Half an Hour of Torture

by Dusan Radulovic

The strike organisers would certainly agree with the belief of that graduating pupil who argued that only a total strike would be efficient
The problem is that not all the teachers in Serbia share his opinion

Last year, my daughter's certificate was signed by Clinton - says father of one graduating pupil, alluding to the last year's decision of the Ministry of Education, prompted by the NATO aggression, that all pupils should pass even if they had failing marks before the bombardment. His daughter had failing marks, of course. And the question is whether she would or would not improve them by the end of that school year. It is obvious that she would have had to give her best.After less than a year, the same debate became a harsh reality for many pupils of elementary or high schools in Serbia. In more than 400 schools, the teachers are striking. That means that all classes are reduced to 30 minutes. And it will go on like that until their principal requirement is fulfilled - an increase in salaries.
I think that the teachers are right to have embarked on a strike - says Jelena, a second-grade pupil of the Fifth Belgrade High-school.
No, I don't think they are right - says her friend Natasa, thus opening a debate about whether it is more important that they procure the increase in salaries, the average of which is now 60 DM per month, or to do their jobs properly.
- They are not right, because it affects us more than them - adds Natasa. - They have been on a long strike last year, and that affected the end of the school year. What can they teach us for half an hour? Then we have to work more at home, to read everything from books, which is not the same as when the teacher explains the subject in class.
- I agree with that - says Jelena - But how can they achieve anything otherwise?
- I know that they are demanding higher salaries and more favourable working conditions. I don't know how low their salaries really are, it is not my concern, but I think that they should not do it in that way, since it is us who suffer more - concluded Natasa. If we exclude Misa, who comments that the reduction of classes to thirty minutes is 'not a real strike' and who claims that 'the teachers should go on a general strike and that the schools should be closed for the time being', the others are regarding the matter more practically.
- We don't learn enough, we don't cover the whole curriculum, then we have to study things on our own, although we lack knowledge for that. Then the school year is over, and we have to pass to a next grade, but we are not actually ready for that - says Ivana. The greatest consequences of these strikes may be - compensation of the curriculum, working Saturdays and not enough time to correct possible mistakes (read, bad marks).
We are in the first grade and we therefore find it difficult to cope with all that - says Dusan. It is much better when teachers explain you everything in their own way, instead of telling us to study, from one page till the other, on our own.
The lectures are so short, we learn everything unsystematically - adds a friend of his. Older pupils are more often taking the teachers' side. Because they have been together for a long time, they have more experience with money and they know how difficult it is to live with such a low income.
- I think that they cannot achieve much with such a strike - says Veljko, who is supposed to graduate this year. - If all schools went on a general strike, and if the lectures were totally obstructed, then they might get what they want. Like this, they are torturing both us and themselves. A group of pupils to whom we talked in a Belgrade café consider that the teachers are right and that they 'really have miserable salaries.'
A jacket stuffed with feathers costs more than an average teacher receives per month. - said one of them. Those pupils who are about to graduate are oscillating between their loyalty towards the teachers and fear that the consequences of the strike might be far too dangerous.
There is nothing to say, we know what to expect - added Vesna. - The strike will fail, since there is no money for higher salaries, and then the teachers will become even gloomier. Some previous experiences have left the pupils of higher grades without any illusions about what awaits them.
Written essays, written exercises, very little time to assess all pupils normally and almost no chance to correct the failing marks - said Veljko.
That is the worst of all - added Vesna. - You are not allowed to relax, you are not allowed to have a bad day, because if you get a failing mark you'll never know if you can correct it. Then they are wondering why even good pupils miss their classes. The strike organisers would certainly agree with the belief of that graduating pupil who argued that only a total strike would be efficient. The problem is that not all the teachers in Serbia share his opinion. Those who hold reduced lectures are more than aware of the fact that the curriculum cannot be fulfilled in that way. Previous experiences tell them that what they may expect, and they are conscious that it is the pupils who will bear the greatest consequences.
I am sorry for the kids, but we have to move from the zero point - said one of the teachers. It is only a question whether those from the Ministry of Education share their judgment too. So far, it is still uncertain whether any negotiations about the lowest price of work will be initiated between the authorities and the Syndicate for Education of Serbia.