Students are still occupying the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. Other faculties and universities in the country that are also occupied (or classes are not held due to student protests) are the University of Zadar, Academy of Applied Art in Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Pula and Croatian Studies in Zagreb. (more…)

The occupation of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which started on April 20th, still continues. It has been three weeks since the start of the occupation.

Last week, the Council of Rectors and the University of Zagreb Senate decided that the classes on all occupied faculties (of which there were about 20 at one point, but many have in the meantime resumed normal functioning) must resume as soon as possible. Since all faculties that make up the University of Zagreb are obligated to follow the decisions of the University Senate, the Council of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences decided this Monday (May 4th) to withdraw the support they had previously expressed for the students and the occupation, saying that they still support the students’ demands but also that classes must resume. (more…)

Students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are continuing with the occupation of their faculty. Today is the 15th day of the occupation, which started on Monday, April 20th. The Faculty Council voted today not to support the occupation any longer, although they have stated that they still support the demand for the right to free education for all. The Council asked the students to allow classes to resume, saying that it will provide ways to continue the protest by other means. The Faculty Council is required by law to obey the decisions of the University of Zagreb Senate, which decided on Thursday (April 30th) that it does not support the students’ method of protest and that classes at occupied faculties must be resumed. (more…)

Council of Rectors met yesterday at a session, at which Dragan Primorac, Minister of Science, Education and Sports, was also present. At the session, the rectors decided that they do not support the students’ methods of protest and have requested that the deans of all occupied faculties ensure that the classes resume as soon as possible. They said that they support the demand for the right to free education, as long as it is based on the criteria of “successfulness”. Therefore, they suggest the restructuring of the existing model of tuition fees in order that free education be available to all who satisfy the critieria of successfulness and that all social categories have equal access to higher education. The criteria of sucessfulness should be precisely defined by the academic year 2010/2011. (more…)

At the plenary session yesterday evening, students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb voted to continue with the occupation. Today is the eight day that the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has been occupied. The Faculty Council made the decision last Wednesday to support the students’ demands by canceling the classes for the rest of the week, those classes were meant to resume normally today. Students will block the normal classes and have organized instead, as every day so far, an alternative educational programme that consists of workshops, lectures, public discussions and movie screenings. This evening at 8pm, they will hold the regular plenary session at which they will decide on whether they are continuing with the occupation the next day.

The students are continuing to occupy the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, demanding free education for all. On Wednesday (22/04), the Faculty Council decided to support their demands and their occupation, and has cancelled classes for the rest of the week. The Council has joined the students in demanding from the goverment the elimination of all tuition fees. The students continue with their own alternative educational programme, which consists of lectures, public discussions, film screenings and workshops and which are open to everyone, not just the students. Every evening they hold plenary sessions which every one can attend. At those plenary sessions they discuss and vote on what further actions they will take and whether they will continue with the occupation the next day. A number of students sleep at the Faculty every night. (more…)

The independent student initiative for the right to free education is continuing the peaceful occupation of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb which started on Monday at noon. The students have stopped classes and exams, and instead have organized an alternative educational programme.

Instead of the normal classes, students are able to attend discussions and lectures on similar student protests that were held in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina; neoliberalism, Croatian transition and economic democracy; consumerism; anarchism and education, and so on. Mark Kramer from Harvard University will hold a lecture on Cold War. Movie screenings are also held: “Czech Dream”, “Money as Debt” and “Beyond Elections: Redifining Democracy in Americas” were among the movies that are shown today. (more…)

Today at noon, the independent student initiative for the right to free education started a peaceful occupation of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The students demand the elimination of all tuition fees at all levels of higher education: undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate.

They have decided to block all classes and instead have organized an alternative educational programme, which consists of lectures, public discussions, workshops and movie screenings. Every evening at 8pm, they will hold plenary sessions at which they will discuss further actions, and vote on whether they will be continuing the occupation the next day. Everyone is allowed to attend the sessions, to participate in the discussions and to vote, which means not just the students but every citizen. Since the issue of the right to education is one that concerns all citizens and society in general, the students believe everyone has a right to voice their opinion at the sessions, and to vote against the occupation if they so wish. The occupation of the faculty will end when the majority at the plenary sessions votes in favour of that.