ILLEGAL CLASSES OF YUGOSLAV COLLEGES BEGIN IN VUKOVAR ( Editorial: --> 7752 )

( Editorial: --> 7752 ) VUKOVAR/ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - In Vukovar, classes begin on Monday at illegal branches of two Yugoslav teachers' training colleges. The branches started to work without the permission of Croatian Science Ministry. But, the college began operating, following a conclusion of the joint council of the (Serb) municipalities in the Croatian Danube river region that an independent teachers' training college should be established in Vukovar for Serb teachers. Croatian Science Minister Ivica Kostovic told Hina that his ministry offered to the joint council of municipalities, as the representative of Croatian Serbs from Danube area at the negotiations, that Serb undergraduates may be taught, as a special group, at the University of Osijek. "The Serb negotiators have not accepted our proposal, and we have informed UNTAES (UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia) of this," Kostovic added. He described today's beginning of classes in Vukovar as illegal. Sixty five (65) undergraduates attend the illegal classes in Vukovar, 54 of whom have the student record books of the teachers' training college of Sombor, and 11 have the student record books of the Subotica-based two-year training college for kindergarten teachers. On Monday, the two groups attended the lecture of a professor who teaches sociology at the University of Novi Sad, the part of which are the Subotica and Sombor colleges. The dean of the Vukovar branch, Professor Milan Lipovac, who worked at Osijek University before the war, addressed the students on Monday. He said that "negotiations are under way with Croatian Science and Technology Ministry on including the Vukovar college into the university system of Croatia." He described as the compromise the fact that (Vukovar) students enrolled in colleges in Serbia. Following Monday's event, councillors of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) party at the Vukovar town council, on Monday forwarded to Minister Kostovic a letter protesting over this act. (hina) jn mš 031438 MET nov 97