Sanja Vujović, a teacher at the "Lovcen Partisan Detachment" Elementary School, announced that on May 9, on Victory Day, the students of that school in Podgorica did not represent the school, but the Union of Associations of Fighters of the National Liberation War (SUBNOR).
She announced it on her Facebook profile.
"Although the children did not participate as representatives of the school, but as part of the SUBNOR organization, I had a moral and professional obligation to inform the director of the school about the planned activities," she stated in the announcement.
Elementary school "Lovcen Partisan Detachment" initiated disciplinary proceedings against teacher Sanja Vujović, who allegedly abused students for political purposes.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports did not respond to "Vijesti"'s questions about whether they formally and for what omission asked the management of that institution to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Vujović.
School director Veljko Đukanović previously confirmed that the procedure had been initiated.
According to "Vijesti" information, teacher Vujović, in violation of the epidemiological measure banning intercity traffic on weekends, took the students with the consent of their parents on May 9 to lay a wreath at the monument to the Partisan fighter in Gorica. After that, the teacher and the students allegedly joined the walk in Podgorica, and the column included representatives of patriotic organizations that had previously invited citizens to join the members of SUBNOR. A walk at noon is organized from the monument to Saint Peter of Cetinje to the Parliament of Montenegro. The convoy stopped in front of Tito's monument, in front of the President's building, while a few minutes of silence was held in front of the Assembly building.
Vujović pointed out that all the children had their parents' consent to participate in the program of laying wreaths at the memorial to the fallen fighters for the freedom of Montenegro.
"We are an anti-fascist country, even if it says so in the Constitution, so let's act like it. All of Europe celebrates Victory Day over fascism, why can't we? If someone understood the peaceful walk, dedicated to the victory over fascism, as an anti-government protest, that's their problem, please avoid me and these well-educated and smart children, whose parents are intellectuals, because luckily (I'm not raising my rating) every school should have the obligation to teach children anti-fascism, because, as the Constitution tells us, that is the future path of our country", she wrote and thanked everyone who supported her.
The Center for Civic Education says that in a time of heightened tensions in society, the obligation of the teaching staff to not contribute to the political instrumentalization of children by their actions, even when they are from the best of intentions, is emphasized.
"It is not disputed that the students of the Lovcen Partisan Detachment Primary School from Cetinje visited the Partisan Fighter Memorial in Gorica in Podgorica, where the students laid a wreath. On the contrary, it's great that teachers have the initiative in the direction of affirming anti-fascist values, which can be significantly contributed by classes outside the classroom, in the very places that speak more than teachers. However, if such regular curricular or extracurricular activities of students become part of the colors and someone's political events, that is not good, and it is punishable by law, because we are talking about the age of children up to 14 years old... We also expect that all the circumstances will be established through the disciplinary procedure and whether or not there was abuse of children for political purposes," said Snežana Kaluđerović, senior legal adviser at the CGO.
She points out that if SUBNOR wanted students to lay a wreath on this monument in Podgorica, they could have provided students from any elementary school in Podgorica, bearing in mind the intercity traffic ban that was in force that day.
"There was no need for them to be students from Cetinje, who violated this ban." If it was the desire of the history teacher, as a sample history lesson to explain in the historical context the importance of May 9 - Victory Day over fascism, why did the students not lay a wreath on Cetinje on that day, a hero city with numerous NOB monuments, which would not have been valid measures to combat the coronavirus are violated and students are exposed to the risk of infection," Kaluđerović points out.
According to her, the issue of potential misuse of parental consent should be treated separately: "Because walks can bring with them rebellion and riots, violence, aggression, and children do not belong there."
Kaluđerović also pointed out the selectivity of actions in such cases: "It is dangerous and does not act as a preventive measure".
Disciplinary proceedings against the Cetinje school teacher were condemned by opposition political parties, civic activists, and SUBNOR.
Yesterday, the veterans' organization asked the Ministry to abandon the "examination and punishment of the teacher", and they claim that the column of "young anti-fascists", among whom were students from the Cetna school, was followed, without their invitation, by a large group of citizens, without any political and protest messages.
"In compliance with the measures related to the pandemic, with the permission of the Police Administration, with whom we have achieved extremely good cooperation, 20 young people in the costumes of the people who live in Montenegro walked from the monument to Saint Peter of Cetinje, among them ten students from Cetinje with partisan uniforms, from of the school that proudly bears the name of the famous Lovcen partisan detachment, which almost 80 years ago perished in Pljevlja defending freedom", states the reaction of SUBNOR.
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