Razprave in gradivo, Ljubljana, March 1986, No.18 
Jon Muntean UDC 376.744(497,113):802-07 
"Dr. A. Saboljev" 
Primary School 
Eéka, Yugoslavia 
EDUCATION OF PUPILS OF PRIMARY-SCHOOL AGE IN TWO LANGUAGES OF 
INSTRUCTION IN THE RURAL AREA OF MIDDLE BANAT* 
The village of Eéka, with 5,200 inhabitants, is situated in 
Middle Banat, only 6 km from Zrenjanin beside the main road to 
Belgrade. In addition to the Serbs, Rumanians also live in this 
town community, together with other nations and nationalities of 
Yugoslavia. ECka is one of the oldest settlements in the commune 
of Zrenjanin. It was founded before the Turkish occupation of 
Banat but it is not known exactly when. The first known documents 
in which E¢ka is mentioned date from 1439. 
The ethnic structure of the population of Ecka has frequently 
changed. The original inhabitants of the village were Serbians 
and Rumanians. The Rumanian element was considerably increased 
after the settling of a large number of Rumanian families from 
Erdel in 1767 by order of Maria Theresa. At the end of the 17th 
century, Serbs from Bosnia and Germans came. After the Second 
World War, the Germans left Ecka, and Serbs as well as other 
nations and nationalities living in the territory of today's 
Yugoslavia came in their place. 
Such large and frequent migrations of the population of Ecka are 
explained by the fact that these migrants never had their own 
land but were always on a hire basis, first with regard to the 
country and later by the feudal landlords. The agrarian reform of 
1921 (partly) and that of 1945 finally gave land to the settlers. 
The basic activity of the village is agriculture. The area of 
farm land available is approximately 2,888 ha, of which 982 ha 
(343%) is in the social sector and 1,906 ha (66%) in the private 
sector. In the planting structure, grains represent 74.8%, 
industrial plants (e.g. sunflower, sugar beet, etc.) 18.3% and 
vegetables 4.4%. 
There are a number of agricultural organisations in the village 
itself: a fishing economic unit, the basic organisation 
Kooperacija, and the agricultural organisation Pobeda. A large 
number of private farmers are united in the basic organisation 
Kooperacija, thus realising their interests directly. 
In the past few years, more of the inhabitants have worked in the 
city and lived in the village (18%). Being near Zrenjanin, Ecka 
is to a great extent under the influence of this large urban 
centre. A powerful agricultural and food-supply industry, a 
developed school system, numerous cultural institutions, a rich 
sports life - these are the characteristics of the city of 
Zrenjanin. 
* Original: Serbo-Croatian 
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zprave in gradivo, Ljubljana, March 1986, No.18 
7e ty school was named after a well-known revolutionary, 
Or and scientist, member of the Physiological institutes of 
Sarajevo, Skopje and Novi Sad and inhabitant of our village, Dr. 
A. Sabovljeva. The primary school (four-year) was founded in 
1821. In that distant past, teaching was carried out in Rumanian 
and German, and sometimes in Hungarian. After the Second World 
War, in 1958, the school became an eight-year one. The number and 
division of departments in the school and the number of pupils is 
shown in Table 1. 
The structure of the administration and working tasks in the 
school is given in Table 2. 
Based on the principles of unity, democracy, accessibility, 
brotherhood and unity and the equality of the nations and 
nationalities, the elementary school provides the foundations of 
education and upbringing. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Table 1 
Grade No. of Dept. No. Of No. Of No. Of 
Serbo- Rumanian Pupils Pupils Pupils 
Croatian 
I 2 + 1=3 66 49 17 
IL 2 + 1=3 70 55 15 
Ill 2 + 1l=3 71 57 14 
IV 2 + 1=3 60 43 17 
Total 
1-1IV 8 + 4=12 267 204 63 
v 2 + l= 3 63 45 18 
VI 2 + 1l= 3 63 49 14 
VII 2 + l= 3 67 50 17 
VIII 2 + l= 3 59 44 1 
Total 
2 
V-VIII 8 + 4= 12 25 2 188 64 
I-VIII 16 + B= 24 519 392 127 
Table 2 
Order 
ADMINISTRATIVE 
No. QUALIFICATIONS 
AND WORK TASKS Elemen- Secon- College Univer- Total 
tary dary sity 
I. DIRECTOR School ___ School 
2. PEDAGOGUE/EDUCATOR k L 
3. TEACHER/CLASS LESSONS À : 
4. SUBJECT LESSONS 1 12 13 
5. ADMINISTRATIVE } 18 1 19 
S a CAL ASSISTANT 1 1 
: STANT HELP 1 1 
TOTAL AND 00K 6 6 
a 6S 31 3 32 
  
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Razprave in gradivo, Ljubljana, March 1986, No.18 
The complete educational activity of the elementary school is 
clearly defined by the tasks laid down in the law on Education in 
SAP Vojvodina, as well as in the acts of the SKJ (League of 
Communists of Yugoslavia) and the constitutional decisions on the 
role of education in the realisation of complete equality of the 
nations and nationalities of Yugoslavia. 
