Department of Education

Serbian Education Minister Ljiljana Colic briefly banned the teaching
of evolution in Serbian schools
earlier this year. Although this was not a notably tragic event in a country scarred by a decade of widespread ethnic and religious violence, the
reaction was swift and strong. After the Serbian government endured
two days of pointed criticism from scientists and teachers, Deputy Education Minister Milan Brdar suddenly announced that the ban had been lifted. Colic, Brdar’s boss, couldn’t make the announcement herself,
as she was “away on business,” Brdar said. Ironically, Colic had justified
her decision by calling evolution
“dogmatic.”