Serbian Education Minister defends Niš faculty restructuring amid salary dispute

Serbian Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stanković has addressed the ongoing dispute involving the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, stating that the institution is failing to respect a Government of Serbia decision from November 6, 2025, regarding the establishment of the Faculty of Serbian Studies.

The conflict stems from three departments within the Faculty of Philosophy choosing to separate and form the specialized Faculty of Serbian Studies. Stanković asserted that the government, as the founder and financier, expects its decisions to be upheld and characterized the situation as a politicized affair.

Employees at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš have reportedly gone 70 days without receiving salaries. While the faculty continues to operate and conduct exams, staff members—ranging from administrative workers to professors—claim the withholding of pay is a punitive measure. In response to criminal complaints filed by the faculty dean, Vladimir Jovanović, Stanković accused the dean of playing the victim for political promotion and suggested that inspections would be used in response to such legal filings.