Education Minister extends Statehood day school break

N1/arhiva

Serbian Education Minister Branko Ruzic said on Friday that the statehood day break would be extended to give schools a whole week’s break.

The minister said that schools would be closed for the week starting February 14 with classes resuming on Monday, February 21. Serbia marks Statehood day on February 15 and 16. A press release said that the decision was taken at the suggestion of the ministry Schools Team. “Indicators show the rise in the number of sick students and teachers does not follow the trend in the rest of the population,” Ruzic said and added that schools are as safe as ever because epidemiological measures are being implemented.

The minister’s decision means that schools have to make up two working days by the end of the school year which will be extended by three days to Friday June 24.

Teachers Union spokeswoman Jasna Jankovic said that a union poll showed that 9,000 teachers and school staff are sick, adding that the number of sick children and school staff is much higher than in October when most schools went online.

According to the Serbian Public Health Institute, there were 4,935 school children aged 6 to 18 reported to have contracted COVID in the week starting January 27, accounting for 4.8 percent of the total number of COVID cases in Serbia.