Serbia Students Reach Deal on Fees, End Hunger Strike

Under the agreement, university faculties will be responsible for paying student fees, either in part or in full, Obradovic explained.

The minister said that the City of Belgrade, which has offered assistance from the city budget, will also be included in solving the fee issue.

Talks will be held with four vocational schools as well, Obradovic said.

Students in Belgrade went on a hunger strike three days ago and spent two nights in front of the Serbian government building because under newly established rules they have been unable to get state funding for their studies for the past two months.

They vowed to continue the strike until their main request - full government funding for all students with at least 48 ECTS credits in the previous school year - is fulfilled.

Owing to the poor economic situation, Serbia's Education Ministry in September changed the rules to the funding of grants, reducing the number of students entitled to full state funding.

Under the changes, each state university has a set quota of students entitled to receive a full state grant. If the number of students with 60 exam credits exceeds the quota, all other students, however well they have performed in exams, will have to pay the full fee for tuition.

Previously, all students who scored at least 48 of 60 credits in the previous school year automatically received state funding. The protesters claim that over 5,000 students will be hit by the new rules.

Tuition fees at Belgrade University range from 700 to 2,000 euro a year. Many students say they cannot pay this. The average monthly salary in the country is about 350 euro.