site.btaAfter Blockade of Branko’s Bridge in Belgrade, Students and Teachers Also Protest in Novi Sad

A day after the three-hour blockade of Branko’s Bridge in Belgrade, teachers gathered on Thursday for a protest in Novi Sad, Serbian media reported.

The protesters' demands are for greater security in schools, changes in regulations to increase salaries in education, as well as the abolition of matriculation exams in 2025 and the depoliticization of appointments of principals and teachers in schools.

In some schools in Serbia, the second term did not start on the usual schedule because teachers either did not teach or worked reduced hours, which led to a reduction in their salaries in February and March.

Some high schools were blockaded by students and some of the blockades are continuing. After the pay cut, some teachers went back to 45-minute classes, but there are some who are not giving up on the strike.

Classes are being held in 45 of Novi Sad's 55 primary and secondary schools, the city hall said, Novi Sad media reported.

Educators, however, dispute this statistic.

A private Serbian foundation announced a donation campaign and in two weeks raised the sum of 76 million dinars (about EUR 650,000) to compensate for the reduced salaries of striking educators in Serbia.

On Wednesday, protesting students stopped traffic for the first time on Branko’s Bridge in Belgrade, one of the main thoroughfares in the Serbian capital. At the students' call, citizens, teachers, high school students, lecturers and IT professionals stood on both sides of the bridge and blocked it.

"This is just another excuse for committing violence against Belgrade citizens and all those who come to Belgrade to fulfil their duties," Parliament Chair Ana Brnabic told the privately owned Pink TV on Wednesday.

The blockade was an expression of solidarity with Serbian teachers, who were among the first to support the disruption of classes at higher education institutions in Serbia's 4 university cities in late 2024, protesting students explained on social media.