Parents of third-graders and semi-graders at the "Savo Pejanović" Elementary School are dissatisfied with the schedule, the administration claims there is no other solution

Some parents of third and ninth grade students at the "Savo Pejanović" Elementary School (OS) in Podgorica oppose the decision to have their children attend classes in the afternoon shift, claiming that it will significantly make it more difficult to fulfill school and extracurricular obligations, as well as family life.

In two separate statements to the media, parents claim that according to the announced schedule, classes for semi-graders will start at 1 p.m. from September, while classes for third-graders are scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.

Principal of "Savo Pejanović" elementary school Milja Božović She said that the decision was made due to a "deficit of classrooms," adding that "the school has 14 of them."

"At the moment we have 34 classes. This year we enrolled four classes of first graders, while only two classes of semi-graduates left the school, which further burdened the capacities. The 2025/2026 school year was attended by 757 students, while the next school year will be attended by 791 students, and so far we have 15 students from other schools who have expressed interest in enrolling with us," said Božović.

PARENTS: WE WEREN'T CONSULTED

In a letter they submitted to the media, the parents of the semi-graduates believe that limited space is not a good explanation from the school administration and that "all possible solutions should have been reviewed before final confirmation."

"The ninth grade consists of only three classes, or less than 70 students. Therefore, we believe that other models of teaching organization should be considered, including the possibility of assigning other classes to the second shift, especially those with a larger number of classes," the letter states.

They also propose that a different organization of classes be considered, "or rather, the rationalization of their number, with professional assessment and respect for all regulations governing the number of students in a class."

"We would like to emphasize that this is a generation that is about to finish primary education and take an external test. Students need additional time to study, prepare and rest, while many also have sports training, music school, extracurricular activities and additional classes. These students have been attending classes in the first shift for the past four years and have organized their daily obligations accordingly. Moving to the second shift, which starts in the afternoon, would significantly make it more difficult to balance school and extracurricular obligations, while after classes in the later afternoon or evening hours they would have less time to study, prepare for external tests and rest," the parents stated.

They also object to the fact that the management of the "Savo Pejanović" Elementary School did not consult them about the "specific decision to transfer this particular class to the second shift."

"It is true that at previous sessions of the Parents' Council there was talk of increasing the number of students and the possibility of organizing classes in multiple shifts. However, announcing the possibility of working in multiple shifts is not the same as prior consideration of a specific decision...".

Principal Božović said that the decision to have ninth graders attend 13 hours of classes was made solely for practical and pedagogical reasons:

"This generation has three classes and has the smallest weekly class pool (26), compared to other older classes. This allows us to organize classes most efficiently and with the least burden on the students themselves. We fully understand that any change in routine requires adjustment, but we assure you that this decision was forced by spatial possibilities, so that all students have safe and legally prescribed working conditions."

THIRD-GRADERS TO SCHOOL FROM 2:30 PM

Some parents of third-grade students are also dissatisfied with the possibility of their children attending classes from 2:30 p.m., so they petitioned the school administration and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to withdraw such a decision, if it has been made.

Some parents warned that for some children this would mean being away from home all day - from early morning until evening.

"When children arrive at school at 2:30 p.m., especially children attending after-school care, they are physically unable to attend classes - sleepy, tired from previous activities, uninterested, perhaps irritable, often hungry," the petition states, among other things.

Božović points out that third-year students constitute "an extremely important, final part of the first cycle of our educational system":

"Due to the specifics of their age and pedagogical standards, these children must attend classes in classrooms that are spatially and didactically adapted to their development (second grade students from 7:30 a.m., first grade students from 11 a.m.)."

He notes that the school is in a situation where "there is no physical choice of space, nor the possibility of changing shifts."

"The 2:30 p.m. time slot was the only technically feasible way for third-grade students to receive the adequate space that they are entitled to by law and age. We are aware that this solution is not ideal and that it requires a great deal of adaptation from all of us. Since the school does not have the space to change this decision, the pedagogical-psychological service and teachers will make a special effort within the teaching itself to maximally adapt the work methodology, breaks and workload in classes to the capabilities of tired children during that time slot," said Božović.

Neither. S.