Lajkovac High School Students End Class Boycott After Director's Dismissal

A significant student protest in Lajkovac, Serbia, has reached its conclusion as high school students have returned to classes. The boycott, which saw students from the '17. septembar' high school refuse to attend lessons, was called off after the Ministry of Education officially communicated the dismissal of the recently appointed director, Radmila Milentijević. This development marks the end of a nine-day protest that highlighted student engagement in school governance.

The students' decision to boycott classes stemmed from their strong objection to the abrupt removal of the previous director, Danijela Bogdanović. According to student representatives, Bogdanović had fostered a positive and collaborative environment during her year-long tenure. Her sudden replacement by Milentijević, a chemistry teacher at the school, was met with widespread disapproval among the student body, who felt their voices were not being heard.

Student parliament president Nemanja Perišić confirmed that following the Ministry's official notice, the teaching council convened and unanimously elected Saša Nikolić, an electrical engineering instructor at the school, as the interim director. This internal resolution, coupled with the Ministry's action regarding the previous appointment, appears to have satisfied the students' demands, leading to the normalization of classes.

This situation in Lajkovac underscores the growing assertiveness of students in Serbia regarding educational leadership. While the official reason cited for Bogdanović's removal was alleged inefficiency in the unified education information system, the students' reaction demonstrates a strong attachment to leadership they perceive as effective and cooperative. The swift resolution, involving both ministerial action and internal school decisions, reflects a dynamic where student concerns, when voiced collectively, can indeed influence outcomes within the Serbian education system.

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After the May Day holidays, the teaching council met, and the newly appointed director Radmila Milentijević resigned, and Saša Nikolić, an electrical engineer and teacher at this school, was unanimously elected as the acting director.