The demographic picture of rural Montenegro is getting bleaker every year. The latest example comes from the Vraneška Valley, where this school year, in two primary schools – in Pavino Polje and Tomaševo, only one first-year student was enrolled.
Locals are calling on authorities for help, while former educators accuse local and state authorities of negligence in leading to the destruction of these villages.
In the morning, after dropping her son and daughter off at school, Nevena Drobnjak doesn't go to work, but to the farm. This is an everyday occurrence in Pavino Polje, which is why more and more people are opting for a more comfortable life.
"Every year there are fewer students, last year we had, I think, four first grade students in the entire school with regional classes, and this year there is not a single one," said Nevena Drobnjak, a resident of Pavino Polje.
The "Milovan Jelić" elementary school is one of the oldest in this area, and in its 133 years of existence, next year for the first time it will not have a first-year student.
The classroom in Pavino Polje will remain empty next school year. Unless something systemic changes, we will have more and more such classrooms in the coming period.
In neighboring Tomaševo, the number of students is also dropping drastically. Currently, the school has 67 students, while 10 years ago it had 130. This year, only one student was enrolled in the first grade - Filip Damjanović.
"He was hoping, another student was supposed to start, but he stayed the next year. He was cautious, but now he has come to terms with the fact that he will be alone," said Vuk Damjanović, Filip's father.
This situation is no surprise to former educators in the region. The systematic neglect of the Vraneš Valley, along with the destruction of several factories, has led to entire families leaving these villages. Schools that once had hundreds of students are now closing, and fewer and fewer young people are choosing to stay in Vraneš.
"The community is to blame, it is to blame for allowing that youth to leave, and who will create the population if not young people," said Tale Leković, a retired teacher.
"If this pace continues and if the state does not take action to return some of the people and enable them to live in that area, I guarantee that in 15 years we will have exclusively elderly households," said Luka Peruničić, a retired teacher.
One class, one student and many empty chairs. This is not just a story about schools, but also about the future and the silence that is slowly descending on entire villages.
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