The Serbian education system gets a smaller percentage of the GDP than the European Union average with 90 percent of the money going toward salaries.
N1 was told by the Education Ministry that some 206 billion Dinars have been earmarked to cover salaries for education system staff and to finance student aid in the 2024 budget.
The total education budget for 2024 is planned at 314 billion Dinars compared to 255 billion in 2023 or 190 billion in 2018. That money accounts for 3.5 percent of the GDP, lower than the 4.5 to 7 percent allocated for education in EU member states.
The Education Ministry said in its reply to N1 that the remaining 10 percent of the education budget is used for school maintenance, purchases of equipment, preschool programs, inclusive education projects, national schools abroad, competitions, final exams, staff training, enrollment, scholarships and other expenses at all education levels as well as measures to prevent violence in schools. It said that money has been secured for higher salaries and more psychologists and pedagogues.
University Professor Aleksandar Baucal said that the percentage of the GDP allocated for the education system has been dropping over the years. “It has not been enough and we are all aware that the quality of education in Serbia is low. If I were optimistic I would say medium poor and if I were realistic, I would say catastrophic. I don’t know what we expect as a society if we neglect our children’s education like this,” he said.
Economy experts said that more investment in education would have a direct effect on economic growth, something the authorities like to brag about. Former National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Governor turned university economics professor Dejan Soskic thinks education has been ignored. “The question is not only about the civilization values of every country – whether it wants to invest in educating its population and to what extent but an economic issue for sure. Without quality education I think we can’t expect changes for the better in the international division of labour,” he said.
The Ministry of Education’s opinion
“Salaries in the education sector make up 90 percent of the budget, while the rest of the funds are directed to infrastructural and investment maintenance of schools, construction of new educational institutions, procurement of ICT equipment for schools, implementation of the preschool programme, inclusive preschool education and education, operation of supplementary schools in abroad, student competitions, final exams, professional training and development of school employees, support for improving the work of institutions through the use of didactic game tools (preschool institutions and students with developmental disabilities), student cooperatives, schools of special interest, enrollment in high schools, working with talented students, student scholarships and loans, the realization of doctoral and master’s studies, material costs incurred by higher education institutions and adult education. In addition to the planned salary increase for teachers, funds have been provided for more psychologists and education specialists being employed in schools, the training of educational workers, higher compensation for the work of department heads (a 7% increase) and higher compensation for pedagogical advisors who provide field support to students”, the Ministry of Education said in its response.
The Fiscal Council’s analysis of the 2024 budget showed that Serbia did not have an adequate approach to financing education reform.
(N1, 13.10.2023)
https://n1info.rs/vesti/lekcije-koje-se-ne-mere-novcem-koliko-srbija-ulaze-u-obrazovanje/