Education in Serbia

Pre-School Education

The preparatory preschool program has been mandatory since the beginning of the academic year 2006/07.

According to stipulations of Article 85 of the Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 62/03, 63/03, 58/04 and 62/04), preschool programs are carried out as a preparatory program for primary school, as part of preschool education. In the year preceding starting school, the program is carried out for four per day, for a period of at least six months. The preparatory preschool program is part of compulsory education, which lasts for nine years.

Article 89 of the same Law defines that children must be enrolled in kindergarten at the ages of between of five and a half and six and a half, so that they would attend the preparatory preschool program. It is the duty of the kindergartens founded by the local self-government, and primary schools founded by the Republic, autonomous province or local self-government, to enroll children in the preparatory preschool program. This means that private kindergartens will not be authorized to organize preparatory preschool programs.

At enrollment in the preparatory preschool program, the parents or guardians need to provide a health examination certificate and birth certificate.

The program is free of charge, and the parents/guardians may choose the kindergarten or primary school where the child will be enrolled.

Primary School Education

Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools (Serbian, osnovna škola) at the age of 6 or 7 and it lasts for eight years. The Elementary school is divided into 2 stages. Those stages are:

  • Lower Grades ( grades 1-4 )
  • Higher Grades ( grades 5-8 )
In the Lower grades students are sorted into classes randomly and have only one teacher for all subjects, except the English language teacher who teaches them English. Students in the lower grades study the following subjects:

  1. Mathematics,
  2. Serbian language,
  3. Art (children draw and paint),
  4. Music class,
  5. Physical education,
  6. World around us (subject about nature),
  7. Electives.
Since recently it is compulsory to learn English language from the 1st grade. In that class children usually learn songs and some basic words. Children start going to the 1st grade aged 6 or 7 and finish the 4th grade aged 10.

In the Higher grades children get new subjects such as:

  1. From 5th grade - Biology, Geography, History, Second foreign language (French, German, Russian, Spanish or Italian) and Technical sciences.
  2. From 6th grade - Physics
  3. From 7th grade - Chemistry and Computer Science
Grading system is numeric and is present in this form through Elementary school and High school. Grades are from 1 (the lowest and failing grade) to 5 (the best grade). There are:

  • excellent(5) corresponds to American A grade
  • very good (4) corresponds to American B grade
  • good (3) corresponds to American C grade
  • sufficient(2) corresponds to American D grade
  • insufficient(1) corresponds to American F grade
When a student finishes 8th grade of elementary school he or she chooses if they want to continue education since compulsory education stops when you finish elementary school.

Secondary schools (also known as High Schools) correspond to American High Schools and are divided in three types, and children attend one depending on their choice, their elementary school grades and their entrance exams results:
  • Grammar schools (gimnazija) last for four years and offer general and broad education. Student usually choose their education orientation between languages and social sciences (društveni smer) and mathematics and natural sciences(prirodni smer).
  • Professional schools (stručna škola) last for four years and specialize students in certain fields, while still offering relatively broad education.
  • Vocational schools (zanatska škola) last for three years, without an option of continuing education and specialize in narrow vocations.
Entrance exams mostly consists of Mathematics exam and Serbian language and literature exam, although depending on the type of school you wish to enrol you may need to take English language exam.

Secondary School Education

Secondary schools (also known as High Schools) correspond to American High Schools and are divided in three types, and children attend one depending on their choice, their elementary school grades and their entrance exams results:

  • Grammar schools (gimnazija) last for four years and offer general and broad education. Student usually choose their education orientation between languages and social sciences (društveni smer) and mathematics and natural sciences(prirodni smer).
  • Professional schools (stručna škola) last for four years and specialize students in certain fields, while still offering relatively broad education.
  • Vocational schools (zanatska škola) last for three years, without an option of continuing education and specialize in narrow vocations.
Entrance exams mostly consists of Mathematics exam and Serbian language and literature exam, although depending on the type of school you wish to enrol you may need to take English language exam.

Tertiary level Education 

Tertiary level institutions also accept students based on their grades in high school and entrance exams results:

Link to ministry of education of Serbia


Here you'll find detailed information about the aims and objectives of the education system in Serbia.

http://www.mp.gov.rs/index.php?page=1