In the constitutional amendments of 1971, the obligations and 
responsibilities for the state and development of education were 
Placed in the hands of the Socialist Autonomous Province of 
Vojvodina. As in many other schools in Vojvodina, the lessons in 
eur school are bilingual: in the Serbo-Croatian and Rumanian 
languages. In the entire educational work, the teaching languages 
are equal and have a right to equal treatment. 
In SAP Vojvodina, elementary schools are organised on the 
principle of territory. They enroll all the pupils from a defined 
territory (village, local community), without regard to the 
national affiliation and language which they use. From this 
follows that in all towns and urban centres with a multi-national 
composition of inhabitants, there are elementary schools with two 
or more languages. 
In the community of Zrenjanin, with 18 elementary schools, 
lessons are taught in Serbo-Croatian in ten schools, in Serbo- 
Croatian and Hungarian in 6 schools, in Serbo-Croatian, Hungarian 
and Slovak in one school, and in Serbo-Croatian and Rumanian in 
our school, 
Elementary schools in one language do not differ much from 
bilingual schools in respect of the specifics of such schools. In 
the planning of work in the professional as well as in the self- 
management organs of the operational programme of the work of the 
school, in the individual plans and programmes of the work of the 
teachers and in the normative acts, the needs and conditions for 
the realisation of the school tasks in two teaching languages 
have been clearly fixed. As a concrete example, we stress 
educational work in the plans, especially in the field of ethical 
education and the tasks which follow from this, such as 
"Socialist Humanism," “Yugoslav Socialist Patriotism,“ 
“Proletarian Internationalism," etc. Furthermore, special 
attention is paid to the staffing structure of the teaching 
personnel, or should we say, equal qualification and complete 
linguistic fluency in Serbo-Croatian and Rumanian. These 
questions are regulated by the corresponding normative acts which 
have been accepted by the workers in the school. 
The pedagogic documentation and administration are prepared in 
two languages. Both languages are used at meetings of the 
professional organs (departmental conferences) and at parent- 
teacher meetings. One of the most important documents which 
regulate education in SAP Vojvodina is the "Plan and Programme of 
Basic Education in SAP Vojvodina." The extent, tasks, content and 
forms of both teaching and non-teaching activities are laid down 
in it. 
The specific choice of activities is dependent on the social 
pedagogic estimation and the material and staffing possibilities 
of the school, as well as on the needs of the multinational 
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Razprave in gradivo, Ljubljana, March 1986, No.18 
areas. Through this, the unique social and educational functions 
of the school and more are guaranteed, 
The activity of the school consists of the following: 
1. Lessons 
a) compulsory courses 
b) optional courses 
2. Complementary educational work 
3. Additional educational work 
4. Educational work of the department heads 
5. Activities of the collective department 
6. Activities outside the classroom 
7. Cultural and public activity 
8. Socially beneficial work. 
Regular lessons are carried out by following the compulsory 
program and plan. In this kind of teaching, there are more and 
more changes in the position and role of the pupil; he becomes a 
subject of the educational process. 
The two basic factors of the teaching process, the teacher and 
the pupil, realise these important tasks of the teaching process 
through united, active work and a cooperative relationship. The 
optional lessons are performed in the same way as the regular 
lessons, through the plan and programme, which reflects the 
specific and cultural-educational needs of the province in its 
structure and content. 
Our school is increasingly being built as an integral school of 
the nations and nationalities which live in our regional 
community. It is particularly important for us that the children 
learn the language of the social community: Serbo-Croatian in the 
departments in which the lessons are carried out in Rumanian and 
Rumanian in the departments in which the lessons are conducted in 
Serbo-Croatian. The languages of the social community are learned 
in an organised way from the first to the eighth grades. 
