**University Heads Slam Government Decree**
A government decree that limits the hours spent on scientific research by university teachers and fellows has sparked outrage among academics.
The decree, which was made public last Wednesday, assigns 35 hours out of a 40-hour work week to teaching activity. This is up from 20 hours previously.
“This could be seen as an attempt to punish teachers and fellows who have supported their students,” said Voja Radovanovic, the Dean of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Physics.
Radovanovic also pointed out that the government collects funds from all Serbian citizens, but seems to be deciding who gets money based on political favor. “Are these decisions always made in this way?” he asked.
**Constitutional Concerns**
Lawyers have questioned the constitutionality of the decree, saying that a caretaker government should not make regulations. The decree was made by the current government, which is only supposed to be temporary.
Goran Roglic, Dean of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Chemistry, said that the idea behind the decree was to justify paying teaching faculty 12.5 percent of their salaries. However, this has had the opposite effect, with most deans opposing the move.
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