SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM BUJANOVAC AND PRESEVO VISITED NOVI SAD

A group of 88 secondary school students from Bujanovac and Presevo spent this Friday and Saturday in Novi Sad. The visit was organized by the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and by the Provincial Secretariat for Education.

This year, the Coordination Body is going to grant scholarships to 10 young persons from Bujanovac and Presevo that wish to do their university studies in Novi Sad. A two-day visit to Novi Sad was organized so that they could get to know the city, the University and study requirements. 

Upon arriving in Novi Sad, the visitors from South Serbia were greeted by Bojan Pajtic, Prime Minister of the AP (Autonomous Province) of Vojvodina, Minster Milan Markovic, President of the Coordination Body and Zoltan Jeges, Provincial Secretary for Education.   

„It’s extremely important that we transfer Vojvodina’s spirit of tolerance and good coexistence of various ethnic groups to that part of our country. The Provincial Government wishes to provide a chance to the young from South Serbia to receive university education, so that they could spend the most prolific part of their lives in a positive atmosphere, in which members of different ethnic communities are experienced as friends and not as opposed sides.  We would like the young to get to know their Novi Sad peers of various ethnic backgrounds, to familiarize  themselves with the curriculum of the University of Novi Sad, as well as with the possibility of studying in other places in Vojvodina and to decide to continue their education right here“, Mr. Pajtic said.

Minister Milan Markovic, President of the Coordination Body, pointed out that the visit was part of an idea of the young from Presevo and Bujanovac obtaining their degrees in accordance with the highest standards.  „The University of Novi Sad provides such a possibility, while the city itself makes it possible for them to see the way of living in Vojvodina, in which members of all ethnic communities participate equally.  Another goal of ours is to develop a new prospect for children from Presevo and Bujanovac, so that they could help their communities in the southern Serbian municipalities with the knowledge and experience acquired in Vojvodina, and so that they could have better lives“.

„The Coordination Body’s solution for the crisis that we had in Bujanovac and Presevo is investment in education of the people, as well as our intention to approve of a different cultural milieu. That is why Vojvodina is the right place for such an activity“, Mr. Markovic said.

After being greeted, the visitors from South Serbia met with Zoltan Jeges, Provincial Secretary for Education. He provided the students with an insight into Vojvodina’s reality and he told them about numerous cultures that exist in Vojvodina, which represents a specific quality of Vojvodina. Those cultures are carefully fostered and a great many people are proud of them. The secondary school students could hear more about the education of ethnic communities and about the ways of fostering and honoring national identities and integration processes.

The students visited a fair of education and books, where they could find out more about the requirements for enrolling in each of the faculties.

On the second day of the visit, the secondary school students from Bujanovac and Presevo saw Petrovaradin Fortress, which was followed by taking a stroll in downtown Novi Sad.

At the very end of the visit, the students met with Miroslav Veskovic, Head of Novi Sad University, who showed them the student dormitory. Mr. Veskovic informed the young from the southern part of the country about the University, as well as about everything that the University provides to the young that want to study and acquire university education.