Educational orchards do not close schools: Besnik Adović reacted to accusations from residents of the village of Zoganje near Ulcinj

"For more than twenty years, no one has taken the initiative to clean up the area around the school, remove vegetation, arrange the yard, or secure new investments. It was only when someone invested significant funds and time that accusations and disputes arose," said the Ulcinj resident. Besim Adovic, responding to the allegations in the article "Lemon plantations built instead of sports fields", which was published in "Vijesti" on July 5th.

Adović, who is currently abroad, said he feels obligated to address the public to present the facts that have been omitted and correct a series of inaccurate and tendentious allegations that attempt to discredit a multi-year socially responsible project implemented solely in the interest of children and the school in the village.

In the text being reacted to, the residents of Zoganje protested against a private lemon plantation that had sprung up in the yard of the district office in that settlement and warned of the possible usurpation of state land. For this reason, an urgent meeting of the residents with the management of the “Maršal Tito” Elementary School was held last week, and the president of the local community Ramazan Perović He sent letters to the ministry, the school, the education inspectorate and the municipality, requesting the removal of more than 250 lemon trees so that sports fields for students could be built in the same place as planned. Perović also said that the principal of the "Maršal Tito" elementary school supported the locals at the meeting.

In his response, Adović pointed out that he has never had and does not have any private or financial interest in the project of cleaning and maintaining the yard of the regional department of the "Maršal Tito" Elementary School in Zoganje and the associated plots.

"On the contrary, back in 2021, as a former student of this school, I addressed the Ministry of Education with a letter of intent to use my own funds to renovate the neglected schoolyard and surrounding plots that had been overgrown with bushes, brambles and wild plants for decades. The Ministry gave its consent to this initiative, after which a contract was concluded with the school represented by the principal." Ferid Hajdinag", said Adović.

He stated that planting lemon trees was never presented as a replacement for a sports field, but rather to further enhance it and gain educational, ecological, and agricultural value.

"The long-term vision was for students to gain new knowledge through practical teaching, and for the future income to be directed to the school so that it could eventually become partially self-sustaining and invest in improving the conditions for children's education. Throughout the entire project, I did not have or have any personal or financial interest, but only the desire to contribute to the school where I grew up and the community to which I belong," the response reads.

Adović emphasized the positive role of Director Hajdinaga in the entire project.

"Hajdinaga did not act arbitrarily throughout the entire procedure, but responsibly and in the best interest of the school and its students. Thanks to her openness to socially responsible initiatives, the school has received significant investments in the arrangement and improvement of the school premises after many years, for which no similar initiative had previously existed. I believe it is unfair to present her professional and human commitment in a negative context, especially considering that she, together with the school's employees, actively participates in numerous projects implemented and supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, whose common goal is to improve the quality of education and conditions for students," said Adović.

He rejected claims that this was a case of usurpation of the schoolyard.

"These claims are simply not true. One cannot speak of usurpation when I have been working for almost five years, through activities that began with the arrangement and cleaning of a neglected school complex. Even less can one speak of a private plantation when the yield is intended for the school, and the space serves to educate students through practical lessons in agriculture and ecology," he said.

He expressed regret that individuals, as he stated, are trying to present the situation today as different than it is.

"They are talking about changing the plan, but they overlook the fact that the project is planned to be developed in several phases. Instead of calling for the removal of everything that has been done, it would be much more useful to work together on the implementation of all planned facilities, including the sports field. Also, the claim that the school will be left without students because of the lemon plantations has no basis in facts. Children will not leave school because the schoolyard has been decorated and an educational orchard has been planted. On the contrary, better quality conditions, a more beautiful environment and the possibility of practical teaching represent the added value of every educational institution. School gardens, orchards and educational plantations exist in numerous schools across Europe and are an example of good practice, not a reason for their closure," the response states.

Adović claims that Perović's claim that planting an educational orchard leads to the closure of the school and the death of the village is particularly worrying.

"This claim is not based on facts or logic. The fate of a school depends primarily on the number of students, demographic trends and conditions for quality education, not on a project that renovates a neglected area and puts it into the function of education. The president of the local community is expected to be a driver of positive initiatives and support for projects that contribute to the development of the village and the improvement of conditions for children and the school, and not a source of division and unfounded claims," ​​the response states.

Adović said that he welcomes the work of all competent institutions and supports their determination of all the facts.

"I have nothing to hide and I believe that it is the institutions that should have the final say on the legality of all procedures. My only wish was and remains that the children of Zoganje have a more beautiful, well-organized and modern school, with better conditions for education, sports and practical teaching. I believe that the community should support every well-intentioned initiative that contributes to the development of the school, and not discourage people who want to donate their time, work and funds," said Adović.