Why Belgrade Open School?

"The formal education system provided by educational institutions cannot satisfy all the needs and desires for education. Therefore, there must be a conflict between the formal education system and personal needs and desires, which this system does not take into account.

Informal forms of education should be seen not only as a supplement to the formal education system but also as a critique of it: the right to rebel against an outdated and tired school never becomes obsolete, as well as the right to choose one's own life path.

The Belgrade Open School is not an ordinary school, although it is diligently taught. Namely, it does not educate a narrow expert who is hesitant to think and do anything outside his profession, but a developed person open to the future of the world.

That is why we stand for the School that develops critical thinking, and not for the School that nurtures passive memory: someone can remember a lot without understanding anything. We want our School not to come from narrow experts but from widely educated people: The School does not produce as many experts as it creates thoughts! We would like the basic method of our work to be patient and fruitful conversation, and not ex-catedra teaching: from the culture of speech to the culture of conversation! That is the only way that can guarantee that there will be no dogmatics among thinkers, fanatics among believers, and tyrants among politicians.

It is not a matter of teaching students mere knowledge, but of developing their will to learn. It is not about offering ready-made truths, but about developing a love of truth and life, truth and meaning. The sole goal of the School is not for students to know a lot, but to learn how to acquire knowledge. "

Prof Đuro Šušnjić