VI -
Disciplining the University
The underlying objectives of the University Act were
fully attained. Under the cover of the University Act a plan of
political, moral and cultural destruction of the Serbian high school
education was successfully implemented. Two years after the Act's
enforcement the Serbian high schools, notably the elite Belgrade
University, lost over 200 professors and assistants, of whom two thirds
were young people with M.Sc. and PhD titles. That brain-drain helped
achieve two basic goals: firstly any public criticism both on a broad
social plane and on a narrow, university plane was neutralised, and
secondly not only the current autonomy of university was lost, but the
very future of all Serbian universities was indeed jeopardised.
Unfortunately one should not overlook the contribution
of university proper to such a sorry development. Barring few brave
attempts by some professors and management officials of Philosophical,
Law, Philology and Electrical Engineering Faculties to counter the
regime-orchestrated repression, responses of the rest of faculties and
professors were not adequate. Without the backing of important
institutions, for example of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and the
Serbian Orthodox Church, and a genuine support of the political
opposition parties, the university autonomy stood no chance of survival
in the face of brutal repression campaign launched by the state
bureaucracy and political oligarchy. Failing to find a genuine response
to such massive stranglehold, university structures yielded to the
regime's pressure and gradually bowed to imposed restrictions.
Universities in Serbia faced a disastrous situation: their autonomy was
suspended and they were no longer in the position to influence in any
way the government's choice of rectors, deans and other high education
professionals. In the aforementioned period the Serbian government
appointed five new rectors and 67 deans (17 of them at the Belgrade
University alone)
Swamped with people whose professional expertise and
moral qualities were far below their functions and titles, the Serbian
university was faced with a situation in which politics totally
prevailed over quality of education/lectures and students' requirements.
The task of high education is to produce experts in different fields and
to teach them the basic ethical and moral standards for their future
exercise of their profession. But the University Act had a contrary
effect, as best attested to by the example of the Belgrade Law Faculty.
From that faculty over 20 most perspective and qualified professors and
assistants were removed in different way, but always on orders of the
newly-appointed dean, Oliver Antic. They were replaced by greenhorns of
dubious expertise. The most scandalous development was a recent
appointment of Vojislav Seselj as one of the professors of the Belgrade
Law faculty.
On the other hand most marked resistance at
universities Serbia-wide was mounted by students bent on resolutely
defending their academic freedoms. Frequent student demonstrations,
rallies and other forms of protests, sometimes backed by some
professors, were regularly punished or hampered by the university
authorities, assisted by the police and private security teams. New
"security teams" at faculties (notably at the Electrical Engineering
Faculty, Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering Faculty)
primarily engaged in protection of professors from-students.
The security team of the Belgrade Electrical
Engineering Faculty literally threw out a full-time, but blacklisted
professor, Milan S. Savic. Professor Savoljub Marjanovic told BETA
agency that on Friday, 25 May 2000, he was banned from entering the
faculty. A group of eight professors of the Electrical Engineering
faculty, including some prominent names, like Milan S. Savic, Jovan
Nehman and former dean Borivoje Lazic, was also banned from entering the
faculty. "Savic begged them to let him come in to take some documents
from his cabinet, but they denied him entry," said Marjanovic.
A group of thirty odd masked individuals on 23 May
2000 barged into the hall of Architectural Faculty and assaulted
students gathered there. Attackers wore green surgical masks on their
mouths and were armed with wooden rods. They indiscriminately beat up
students. After the majority of students had fled the building, the gang
locked the faculty doors and continued to beat the remaining students.
Within minutes three white cars appeared in front of the building and
several men in black clothes and without masks alighted from them and
entered the faculty. (Danas, 24 May 2000)
Jevrem Janjic, the High Education Minister, on 24 May
2000 sent a memo to all deans and rectors ordering them to proclaim the
end of the school-year by 26 May. He also stated that the decision was
taken in line with "the current needs" and that by 26 May all students
had to get signatures necessary for their admission to exams and
endorsement of semesters, because after that date the faculty would be
closed. The memo also stated that all gatherings and manifestations in
the faculty premises were banned except those expressly greelighted by
the dean. (Glas javnosti 26 May 2000.)
Association of Professors and Researchers of
Yugoslavia and the University Committee for the Defence of Democracy
demanded resignation of Jagos Puric, the rector, because students had
been roughed up on his express orders: "After a series of beatings at
the Faculty of Architecture, we, your colleagues, warn you, Jagos Puric,
that this was the last time you trampled upon all norms of humanity and
sensible conduct. You as a rector are responsible for everything that
has been happening at the University, so it does not really matter
whether you have given orders, paid the gang to beat up students or just
tacitly agreed to their misdeeds." The letter furthermore read: "our
people do not pay you to beat up their children. Have you tried to talk
to student to see what they want, and what they find intolerant on your
and the authorities part?" (Blic, 26 May 2000)
Several days after the bloodless revolution (5
October) deans of all faculties and high school institutions were
dismissed. An interim body, University Council, was set up. Professor
Dr. Marija Bogdanovic was appointed President of the University Council.
Interim teaching-scientific councils were set up at all faculties. Dr.
Jagos Puric, the Belgrade University Rector, was relieved of his duties
at the 10 October session of the Interim Management Board of the
Belgrade University. After several stormy sessions of the University
Council, the official line that the interim management was given
legitimacy by academic circles, prevailed. It was emphasised that the
"academic circles mounted resistance to the lethal and usurping anti-Law
(the University Act) which, to put it mildly, humiliated the University
in Serbia." In justifying Puric's dismissal, Dr.Bogdanovic stressed that
"Puric did not represent, let alone safeguard, the University interests,
for during his mandate over 200 professors and assistants were fired,
classes were irregular, and bodyguards were employed at some faculties."
In his response to the dismissal, Puric sent a letter to President
Kostunica, notifying him that " a group of unidentified persons headed
by Dr. Bogdanovic, barged into the Rector's Offices and proclaimed
themselves the new management. As you, the new president-elect, swore to
preserve the constitutional order and honour all the laws, please try to
do you utmost to avoid the repeat of the past mistakes, and ensure
legitimate and legal introduction of changes in the country."
Gasa Knezevic, High Education Minister, on 28 December
2000 relieved professors Dr. Vojislav Seselj and Dr. Milisav Custovic of
their duties at the Belgrade University.
Decisions on appointments of Seselj and Custovic,
signed by the Law Faculty and Medical Faculty deans, were invalid, for
the submitted documentation amply indicated that both Seselj and
Custovic failed to meet requirements for such high titles under the
University Act in place. High Education Minister Knezevic also said:
"Two sessions of the Belgrade Law Faculty teaching-scientific councils
urged taking of decision which would condemn the University Act and its
upshots, including the appointment of Seselj as a full-time professor. I
could have enforced the Act and dismissed Seselj immediately, but I
thought it was wiser to give a chance to the Law Faculty to purge itself
by taking the relevant decision. But when at the last session I saw
Seselj's impudent intention to negotiate postponement of that decision,
I knew that the time was up..."Gaso Knezevic also warned that "the two
cases were only the first steps in a comprehensive campaign of
de-politicisation and professionalisation of the University. But if the
majority of the dismissed happen to belong to the ranks of the ruling
coalition, it means that they have 'won' their university titles through
political pressures and violations of legal provisions, and not that the
High Education Ministry was bent on staging a political showdown with
them."
HCHRS |
