Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stanković stated that a potential solution for the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Grammar School might be to hand it back to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which founded it.
This ignited an avalanche of reactions, and interlocutors speaking to Danas point out that the school cannot be handed over to the Church, as the Church neither founded nor built it; rather, it was built by the citizens of Novi Sad through their own personal donations.
Rima Grujić, a teacher of Serbian language at the “Jova” Grammar School, says that the minister wants to resolve this pedagogical, political, and phenomenological problem by joining forces with like-minded individuals to get their hands on a building in an attractive city location.
“They should have made their intentions clear from the outset. Apart from everything else, it is quite interesting that the people of Novi Sad are familiar with this narrative regarding the return of the building to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). However, when it comes to endowments, the law works differently, and this cannot be done as the minister assumes without breaking the law. It must be underlined that the building was never owned by the SPC. The land was, and the Church granted its use, whilst the founding and construction of the school were funded by the citizens of Novi Sad – from Sava Vuković to Baron Miloš Bajić. I hope that even those citizens of Novi Sad who do not feel an emotional tie to the ‘Jova’ Grammar School will, in the spirit of sound logic and justice, form a broad front to defend the school,” she stated.
Mathematics teacher Goran Radojev views this statement purely as political – namely as an attempt by the ruling party to portray itself as the ultimate protector of the SPC, aimed at winning votes from believers.
“However, I am certain that the minister miscalculated slightly this time and that the SNS has only lost votes with this statement. A school is made up of its pupils and teachers, and you cannot forcibly hand it back or give it away as a gift to anyone, especially since it would then become a private school. Speaking personally as a teacher and an Orthodox believer, I firmly believe that the ‘Jova’ Grammar School must remain a state school, which will regain its reputation the moment it is run by a person of integrity and honour,” Radojev said.
Provincial MP Radivoje Jovović indicates that this is the final disclosure of a plan that has been an open secret in Novi Sad for some time. He points out that the grammar school’s headmaster, Radivoje P. Stojković, is a board member of the Pajević Foundation, represented by Bishop Irinej Bulović, with Prvoslav Perić – namely Patriarch of the SPC, Porfirije – serving as one of the supervisors.
“This is an attempt to seek revenge on the school, its teachers, and the families who raised their voices freely. It is yet another attack on secularism and on an education rooted in science rather than metaphysics, as well as a plundering raid on public property. It has nothing to do with the public interest, care for the school and its pupils, or, at the end of the day, Christianity itself,” Jovović stated.
In the memorial booklet published to mark the centenary of the school, all the founders and benefactors of the grammar school at the time are listed.
The school was founded on Saint Sava’s Day in 1810. Its founder was Sava Vuković, who donated 20,000 florins.
“Following the example of Sava Vuković, other citizens of Novi Sad donated notable sums according to their means. The devotion of the citizens of Novi Sad to education and to this grammar school was immense at the time. This is evident from the sheer fact that over 100,000 florins were raised for the school right from the outset,” the booklet reads.
Sava Vuković passed away in 1811 and did not live to see the opening of the school. That same year, money and property values across the country fell by a fifth, meaning the 108,000 florins collected were worth just over 20,000. Nevertheless, new donations brought the total to 50,000 florins, which was enough for the school to begin operating. The first year group was opened, followed by the second year group the very next year.
Those who provided the initial capital were referred to as “founders”. Later donors were known as “contributors”.
The memorial booklet also contains the names of the contributors who donated funds for the construction of the building itself. Baron Miloš Bajić donated 200,000 florins, Lazar Dunđerski 4,000, the Central Credit Union of Novi Sad 2,000, and so forth.
(021.rs, 05.08.2026)
https://www.021.rs/novi-sad/vesti/451333/treba-li-jovinu-gimnaziju-vratiti-spc-i-koliko-je-to-moguce