
He assessed that the Board of Education should have discussed who provided the personal data of the deceased student to the editorial office of the Informer.
“Why aren’t we dealing with it? On Informer TV under your control, they called for the arrest of the rector and the dean, they presented private information about the tragically killed student and her family without any empathy. They said that the blockaders killed the student,” Mitrović said.
Đorđe Pavićević, a member of the Green-Left Front and a member of the Committee, said that the session of the Parliamentary Committee was a kind of misuse of the tragedy, stating that Ana Brnabić should have waited with her because it is not yet known whether the tragedy occurred due to security failures, and only then should she put it on the agenda as an item.
Serbia Center (SRCE) MP Slobodan Cvejić assessed that there is “wide pressure on the entire higher education in Serbia”.
“That is a problem for you. It is a problem for you that there are teachers, professors who developed the idea of freedom in children. Do not use an isolated incident and a great loss for the family of the victim student for these purposes. Do not use universities as a scapegoat for your political purposes,” said Cvejić.
MP of the National Movement of Serbia, Ana Jakovljević, accused the Speaker of the Parliament that during the session “she spread falsehoods to citizens without any facts, misleading them in order to smear higher education, primarily the University of Belgrade.”
“All the time you sent messages to your voters below the level of dignity. You are making this whole farce because tomorrow is local elections,” said Jakovljević.
She assessed that the Speaker of the Parliament convened today’s session of the Board of Education in order “as a prosecutor to interrogate rectors and address them in an inappropriate tone.”
Apart from the President of the Parliament and the Minister of Education, the rectors of all state universities, as well as members of the People’s Parliament – members of the Committee, attended the session.
The board session turned into politicking and bickering between the authorities, the opposition and representatives of the university.
Source: Vreme
