Dejan Vuk Stanković (; born 22 January 1973) is a Serbian university professor, philosopher, and political analyst. He is serving as the

minister of education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

since 2025. Born in Belgrade, he graduated from the Faculty of Philosohpy of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

, later obtaining a doctorate from the institution. He has worked at the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Belgrade since 2003. Besides his academic career, he worked as a researcher, columnist, and political analyst for pro-government television channels. Stanković has opposed the student-led anti-corruption protests in Serbia.

Early life and career

Dejan Vuk Stanković was born on 22 January 1973 in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

SR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. He finished an elementary school and the

First Belgrade Gymnasium First Belgrade Gymnasium () is a Gymnasium (school), gymnasium (Central European type of grammar school) with a long tradition, founded in 1839 in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1938, it is situated in the center of the city, on 61 Cara Dušana Street. T ...

in his hometown. He later graduated from the Faculty of Philosohpy of the

in 1998, while in 2011 he earned his doctorate. He began working at the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Belgrade in 2003. Besides his academic career, Stanković also worked as a researcher in opinion polling, initially for Marten Board International and then for Faktor Plus. He is also a columnist for ''

Kurir ''Kurir'' is daily tabloid newspaper published in Belgrade, Serbia. History The first issue of ''Kurir'' appeared at newsstands on 6 May 2003. While Kurir's history is relatively short, it is also a checkered one. It goes back to the state of ...

'' and ''

Politika ( sr-Cyrl, Политика, lit=Politics) is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and ownership is publ ...

'' newspapers, and a political analyst, regularly appearing on pro-government television channels such as

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

Prva Srpska Televizija Prva (; sr-Cyrl, Прва, lit=First) or Prva Srpska Televizija ( sr-Cyrl, Прва српска телевизија, lit=First Serbian Television), is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage. It was launched on 31 Dece ...

, and

Informer An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

. He is, however, not affiliated with any political party. After the

Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse On 1 November 2024, the concrete canopy of the main railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, collapsed onto the busy pavement below, killing 16 people and severely injuring one more. The station building was constructed in 1964, and was renovated fro ...

on 1 November 2024, student-led anti-corruption protests began in Serbia. Since its beginning, Stanković has opposed the protests, accusing students of trying to topple the government of Serbia from power. When the Faculty of Teacher Education collective had a vote on whether to support the students in the protests, Stanković was the only one who voiced opposition.

Minister of Education

The composition of

Đuro Macut Đuro Macut (; born 22 November 1963) is a Serbian endocrinologist and academic, serving as the prime minister of Serbia since 2025. Born in Belgrade, Macut graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1989, later obtaining a doctorate from the ins ...

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

was announced on 14 April 2025, with Stanković mentioned as a candidate for the

. His nomination was opposed by students and professors who are supportive of the anti-corruption protests. The plenum and professors of the Faculty of Teacher Education and Independent Union of Educational Workers in Serbia also condemned his nomination. Stanković was elected minister of education on 16 April.

Tenure

Stanković asserted that he would work on resolving the anti-corruption protests, which he described as "the greatest educational crisis in the history of Serbia", during his tenure. The dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Vladan Bogdanović, said that any aggressive attempts to end the protests would most likely lead to a conflict within the University of Belgrade staff.

Personal life

During his tenure at the Faculty of Teacher Education, he has been accused of alleged sexual harassment from female students and of unprofessionalism. According to the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

, no sexual harassment complaints were filed against Stanković. Shortly before he became a government minister, he filed a criminal complaint against anonymous individuals who accused him of sexual harassment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stankovic, Dejan Vuk 1973 births 21st-century Serbian philosophers 21st-century Serbian politicians Academic staff of the University of Belgrade Education ministers of Serbia Living people Serbian columnists Serbian political commentators