Suspended Jovina teacher still not reinstated: ‘The principal made countless mistakes, and we are living with the consequences’

Students from Jovina High School have returned to classrooms in three other schools after spending the first week of term protesting the dismissal and suspension of teachers. Their own school has been declared unsafe and is due to undergo reconstruction.

Rima Grujic, one of the suspended teachers, says the school has not followed a court order to reinstate her and others. She says both students and teachers are confused because her name still appears on the timetable.

Grujic said the students were trying to stabilize a situation the school administration had failed to manage. More than 50 teachers and professional staff have been dismissed and replaced. She pointed to the case of a young microbiologist who said she had never taught at the school, had no lesson plan and did not know how to conduct a class.

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I absolutely agree with the president that Mr. Stojkovic is a very difficult man, and I also agree that he made countless mistakes. We are now living with the consequences of his mistakes.

Responding to President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that the principal was difficult but the parents were to blame, Grujic said the problems had become serious enough to reach the highest levels of government.

“I absolutely agree with the president that Mr. Stojkovic is a very difficult man, and I also agree that he made countless mistakes. We are now living with the consequences of his mistakes,” she said. Grujic added that the students had been trapped in this limbo for two years, but said she remained optimistic about the school’s future. “We care. We love this school. That is the only agenda we have,” she said.

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We care. We love this school. That is the only agenda we have.