Overview of the inclusive education system in Serbia

The educational system in Serbia includes pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher education. The total duration of compulsory education is nine years. Children enter compulsory education at the age of 5½, when they start the pre-school preparatory programme, followed by eight years of primary education. The leaving age from full-time compulsory education is 14½.

Public primary education is free and the only admission criterion is age. Pre-school education and care is for children from 6 months until the primary school starting age. It comprises three levels: nursery (for children aged 6 months to 3 years), kindergarten (for children aged 3 to 5½), and the pre-school preparatory programme (for children aged 5½ to 6½). The nine-month pre-school preparatory programme is the first part of compulsory education.

Primary education is compulsory, takes eight years and is carried out in two educational cycles:

• Cycle 1: 1st to 4th grade (ages 6½ to 10½);
• Cycle 2: 5th to 8th grade (ages 10½ to 14½).

Most subjects in Cycle 1 are taught by class teachers. Each subject in Cycle 2 is taught by a different subject teacher.

Secondary education consists of four years of general education and two to four years of vocational education. It is free and not mandatory. There are two types of secondary schools:

• General secondary schools (gimnazija opšteg tipa);
• Specialised secondary schools, intended for educating learners who are talented in certain areas (specijalizovana gimnazija).

National minorities

Education is provided in Serbian (state language) as well as in eight national minority languages, depending on where the school is situated. These languages are Albanian, Bosnian and Bulgarian in southern Serbia, and Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Ruthenian and Slovak in parts of the Vojvodina autonomous province. Classes at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary) are available in minority languages if at least 15 learners wish to be enrolled in the first grade of the education level (exceptions are possible with the minister’s permission).

National minorities who attend classes in the Serbian language can choose to study ‘Mother tongue and national culture’, which is available in sixteen languages (Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Bunjevac, Croatian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Macedonian, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Slovak, Slovenian, Ukranian and Vallachian – Vlah). When instruction is provided in these languages, the curricula are the same as in schools with instruction in Serbian language, with the exception of language classes (instead of Serbian language, they learn the minority language) and an additional 30% of content on national specificities. When instruction is provided in minority languages, Serbian as a non-native language is a compulsory subject. This provides all members of national minorities full integration into society, regardless of their native language.

In some specific cases, minority education can be provided bilingually – in Serbian (as state language) and a minority language. This must be recommended by the national council of the national minority and the curricula have to be approved by the Ministry of Education. One school provides bilingual education in Serbian-Bulgarian.

Despite a trend of reducing the number of learners in segregated environments, the Serbian education system includes primary and secondary schools and special classes for learners with developmental disabilities. Special schools co-operate with the relevant authorities dealing with education, health and social care, the local administration, boarding homes, NGOs and donors. An intersectoral commission, which makes decisions at the municipal level, assesses and recommends whether learners need to follow an individual educational programme.

Several national strategies aimed to ensure diversity in education from the early 2000s, such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003), the Strategy for Improving the Position of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Serbia (2006) and the Strategy of Education Development in Serbia 2020.

In 2009, the Law on the Foundations of the Education System was adopted, confirming Serbia’s commitment to the comprehensive implementation of inclusion in education. The key principles of Serbia’s education system in this regard include:

• equal access without discrimination;
• adaptation to individual educational needs;
• human and child rights, dignity of each person (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 88/17, 27/18 – other law, 10/19, 6/20, 129/21 and 92/23).

The Law has been amended several times since 2009, with changes in 2017 and 2025. The changes in March 2025 saw the adoption of the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on the Foundations of the Education System. These amendments cover various aspects of the education system, including terminological changes and alignment with other legislative acts, aiming to improve inclusive education and teacher professional development.

The Rulebook on Detailed Guidelines for Determining the Right to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) regulates the procedure for determining the right to an IEP and its implementation and evaluation, including its composition, content, preparation, application in teaching, learner assessment and record-keeping (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 74/2018).

The Rulebook on Additional Educational, Health and Social Support defines the conditions for assessing learners’ needs for additional support and the work of the intersectoral commission that recommends necessary measures. This aims to ensure inclusion in education and full social participation.

In April 2014, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development established the Group for Social Inclusion, which was later integrated into the Department for Human and Fundamental Rights. The Sector for the Prevention and Protection against Violence and Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in Education (2024), including the Department for improving preventive-educational programmes and inclusion of vulnerable groups in education, integrated into the Group for Inclusive Education. According to the Rulebook on Internal Organisation and Job Systematisation (2024), the Ministry is structured to enable the Sector, Department and Group to efficiently implement policies on inclusion, violence prevention, and protection of vulnerable groups. 

Partially decentralised system.

The Ministry of Education has 17 administrations operating throughout Serbia. It is responsible for implementing educational policies that are adopted in co-operation with the Institute for the Improvement of Education and the Institute for the Evaluation of Educational Quality. These institutes adopt proposals for teaching and learning programmes in co-operation with working groups of teachers, university professors, union members, etc. Pre-primary and primary educational institutions have a significant level of autonomy in organising and implementing educational programmes and other educational activities.