With regard to the subject of lessons, it must be added that very 
important aims are achieved through the corresponding content and 
educational tasks of individual subjects. 
In what follows we shall try to indicate those elements which 
directly point to how the level of the programme, content and 
aims of history contribute to the further strengthening of the 
concept of the collective education of the members of the various 
nationalities. 
Of course, the remaining programmes (Serbo-Croatian, Rumanian, 
geography, nature and society, etc.) uphold the ideas and 
practice of unity (depending on the "nature" of each subject). 
There is also the following in the methodological directions for 
history: "The teacher must take advantage of the suitability of 
this subject for directing and educating the pupils, developing 
love towards their homeland, towards all our nations and 
nationalities, developing pride that they belong to a land with 
such a progressive society..." 
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The need to learn the languages of the social environment 
transcends the frame of the lessons or teacher who teaches this 
subject, and becomes the concern of the whole of our collective, 
together with the socio-political organisations in the village 
and beyond. In using a questionnaire in the preparation for the 
introduction of Rumanian as a language of the social environment, 
we discovered that a certain number of children in the 
departments with lessons in Serbo-Croatian spoke Rumanian, If the 
children of mixed marriages are taken into account, this number 
is much greater. In the preparations for the introduction of the 
Rumanian language as a language of our social environment, we 
received the full backing of the parents as well as the full 
support of the social community. Knowing the languages of the 
social environment contributes to a knowledge of the cultural 
values of the nations and nationalities, makes possible the 
togetherness and equal activity of the members of both 
nationalities, and influences the further development of 
brotherhood and unity as well as equality. 
The existing principles that lessons are conducted in the 
“language of the pupil" ensure that the school takes measures 
that the bilingual education be done systematically. Because of 
this, the teachers must make themselves familiar with bilingual 
pedagogic activity and receive in-service training through 
individual work as well as through seminars organised by the 
Educational Pedagogic Institute of Zrenjanin. 
In the past few years, there has been more and more literature 
dealing with this field. Textbooks, workbooks and other materials 
in both languages which are approved by the Educational Council 
of Vojvodina are used in direct lessons. 
The concept of unity is represented in the existing textbooks, 
especially in the textbooks of the mother language, nature and 
society (grades I-3), society (grade 4) and history (grades 5-8). 
In addition to texts about the national literature, contributions 
from authors from among our nations and nationalities, as well as 
texts from world literature are included in the textbooks in the 
mother language. All the textbooks in SAP Vojvodina; except for 
those about the national culture, they are completely identical 
in content and in artistic and technical arrangement. As a direct 
help to the teachers and pupils, the textbooks have become a 
source for the realisation of the Marxist-Leninist outlook on the 
world; they are inspired with Yugoslav socialist patriotism, the 
idea of brotherhood and unity and the idea of proletarian 
internationalism. 
Additional educational work in the educational programme is 
provided for those pupils who show exceptional ability and 
interest in individual subjects and scientific fields. 
This form of work is organised through the regulations a 
the teaching year for pupils from the fifth to the eighth grades. 
Lessons in this educational work are individual and ‘the 
contemporary literature. It is important that = ee oT eats 
ability to work independently through additional work. In + work 
the school plans about 300 hours each year for a etek The 
(physics, mathematics, history), 30 hours for each subject. 
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presence of members of both nationalities in the additional 
educational work, especially when the subject is history, has the 
advantage that in this way the history of the nations and 
nationalities of Vojvodina is illuminated from all sides and 
becomes better known through the choice of the subject of the 
rich cultural inheritance of all, as well as by presenting the 
movements and people who have played a progressive role from a 
class perspective and who also have had an exceptional role in 
the plan of bringing together our nations and nationalities. 
Extracurricular activities in our school form part of the 
educational work which, in addition to performing the task of 
extending the educational activity of the school and stimulating 
individual interests, develop a collective consciousness and, in 
order to enrich the social life, influence the togetherness of 
the pupils and strengthen unity. 
