In the Austrian province of Styria, official classes in the Serbian language start from September 2024; several years of Prosvjeta’s efforts in fighting for the status of the Serbian language in Austria have shown that such important changes for the Serbian community in Austria are possible, and Serbian language has been independently recognized for the first time in the Austrian system.

On 12 April, the founder and manager of Prosvjeta schools in Austria, prof. Srđan Mijalković, and coordinator for Styria, Marija Đokić Petrović, PhD, met in Graz with the representative of Styrian pedagogical institutions, Andrea Pichler, MA. The meeting was preceded by contacts with the Styrian Minister for European, International Affairs, Education and Human Resources, Werner Amon, who contributed to Serbian obtaining this status in Styria, and further cooperation was arranged. They agreed it would be important for our citizens in Styria to register as many of their children as possible for Serbian language classes, and arranged further cooperation steps.

‘I will ask all our people in Graz and throughout Styria to enroll their children in Serbian language classes, because we must all show that it matters to us. And it really does matter, I know because I spent more than a decade advocating with my team for the independent Serbian language in Austria. This is the first time Serbian has been officially accepted, at least in this province, which gives us the strength to redouble our efforts and continue the fight throughout Austria! From September, in addition to the classes in Prosvjeta schools, children will have access to more Serbian language classes, wherever it is possible and where a sufficient number of students register. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Marija Đokić-Petrović for her great commitment and successful work in Prosvjeta schools in Styria, as well as for excellent projects and cooperation with local organizations,’ said Mijalković.

On the same day, 12 April, Ms Vera Vukićević, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Salzburg, visited Prosvjeta schools of Serbian in Feldkirch and Bregenz. The Consul General attended a class, not hiding her pleasure at students’ knowledge. She pointed out to them the importance of knowing the Serbian language, culture, geography and history of the Serbian people. After the class, together with the teacher Daliborka Marković, she visited the churches in Bregenz and Feldkirch, where, in the presence of Serb community representatives from Vorarlberg, she was introduced to the current state of the entire Serbian community in Vorarlberg. Daliborka Marković, a teacher and coordinator of Prosvjeta schools in Vorarlberg, expressed her gratitude for this important visit and for the agreed future cooperation.

Source and photo: Serbian Educational and Cultural Society Prosvjeta Austria