Civil society organizations have expressed concern about the provision of the school calendar for secondary schools for the 2026/2027 school year. year, which envisages a one-day visit of students to the specialized exhibition “EXPO 2027 Belgrade”.
In the Rulebook on the calendar of educational work of secondary schools, it is stated that the annual work plan of the schools will include a one-day visit of students to the EXPO 2027 exhibition, in the period from May 17 to June 25, 2027. After the reactions of the public, the Ministry of Education announced that it was about the “possibility of a study visit”, not an obligation.
Organizations warn that such a clarification is not enough, because the Ministry’s announcement cannot replace the clarity of the regulations.
“If it is only about the possibility, why is the wording used in the rulebook that the school will foresee this visit in the annual work plan? Schools, parents, teachers and students must know whether this activity is planned as mandatory, voluntary, curricular, extracurricular or optional”, the announcement states.
The signatories of the statement point out that the Ministry must explain on what legal basis the visit to the EXPO is introduced in the annual work plans of schools, who makes the decision on its implementation, whether parental consent will be required and whether students can not participate without consequences.
In particular, it is pointed out that the Ministry calls this activity a “study visit”, but it is not clear what specific educational goals and outcomes it achieves, nor why exactly EXPO is recognized as an activity of educational importance for all schools.
“It is not in dispute that schools can organize various forms of educational work outside of school. It is in dispute that an activity that includes an organized departure of students outside of school is introduced without a clear answer to the questions of who decides, who pays, who is responsible for safety and what rights parents and students have,” said the organizations.
They also warn that the question of financing remains completely open. The public, as they state, must know who will pay for transportation, insurance, teachers’ salaries, possible meals, entrance fees and other expenses – parents, schools or the state budget.
In addition, the period scheduled for the visits, from May 17 to June 25, 2027, coincides with the end of the school year, the conclusion of grades, graduation and final activities and the end of classes for various high school classes.
The organizations request that the Ministry of Education publicly publish the expert instruction announced to the schools and clearly answer in it whether the visit is mandatory or voluntary, according to which procedure it is organized, who bears the costs and how the rights of students who do not want or cannot participate will be protected.
“The school calendar must serve education, not political promotion. Students are not attendance statistics, parents are not hidden financiers, and schools are not a logistics service for visiting exhibitions, with dubious economic purpose and legality,” the statement concludes.
Signatories:
Union of High School Students of Serbia
Građanske inicijative
The umbrella organization of the youth of Serbia
Network of organizations for children of Serbia