The Medical Faculty in Belgrade has voted to start online classes following a session of the scientific-teaching council. Students are dissatisfied with this decision and have announced plans for a physical blockade of the dean’s office. Meanwhile, in Novi Sad, the dean of the Medical Faculty, Snežana Brkić, along with five others, was arrested on suspicions of corruption and abuse of office, causing further tensions within the academic community. While the Belgrade faculty has moved to online teaching, Novi Sad faces strikes and class blockades in response to alleged violations of university autonomy.
Political Perspectives:
Left: Left-leaning outlets emphasize student dissatisfaction with the decision to move to online classes, highlighting concerns about the quality of education and the impact on students. They also focus on the arrests in Novi Sad as a symptom of systemic corruption within academic institutions and support the students’ protests and strikes as a fight for university autonomy and transparency.
Center: Centrist sources report the facts of the Belgrade Medical Faculty’s decision to start online classes and the student protests without strong bias. They cover the arrests in Novi Sad as part of ongoing anti-corruption efforts, presenting both the administration’s and students’ perspectives, emphasizing the complexity of the situation and the need for dialogue.
Right: Right-leaning media tend to highlight the enforcement of law and order, focusing on the arrests of the Novi Sad Medical Faculty dean and others as a positive step against corruption. They may portray the student protests as disruptive and emphasize the importance of maintaining academic schedules, supporting the move to online classes as a necessary adaptation.
