Belgrade U Rector: University Under Financial, Media and Legal Pressures

Rector Vladan Djokic (BETAPHOTO/AMIR HAMZAGIC)

In an interview for Insajder TV published on Nov. 5, Belgrade University rector Vladan Djokic claimed that the educational institution he heads faces continual financial, media and legal pressures.

“Misdemeanor charges against the deans [have been filed] over the failure to provide lectures and tutorials while the [University’s] schools were blocked, even though the deans were not the ones staging the blockades. In addition, some deans, along with the members of the Inquiry Committee, have been receiving threats and have been targeted due to publicly supporting the [protesting university] students,” Djokic said, referencing the informal, self-organized Committee of experts investigating the Nov. 1, 2024 Novi Sad central railway station collapse.

According to Djokic, multiple deans, all vice-chancellors and he himself have been subject to legal proceedings which additionally undermine relationships within the University and hinder its operation.

“Since March, the government hasn’t opened any new subaccounts at the International Projects Treasury – although projects have been approved and financed – which has hampered research. Salary arrear payments are also late, as is the reimbursement of 50 percent of tuition to self-financing students, although the government has pledged to do so,” Djokic explained.

The rector went on to state that slightly over 12,000 freshmen enrolled in the University of Belgrade this year, which is two percent less than last year. A fact Djokic attributed to depopulation and the increasing number of higher education institutions in the country.

The 2024-2025 school year was not lost and a new generation of freshmen has been enrolled, Djokic underscored, concluding that interest in the University “has not dropped as significantly” as the public is being led to believe.