Nataša Aničić, a teacher of Russian language, urged the Ministry of Education to swiftly address the situation that she deemed humiliating for both the “Miloje Dobrašinović” Gymnasium and the broader educational system.

Her comments were made today outside the school, as she joined students who have been demonstrating since Friday against the retirement of professor Nova Vuković.

“I want to inform my colleagues who couldn’t be with us that we must uphold fundamental human and professional moral principles, for we are not merely educators but also mentors to our students,” Aničić stated.

According to unofficial reports from “Vijesti,” the issue arose when the administration determined that Vuković had fulfilled the criteria for retirement, yet he wished to continue teaching instead of taking his annual leave until April 8th.

Vuković noted that tensions escalated after the principal hindered a celebration the students had organized in honor of his retirement on Tuesday. He mentioned that she intentionally scheduled a cross-country race that day to prevent students from attending school, ignoring a formal request from representatives of all 19 classes to hold a farewell event for him.

The students refuted the claims made by principal Jasminka Međedović, who had asserted the previous day that she was unaware of the students’ interest in celebrating Nova Vuković’s retirement.

“We, the students, dispute that claim and can provide evidence that on March 5, we requested via the student parliament’s Viber group a session for this occasion, needing the signatures of class representatives. The session did not occur, yet the signatures from all 19 class representatives were collected the following day,” underlined Ignjatović, noting that the Ministry of Education had approved their absences from Friday’s classes, while the principal ordered those absences to be marked unexcused.

School janitor Vlatko Vuković reported that he has also experienced unfair treatment from Međedović, whom he had previously accused of mobbing.

“In my 30 years at the Gymnasium, I’ve seen five principals come and go. In 25 years, I’ve never faced as much trouble as I have in recent years. I stand here to advocate for our youth, that they may have their own path and think independently, rather than endure distress,” he declared.

Students from the Bijelo Polje Gymnasium have invited peers from the Secondary Electrical and Economic School, the Secondary Vocational School, and all elementary schools to take part in a protest on Thursday at 12:30 PM.

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