The Academic Inclusive Association held a conference on May 18 at the EU Info Point in Niš about the importance of local government support through scholarships for young people with disabilities.
The conference was organized as part of the Association’s project supported by the Belgrade Open School, aiming to establish a dialogue for introducing inclusive policies (relaxed criteria) in scholarship competitions awarded by local self-government units in the Republic of Serbia.
Speakers at the conference included Provincial Ombudsman Prof. Dr. Zoran Pavlović, local Ombudsman of Novi Sad Marina Popov Ivetić, Executive Director of the Association Milan Janković, and Association activist Vesna Vukas. Representatives from local self-government units in Vojvodina and local media were also present.
Milan Janković, Executive Director of the Academic Inclusive Association, presented proposals for relaxed criteria as well as research results on current scholarship competitions and the existing situation in local self-government units.
Aleksandar Radosavljević, Acting Assistant Minister for Social Dialogue, emphasized the responsibility of public administrations at various levels and their services, highlighting the importance of greater accountability. The Association’s research was recognized as an excellent example and a starting point for further action, with civil society encouraged to continue such practices.
The Belgrade Open School, as always, is ready to support civil society initiatives, demonstrated through its support of the Association’s “Dialogue of Changes” project, made possible primarily thanks to EU support, said Marina Lukić, representative of this civil organization.
Katarina Mitrovski, Ombudsman of the City of Niš, spoke about mechanisms available to citizens through the institution of the local ombudsman.
The conference moderator was Association activist Vesna Vukas.
The Provincial Ombudsman stated that he believes the criteria should be even more relaxed than proposed and should include groups such as pregnant students. He suggested involving the Ministry of Finance in the initiative, which could issue recommendations to all local self-government units to be flexible in awarding scholarships to students with disabilities.
Local Ombudsman of Novi Sad Marina Popov Ivetić emphasized that this independent institution is always available to all citizens and encouraged people with disabilities to report if their rights are violated.
The Association will hold another regional conference soon, followed by training sessions for employees in local self-government units to empower them in applying inclusive policies and contributing to the development of an inclusive society.
