Almost 10 percent of the total number of students in primary and secondary schools, at the moment, are foreign nationals.
"News" from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI) said that, in the current school year, more than 7.000 students, who are foreign citizens, were enrolled.
The department headed by Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović said that the largest number of children, who are foreign citizens, are enrolled in educational institutions on the coast and in Podgorica.
"According to data from our Information System (MEIS), in the Montenegrin education system, in the 2024/25 school year 7.267 foreigners were registered. Of that number, the most are from Russia 2.512, from Serbia 2.075, Ukraine 612, Bosnia and Herzegovina 374, Turkey 343 and Kosovo 317", said the Ministry of Education.
According to MPNI, the success of students of foreign nationals at the end of the last school year will be known later.
"We cannot have data on success in the past school year before the end of October," they said.
They pointed out that support for learning "our language as a non-native language according to the publicly valid subject program" has also been implemented.
"...With two additional classes per week during the academic year, which are financed from the budget of the Ministry. In cooperation with UNICEF, textbooks for the Montenegrin language as a non-native subject were provided," they told "Vijesta" at the beginning of July.
At that time, they pointed out that the Institute for Education of Montenegro (ZZP) had developed "Guidelines for the inclusion of students from other speaking areas in educational institutions in Montenegro", as well as "Guidelines for the evaluation and assessment of students from other speaking areas in educational institutions in Montenegro".
"Also, teams have been formed in schools for the inclusion of children from other speaking areas, which provide support to children and their parents. In addition, a support mechanism for children with special educational needs has been conceived," said the Ministry of Education.
The institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms announced at the end of last year that there are about 7.000 foreign children in Montenegrin kindergartens and schools. The ombudsman, after a self-initiated tour of several educational institutions in Podgorica, Budva, Bar, Tivat..., warned that these children have a poor knowledge of the language.
At that time, he was also of the opinion that greater support is necessary for children who face language barriers. The ombudsman stated that, among other things, educators also need more support.
"The protector observed during his visit to the municipalities that the largest number of foreign children are enrolled in schools/kindergartens that have a pronounced problem of overbooking for a long period of time due to insufficient space and personnel capacities. We remind you of the provisions of the Law on Basic Education, which stipulates that the Ministry designates a school that has the material, spatial, personnel and other conditions for organizing classes for students who join classes for the first time and do not know or do not know enough of the language in which classes are held ", says the protector's opinion.
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