Three teachers in Srbobran fired for suspending classes

Category: Persecution

Period: from Feb 2025

Outcome: No one investigated (as of 8 Jul 2025)

On 28 May 2025, Jasmina Crveni, principal of the Svetozar Miletić Gymnasium and Vocational School in Srbobran, fired three teachers, among them Slavica Filipović, who had suspended classes from 25 February to 22 April in support of the student protests, even though they had already returned to teaching. The union NSPRS called the dismissals „a political act“, and the principal did not answer whether the decision was politically motivated. The dismissals became final in July, and the teachers announced they would sue; the outcome of the court case is not known.

Classes suspended in support

Slavica Filipović taught Serbian language and literature at the Svetozar Miletić Gymnasium and Vocational School in Srbobran for 24 years. Together with two colleagues, a maths teacher and a computer science teacher, she suspended classes from 25 February to 22 April 2025 in support of the student protests; they were the only teachers in the municipality to do so.

According to her, they came to school every day, and they extended the suspension by a week only after disciplinary proceedings were opened against them.

Fired after returning to class

On 28 May 2025, principal Jasmina Crveni handed them decisions terminating their employment for a „serious breach of work duty“, even though they had already returned to teaching. The school board rejected their appeals in June, and the dismissals became final in July.

All three had permanent contracts and had worked at the school for more than two decades; Filipović said she would receive no salary while the court case is ongoing.

Union: a political act by the director

The union NSPRS called the dismissals “a political act” by the director, whom it describes as a prominent member of the SNS, and Filipović says the school board members from the SNS voted for the dismissals. The fired teachers and protesters also claim that the director does not hold a headteacher's licence. The director did not answer the question of whether the decision was politically motivated.

Several protests in support were held in Srbobran.

The first such dismissal in Serbia

According to Danas, this was the first case in Serbia of teachers being fired for suspending classes. The teachers announced a lawsuit; the outcome of the court case is not known.

A similar pattern was later repeated at the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School in Novi Sad (a separate affair).

Participants

Jasmina Crveni: She fired three teachers because they stopped work from 25 February to 22 April; the union calls it a political act (responsible)
“Svetozar Miletić” Grammar and Vocational School (Srbobran): The school board rejected the appeals and upheld the dismissal of three teachers who had suspended classes in support of the students (responsible)
Independent Union of Education Workers of Serbia (NSPRS): He called the dismissals political and unlawful and demanded that the School Board annul the decisions (oversight and the public)
United Education of Serbia: She called the dismissals the face of a system that does not tolerate moral courage, signed even after the teachers had returned to work (oversight and the public)
Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA): She called the teachers victims of the regime's revenge and demanded that the dismissal decisions be withdrawn (oversight and the public)

Victims and others harmed

Slavica Filipović