Kraljevo students denied scholarships despite allocated funds

Kraljevo, Serbia, broke a decade-long tradition last year by failing to award scholarships and prizes to its best students. Funds were allocated in the city budget, but the competitions were not announced, and the money was diverted without any explanation.

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Having in mind that there is obviously a silent or open war between the authorities and education, in which both educators and students are affected, I am not sure if they will be awarded this year either. These are not large amounts, but they are significant from the standpoint of recognizing these children for achieving some success.

Dragan Vukadinović, whose daughter previously received scholarships, expressed uncertainty about this year's awards. He noted a "silent or open war between the authorities and education," affecting both educators and students. "These are not large amounts, but they are significant as recognition for the children's achievements," he said.

Local councilor Miroljub Baković of the "Starosedeoci Kraljeva" Association called the situation an "unprecedented scandal." He claimed that approximately 20 million dinars designated for student welfare were redirected to a public company. Baković suggested this action was a form of "retaliation and revenge" by the city authorities against students for protests held in 2025.

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This is an unprecedented scandal. That budget funds allocated by the Kraljevo Assembly for student standards are redirected to a public enterprise.

Questions posed to the mayor of Kraljevo's office regarding the decision to withhold scholarships went unanswered. However, a previous statement from Mayor Predrag Terzić to the local portal Krug indicated his hope that the allocated funds would be distributed this year, without "unforeseen interruptions and suspensions of classes."

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It has never been recorded. And it represents a kind of retaliation and revenge by the city authorities in Kraljevo for the student protests during 2025.