Such content in the educational system is not the first time. In addition to this, there are also numerous songs, short stories and stories that encourage stereotypes and discrimination of Roma in Serbia in the same way.
We cannot talk about such content as isolated and random, but as a systemic problem.
The state and the competent Ministry (the sector for pre-school and school education and the department for coordinating the work of school administrations) are responsible for this content. The question arises whether such educational content encourages an egalitarian society or racism? Because the state actually promotes racism and finances it through this kind of content.
Second, teachers have a choice whether or not to talk about it and how. Why didn't any of the teachers send feedback to the publishers of such books. But when such acts are discussed, everyone jokes and laughs, and that comedy encourages racism. We should work on prevention and not wait for ORS to react.
Serbia needs education about its history of racism towards others in order to cure itself of that disease. And as a nation we cannot heal as long as there is this attitude that some are valuable and others are not. It is a matter of social norms. Do we want to be the society of the 30s and 40s when inequality was systematically promoted?
