OSCE Mission, Serb Parliament announce winners of high school essay contest: "If I were Prime Minister"
(OSCE)Winners of a high school essay contest: "If I were Prime Minister" awarded in Belgrade, 21 June 2004. The competition was organized by the Serbian Education Ministry and the OSCE Mission. (OSCE) Photo details
BELGRADE, 21 June 2004 - Three high school students were today awarded top prizes in the Serbian parliament for their entries in the "If I were the Prime Minister of Serbia" essay competition.
The three students will have their essays published in the national daily newspaper, Danas, and will travel to Vienna for a study visit to the OSCE Secretariat. In addition, their schools will receive a generous contribution to their libraries.
Presenting the awards with the Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, said that fostering political awareness among young people was important for the development of democratic institutions.
"This contest is the first of its kind in the country," he said. "It is aimed at encouraging young people in Serbia to think about and engage in the dialogue about their country's political, social, cultural, economic present and future."
The competition, organized jointly by the Serbian Education Ministry and the OSCE Mission, was launched in May 2004. Completing the statement, "As Prime Minister I would", third and final year students from all high schools in Serbia were invited to submit an essay with their original thoughts and ideas on issues related to political leadership and democracy. More than 1,000 students and 100 high schools from across Serbia responded.
"I hope the contest will become a yearly tradition in Serbia and will demonstrate to young people that their ideas matter," Ambassador Massari added.
The winning entries were determined by a prominent jury which included Sonja Licht from the Fund for Political Excellence, Vojin Dimitrijevic from the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Vladimir Goati from Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) and Dragoljub Zarkovic from Vreme magazin, in addition to Markovic and Massari.
The three students will have their essays published in the national daily newspaper, Danas, and will travel to Vienna for a study visit to the OSCE Secretariat. In addition, their schools will receive a generous contribution to their libraries.
Presenting the awards with the Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, said that fostering political awareness among young people was important for the development of democratic institutions.
"This contest is the first of its kind in the country," he said. "It is aimed at encouraging young people in Serbia to think about and engage in the dialogue about their country's political, social, cultural, economic present and future."
The competition, organized jointly by the Serbian Education Ministry and the OSCE Mission, was launched in May 2004. Completing the statement, "As Prime Minister I would", third and final year students from all high schools in Serbia were invited to submit an essay with their original thoughts and ideas on issues related to political leadership and democracy. More than 1,000 students and 100 high schools from across Serbia responded.
"I hope the contest will become a yearly tradition in Serbia and will demonstrate to young people that their ideas matter," Ambassador Massari added.
The winning entries were determined by a prominent jury which included Sonja Licht from the Fund for Political Excellence, Vojin Dimitrijevic from the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Vladimir Goati from Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) and Dragoljub Zarkovic from Vreme magazin, in addition to Markovic and Massari.