Professor of the "Slobodan Škerović" Gymnasium in Podgorica R. Č. allegedly, he could have been fired immediately after admitting that he sent phone messages with sexual connotations to a former student, but despite this, he is still a member of that collective, three years after the then nineteen-year-old student informed the management of his intentions.
The student graduated in May, and a few months later she started receiving inappropriate messages, which she immediately reported to the school administration, explaining that she was doing it out of concern for the other students. The school administration fined him.
CEO Biljana Vučurović claimed yesterday during the press conference that it was the only thing she could do. However, the General Law on Education provides for the dismissal of a teacher who "abuses his position" and "induces a student or an employee of the institution to lewd or unnatural fornication".
And the Code of Ethics of the Podgorica Gymnasium prohibits "harassment and inappropriate behavior towards another person that is aimed at or that actually represents a violation of personal dignity, interferes with the performance of work tasks or reduces the quality of life of that person." The code of ethics also prohibits "sexual harassment - behavior characterized by the absence, consent or refusal of the other party, and includes repeated unwanted verbal physical suggestions of a sexual nature to another person, physical abuse,...".
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The institution did not respond to "News", which is why the General Law on Education and Upbringing was not consulted, nor whether the director, after the notification from the former student and recognition of professor R. Č. sent the initiative to the school's Ethics Committee.
The Basic State Prosecutor's Office is investigating the facts of the allegations that R. Č. sexually harassed a former student, and the Police Department was ordered to urgently collect all information about the event. Previously, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation forwarded the case files to that prosecutor's office. A protest has been announced for Friday in front of that Podgorica school.
Vučurović claims that she is a target
Professor R. Č. announced his sick leave due to mental and physical suffering, the director of the gymnasium announced yesterday.
"You saw that the targets were drawn in the previous days. Along with the others, I am also a target," complained Vučurović.
She pointed out that professor R. Č. On August 28, 2020, "taken from the secondary vocational school in Bijelo Polje".
"He was hired by the former director Zoja Bojanić Lalović, which gave him a job...", said Vučurović.
She added that R. Č. "respected by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI)", which he heads Anđela Jakšić Stojanović.
Vučurović claims that when the incident happened with the student, she was not at the head of the Gymnasium, adding that the former student did not report the case to the former director of that educational institution.
Vučurović also read the statement of R. Č. from three years ago, in which he classifies inappropriate correspondence with a former student in several places as a "game", "a careless game with language", but admits that he "made a mistake".
"...So, to the above-mentioned former student, whose complaint you informed me verbally, I owe, first of all, a huge apology", it is stated, among other things, in the statement, which Vučurović showed to journalists yesterday. R. Č. he also admits that "he has sinned against teacher ethics and is aware of it...".
Vučurović said yesterday that she "advised the former student to contact the authorities, to protect her rights".
"She then says she doesn't want to do it. He tells us, in front of witnesses, that he is afraid of the reaction of his parents - the father. I understand the feelings of the young student and there is certainly no person who does not condemn the rank of professor", said Vučurović and added that the Gymnasium "Slobodan Škerović" stands "side by side with the former student" and says that "sexual harassment will not be tolerated".
"Parents are responsible..."
Lawyer Ivana Jončić she clarified that Vučurović could not impose more than a fine.
"The purpose of punishment must not be retribution. The purpose of the sanctions is to prevent that act from happening again," Jončić said, adding that the students did not complain about inappropriate behavior after the professor was punished.
Vučurović said that R. Č. after the incident, the professor had regular "hospitalizations", i.e. public visits to classes.
"Judgment was passed too quickly regarding something that is not known as a whole," claims the school director.
She replied to the journalists that she did not address the Ministry of Education, stressing that "we worked within the framework of our house".
She also added that it is not up to the school to "study Viber correspondence".
The director of the Gymnasium did not want to give a concrete answer to the question of whether she was comfortable working with the controversial professor.
"You don't have to have contact with everyone at school," claims Vučurović and points out that he feels "great disgust" for the professor's rank.
During the press conference, she repeated several times that other students did not complain to her, but she did not want to answer the question of "Vijesti" whether and how she can guarantee that the students are safe when it comes to R. Č.
Vučurović said that the parents sent their children with R. Č. "on their own responsibility" on several occasions. outside the controlled school environment to the book fair in Belgrade, although the public only recently found out about this case.
"All responsibility rests exclusively with the parents who accept that the professor guides their child," said Vučurović.
She dismissed the possibility that she had made mistakes in her work in this specific case and said that she would not resign because "she is not responsible for something that was not done by the immediate environment" of the former student.
The Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) recently published the text "Sexual harassment of students by staff: The evidence is usually pushed under the carpet", which described a case of inappropriate behavior towards a former student of the Gymnasium. A little later, that former student came forward and disclosed evidence of R. Č.'s inappropriate behavior on social networks. She was especially, as she said, revolted by the non-reaction of the school administration, led by Vučurović.
Bojanić Lalović: For the case, it matters who was hiding it
MP Zoja Bojanić Lalović said yesterday that R.Č. with his unforgivable attitude towards a young woman and his former student, he destroyed the reputation he had built up for decades, but he also made us think deeply about the question of what are the mechanisms to recognize such cases in schools.
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"Disgusted by what happened, I strongly condemn the actions of Professor Čečović and I appeal, but I also expect that the competent institutions will carry out activities to shed light on the whole story. I also emphasize that for this case the decisive question is not who hired him, but who was competent and responsible when the former student reported the case. It is also important to answer why there was silence about this for three years and whether and how the further work of the professor and the relationship with the students was monitored", Bojanić Lalović believes.
She emphasized that R.Č. recommended "as a favorite among students, an intellectual and an artist", and that he looked for a job because of a change of residence.
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