233 Scholarships Awarded to Coordination Body's Secondary School Scholarship Holders from the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja

18. November 2011.

„Every child in Serbia is entitled to the best possible education in his/her mother tongue“, said Boris Tadic, the Serbian President, and at a reception held in honor of the Coordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja's secondary school scholarship holders. Mr. Tadic pointed out that it was the right, obligation and desire of the Republic of Serbia, adding that a great mission was being accomplished, whereby every child would preserve his/her cultural identity and love his/her country, which is the Republic of Serbia.

He stated that he would visit the scholarship holders' municipalities in the coming period and added: „I'm very thankful to you for having come here“. Upon delivering the official address, the Serbian President spent the remainder of his time associating with scholarship holders and being photographed together with them.

The reception given by the Serbian President was preceded by the official awarding of scholarships to the third generation of secondary school students, which took place at the National Assembly House. 233 secondary school students from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja received from the Coordination Body scholarships amounting to 6,000 dinars per month, which they will be receiving until the end of the school year.27 more scholarships were awarded this year in comparison with the previous one. Priority was given to students without one or both parents, while the scholarship award criteria included their social position and school marks received in the previous school year.

„The awarding of scholarships is aimed at promoting integration, peace and stability in the southern Serbian municipalities“, said Milan Markovic, Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local self-Government and President of the Coordination Body. Minister Markovic pointed out that the Serbian Government intended to go on with the practice of awarding scholarships in the future, too. On the occasion of awarding the scholarships, Minister Markovic voiced hope that the scholarships would enable all secondary school students to receive education, have a better life and motivate them to get enrolled in faculties. Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Speaker of the National Assembly, said to the scholarship holders that they had the characteristics of the environment in which they were born and that they should incorporate them into Serbia’s richness, thereby spreading the spirit of diversity.
On behalf of the scholarship holders, Scipe Haljiti thanked the Serbian Government for the scholarships and underscored that that would be helpful to a lot of students and would facilitate their further education.

Taljit Arifi, Principal of the secondary technical school in Presevo, pointed out that he perceived that gesture of the Government of the Republic of Serbia as the respect shown to children from those municipalities. He was of the view that the opening of a department of the Subotica-based Faculty of Economics in Bujanovac in Albanian and Serbian was a huge success.
The young from South Serbia continued socializing with their hosts at the National Assembly's Hall, which was followed by a tour of the building and familiarizing with its history.

After having been received at the National Assembly's House and at the Presidency of Serbia, the young from South Serbia had another surprise, more specifically every child got an mp3 player. Towards the end of their visit, the scholarship holders did a guided sightseeing tour of Belgrade by buss.