Gradska opstina Palilula

For several years, at the time of the Book Fair, the Nis Cultural Center, in cooperation with the city municipalities in Niš, has been organizing a `Book for Present` campaign by donating a wide variety of books to school libraries in village area schools. At the suggestion of Palilula City Municipality, this year 300 books were received by the library of the Branko Radičević Primary School in Gabrovac.

This educational institution, which is one of the oldest schools in the Nišava Administrative District (141 years of existince), was visited and presented by a gift from Palilula President Aleksandar Zdrale and director of the Nis Cultural Center – Srdjan Savic. According to Srdjan Savic, “the action was supported by the fair exhibitors by donating their books, however this year we decided to get one school in each of the five Nis municipalities to receive a certain number of books in the edition of the Nis Cultural Center”, the importance of donating to the school library, School director Glorija Radojcic spoke to the work of this educational institution, which successfully accomplishes its mission in the rural areas of Gabrovac, Berbatovo and Vukmanovo.

The school library in Gabrovac school has about 6000 titles. Books from our fund are used not only by students but also by their parents and residents, points out librarian Ivana Markovic. The library also houses rare books, preserved editions published in the early twentieth century. The roots of today’s “Branko Radicevic” school in Gabrovac date back to 1878/1879. year, when a four-year school was opened in the village of Gabrovac and its first teacher was Sava Djordjevic. In the period from 1893-1920 the only teacher in the school was Luka Janicijevic. At that time, the school had over one hundred students, mainly from Gabrovo and neighboring villages. Teacher Janicijevic contributed greatly to the literacy work of children and adults in the area and was the founder of the school library. Construction of the new school in Gabrovac was completed in 1928. She had two classrooms and an apartment for a teacher. In the school year 1952/1953, a four-grade school in Gabrovac grew into an eight-year elementary school called “Branko Radicevic”, which was merged with the previously independent schools in Berbatovo, Vukmanov and Donji Vlas in the status of branch offices of the elementary school “Branko Radicevic” in Gabrovac. The school in Donje Vlase belonged to this school until 1983 when it was connected to the elementary school “Kole Rasic”. Since 2002, Branko Radicevic Elementary School in Gabrovac has been successfully run by the principal Glorija Radojčić.