Minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations between the Republic of Serbia and the diaspora, Đorđe Milićević, officially opened the Helen of Anjou Serbian supplementary school in Prague. The school is attended by 56 students, and the minister presented them all with Cyrillic primers and reading materials.

‘One of the most important aspects of my work as the minister in charge of the diaspora is supporting our associations and organizations around the world, especially those endeavouring to preserve the Serbian language and culture. And precisely in order to preserve the language, I have launched a campaign of donating primers and reading materials to students of Serbian supplementary schools around the world. So far we have distributed several thousand books. With her humanity and educational mission, Helen of Anjou indebted the Serbian people. She founded the first girls’ school in the then Serbia. She organized transcription of books at the court and later gave the books thus produced to children throughout the Serbian lands. Just like we give books to our children around the world. She also had a famous book depository, that is, a library, at her court. And today we supply books to Serbian libraries in the diaspora, which are about 500 outside our motherland,’ said minister Milićević emphasizing that as a nation we must be unified wherever we live.

The President of Iceland, Guðni Jóhannesson, officially opened the Serbian supplementary school in Reykjavík, showing the representatives of the diaspora in Iceland and the state of Serbia a great honor, recognition to the Serbian community and support to educational work in the mother tongue.

He noted the great importance of the Serbian supplementary school and the establishment and nurturing the identity and culture among the youngest.

On behalf of the state of Serbia, Ambassador Dragan Petrović thanked President Guðni Jóhannesson for his support in the opening of the Serbian School in Iceland.

‘The leadership and members of the association of Serbs in Iceland were conveyed congratulations for their efforts in the implementation of this project, and students of the northernmost Serbian school in the world and their parents were extended wishes for a successful school year. Arnaud Gouillon, Director of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, thanked President Jóhannesson in an apposite video message, and congratulated the students and all diaspora members on the great success, stressing the importance of timely learning of the Serbian language in preserving our culture,’ announced the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in the Kingdom of Norway.

Source: Radio Television of Serbia – Government of the Republic of Serbia – Rasejanje.info

Photo: Đorđe Milićević