Podgorica: In schools in Zabjelo, testing dates for future champions were filled a few days after enrollment began

In primary schools (ES) in Zabjelo, the testing dates for future first-year students were filled a few days after the start of enrollment, due to the increased number of children registered, and school administrations in that part of Podgorica are in communication with the relevant authorities and educational institutions in the area to find the most adequate solution.

At the "Oktoih" Elementary School, on April 5th, just five days after the start of enrollment in the first grade, all testing slots were filled, and the same thing happened soon after at the "Vuk Karadžić" Elementary School.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation does not have data on whether any other schools in Podgorica have faced this challenge, but they emphasize that all children will be enrolled, which is a legal obligation.

The principal of the "Oktoih" Elementary School, Ljubo Ćeranić, told the MINA agency that the number of students has many times exceeded the school's projected capacity of 800 places.

As he said, the number of first-year students this year will be more than 25 percent higher than the number of students completing ninth grade, which further complicates the organization of classes.

"Although the realistic limit would be five first-year classes, the school is making the maximum leap forward and practically doubling the number of classes in order to provide support to children from our enrollment area," said Ćeranić.

He said that the school administration, in cooperation with the relevant institutions, is making every effort to, through internal records and careful organization, enable the most efficient implementation of testing as soon as additional spatial and administrative prerequisites are created.

Ćeranić said that the construction of the new pavilion, planned for February 2027, will improve working conditions in the long term, but that the challenge of overcrowding remains present due to the intensive expansion of construction and mass settlement of Zabjelo.

The "Vuk Karadžić" Elementary School has the capacity to enroll 120 first-year students, and so far, according to the director Marija Lazarević, 115 children have registered, including ten students from the Roma population.

She told the MINA agency that it is planned to form five first-grade classes with approximately 24 students each, and that some of the places are reserved for children with developmental disabilities, in order to provide them with adequate conditions for inclusive education.

"Such an organization allows for the optimal number of students in classes, which contributes to the quality of teaching and creates a supportive environment for the successful inclusion of children with disabilities," Lazarević pointed out.

Speaking about the problem of the increased number of applications in schools in Zabjelo, Lazarević said that they are in communication with schools in the immediate vicinity, in order to review all available options and find the most adequate solution for the new situation.

"Our goal is to, through a joint approach, provide optimal conditions for the enrollment of every child, taking into account the quality of teaching and an even load on school capacities," emphasized Lazarević.

She said that testing of registered first-year students at the "Vuk Karadžić" Elementary School will last from April 6 to May 20, after which additional dates will be opened.

"In line with the practice from previous years, it is expected that a certain number of children will be recommended to postpone enrollment, in accordance with their developmental needs. After the testing is completed and the total number of available places is reviewed, the school will open new, additional terms for children who have not yet gone through the procedure," said Lazarević.