Pupils join into liberal activities on the basis of content and 
not by national affiliation or teaching language (except in cases 
in which the mother tongue is concerned). Extracurricular 
activities are organised in the following fields and areas: 
Pield No. of Sections 
1. Cultural-artistic 
- literature recitation, 
folklore and orchestra 6 
2. Scientific subjects 10 
3. Work-technical 3 
4. Sports activities 5 
Extracurricular activities are organised in the school from the 
first grade through the eighth. They offer the possibility for 
each pupil to enroll into one section on the basis of individual 
choice, or two sections if the second is the sports section. 
Pupils are enrolled in all the forms of liberal activities 
without regard to their language or national affiliation, except 
those which deal with the native language of the pupil, and both 
languages are used in the work. If a large number of pupils are 
enrolled in one section, it is divided into smaller groups 
according to the pupils' national affiliation but on the basis of 
other criteria: age, special interest, etc, 
We are of the opinion that liberal pupil activities are very 
beneficial for learning the non-mother tongue. Experience has 
shown us that the children very quickly and easily learn the 
texts in the non-mother tongue while preparing the cultural- 
artistic programme. Such events of a cultural-artistic nature, 
using both languages equally, achieve the aim that the pupils get 
even closer to each other through friendly games performed 
together; this is one of the nicest and best conditions to be met 
with a view to achieving the unity and equality of the nations 
and nationalities within the multinational structure of the 
inhabitants of Ecka. 
The folklore section, as well as the choir and the orchestra, is 
very active in our school. The children of both nationalities 
perform the dances of the nations and nationalities of Vojvodina 
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Razprave in gradivo, Ljubljana, March 1986, No.18 
and Yugoslavia. When there is a dance, there is also singing. In 
addition to participation in festivals and ceremonies at the 
school and in the village community, the choir, orchestra and 
folklore group also take part every year in various events in the 
community of Zrenjanin as well as throughout Vojvodina. 
The performance of selected works of the nations and 
nationalities of Yugoslavia and other nations makes it possible 
for the pupils to get to know the cultural traditions and 
achievements of contemporary musical life of the nations and 
nationalities, and influences their interregional togetherness 
and education in the spirit of unity. 
The folklore group, choir and orchestra contribute to the 
affirmation of the school in the social environment with their 
achievements at contests and competitions and realise the aims of 
the school in the framework of its cultural and public activity. 
As already mentioned, textbooks and workbooks in both languages 
are used in the direct teaching activities. However, because of 
the small number of the editions in the Rumanian language, their 
price is very high. The difference in price is covered by the 
social community. 
In addition to the textbooks and workbooks, the Bucuria 
pionierilor is used in departments in which lessons are in the 
Rumanian language, as well as the children's newspaper Tribuna 
tineretului. Books printed in Yugoslavia are used for schoolwork 
in grades 1-8. 
Teachers use the newspapers Lumina and Biltenul and the newspaper 
Misao in the five languages of the nations and nationalities of 
Vojvodina, for the most successful progress of pedagogic theory 
and practice. 
The school library contains 5,000 books, of which 1,500 are in 
the Rumanian language. The town community also has a rich library 
of books in both languages. 
Teaching staff intended to meet the needs of pre-school 
institutions and elementary schools and of the departments in 
which teaching is performed in the Rumanian language, are mainly 
trained at the Teacher Training Junior College in Vrsac. These 
are seats of the Rumanian language and literature in Belgrade and 
Novi Sad. 
After finishing elementary school, pupils of our school of 
Rumanian nationality continue their further education at the 
secondary level in their native language. Such schools exist in 
Zrenjanin, Vrsc, Alibunar, Uzdin and elsewhere. 
The mastering of Serbo-Croatian as the language of the social 
environment is invaluable for quicker and more effective 
education of pupils of Rumanian nationality in colleges and 
faculties in Vojvodina and Yugoslavia. 
A knowledge of the Serbo-Croatian language makes possible a 
faster integration of members of the Rumanian nationality into 
all spheres of life and work in our broader community. That this 
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is so is proven by the greater and greater employment of members 
of the Rumanian nationality in the economy and in social 
organisations of the city of Zrenjanin and the region of Middle 
Banat. 
At the end of this contribution, we may conclude that the 
conditions for the achievement of the education in Serbo-Croatian 
and Rumanian as teaching languages are given great significance 
in our school. 
We are making every effort to find the best solution for making 
most possible the realisation of the educational tasks in our 
multinational community. This paper is only one modest 
contribution towards this aim. 
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