Branko Ruzic

BELGRADE - The Serbian parliament elected Slavica Djukic Dejanovic as new minister of education on Tuesday.

One hundred and forty-nine MPs voted in favour, 40 voted against and five abstained.

Djukic Dejanovic took the oath of office after the vote.

Robert Kozma, a member of Ne Davimo Beograd (Let's Not Drown Belgrade), a campaign organisation that came to parliament for the first time as a part of the Green-Left Coalition at the 2022 elections. Photo: Private archive

BELGRADE - Commenting on Serbian Education Minister Branko Ruzic's resignation in the wake of last week's school massacre in Belgrade, FM Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday he did not see Ruzic's personal responsibility but respected his decision.

Ruzic is an official of Dacic's Socialist Party of Serbia.

Thousands marched in silence on Monday in Serbia in a major outpouring of grief and anger against the populist government and how it reacted after two mass shootings last week that left 17 people dead and 21 wounded, many of them children.

After two mass shootings last week that took 17 lives and injured another 20 people, Serbia's opposition has called for a protest on Monday May 8, called "Serbia against violence" with several demands, including bans of reality shows and tabloids spreading lies and violence, and sackings of politicians and heads of the media regulatory body, REM.

BELGRADE - Serbian Education Minister Branko Ruzic tendered his irrevocable resignation on Sunday in the wake of last week's school massacre in Belgrade.

In a letter to PM Ana Brnabic, Ruzic once again extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed.

Eight pupils and one security worker in the Belgrade elementary school Vladislav Ribnikar were killed in a mass shooting on Wednesday morning. Seven more people were injured in the attack, six pupils and a history teacher.

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Education Branko Ruzic said on Wednesday the Serbian government had decided to declare a three-day national mourning from May 5 through 7 following a deadly shooting spree in a downtown Belgrade primary school this morning.

Serbian Education Ministry said on Thursday evening that it will carry out a review at the at the Vasa Stajic School in the northern city of Novi Sad and that "the provincial inspection will take action" to find out who was responsible after children aged 10 and 11 and a teacher were filmed dancing to an anti-Bosniak song.

According to the decision of the ministry Schools Team, the youngest primary school students, i.e. students from the 1st to the 4th grade of primary schools, will attend classes directly, and from the students from 5th to the 8th grade will apply a combined teaching model. High school students will follow this model.