Political commitment in Serbia aims to protect human rights and educational opportunities for all. According to Article 71 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, ‘Everyone shall have the right to education’.

The Law on Pre-Primary Education (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 18/2010, 101/2017, 113/2017 – other law, 95/2018 – other law, 10/2019, 86/2019 – other law, 157/2020 – other law, 123/2021 – other law, and 129/2021), Article 3, ‘Realisation of other activities in the pre-primary institution’, states that a pre-primary institution must provide nutrition, care, preventive healthcare and social protection for children of pre-primary age. Pre-primary institutions are prohibited from all kinds of violence, abuse and neglect, and all activities that endanger, discriminate or exclude children or groups of children, on any grounds.

Article 4 of the Law on Primary Education, ‘Right to primary education’ (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 55/2013, 101/2017, 10/2019, 27/2018 – other law, 129/2021, 92/2023 and 19/2025), states that every person has the right to free and good quality primary education in a public school.

According to the Law on Primary Education, the key principles of Serbia’s education system include: equal access without discrimination; adaptation to individual educational needs; human and child rights; dignity of each person (Law on the Foundations of the Education System, Article 7, (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 88/2017, 88/2017, 27/2018, 10/2019, 27/2018, 6/2020, 129/2021, 92/2023and 19/2025).

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System sets forth inclusive education as the strategic commitment and obligation of the Serbian education system. According to this law, citizens of the Republic of Serbia are equal in exercising the right to education, regardless of their gender, race, national or religious affiliation, language social and cultural background, financial standing, age, physical and psychological condition, developmental disabilities, political affiliation or other personal traits. The law prohibits discrimination in education and emphasises the right to education of learners who need additional support.

Special attention is given to co-operation with learners, to successfully achieve the set goals of education and care, and carrying out appropriate activities, programmes and projects to improve the quality of education (Law on the Foundations of the Education System, Article 7).

Article 3 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System states that every person has the right to education. Citizens of the Republic of Serbia are equal in exercising their right to education. A disabled person has the right to education that respects their special educational needs in the educational system, with additional individual or group support in teaching and learning or in a special educational group or school. Foreign citizens, stateless people and people claiming citizenship also have the right to education under the same conditions as citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

According to Article 10 of the Law on Primary Education, ‘Education of students with special needs and disabilities’ (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 55/2013, 101/2017, 10/2019, 27/2018 – other law, 129/2021, 92/2023 and 19/2025), learners with special needs or disability are learners with intellectual, sensory or motor disabilities. As a rule, learners with special needs or disability should undergo primary education together with other learners or, if it is in the learner’s best interest, in a school for learners with special needs. Learners with special needs or disability have the right to individual education plans. 

According to the Law on Primary Education, learners complete primary education by taking a final examination after the successful completion of the eighth grade, which grants the right to enrol in secondary school. The final examination of learners with SEN is modified depending on the type of the special additional support required and is conducted pursuant to individual education plans. This law also introduced the possibility to organise home schooling and distance learning.

Article 12 of the Law on Secondary Education, ‘Additional support in education’ (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 55/2013, 101/2017, 27/2018 – other law, 6/2020, 52/2021, 129/2021, 129/2021 – other law, 92/2023 and 19/2025), states that schools will remove physical and communication barriers and adopt individual education plans for learners who need additional support in education.

It also states that school directors, teachers, professional associates, tutors, pedagogical assistants (assistants who provide support to Roma learners and families), andragogical assistants (assistants who provide support to learners who are over compulsory school age, i.e. over 16 years old) and parents or guardians may obtain special professional assistance to implement inclusive education. Schools must co-operate with local self-government bodies, as well as other organisations and institutions at local level and beyond, to obtain special assistance. (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 55/2013, 101/2017, 27/2018 – other law, 6/2020, 52/2021, 129/2021, 129/2021 – other law, 92/2023 and 19/2025).

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System ensures that all people with disabilities have access to inclusive and quality primary, secondary and tertiary education and that reasonable accommodation, in accordance with established individual education plans, is provided in mainstream education. It also states that pre-primary institutions must eliminate physical and communication barriers and, if required, draft, adopt and implement an individual education plan for children who, due to social deprivation, developmental impairments or other reasons, require additional support in education.

Inclusive education is supported by a range of specific national laws, including the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination (22/2009 and 52/2021), Law on Prevention of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (2016), Law on the Use of Sign Language(2015), Law on Pre-school Education (55/2013, 101/2017, 10/2019, 27/2018, 129/2021, 92/2023 and 19/2025), Law on the Foundations of Education System (88/2017, 27/2018, 10/2019, 27/2018 , 6/2020, 129/2021, 92/2023 and 19/2025) Law on Secondary Education (55/2013, 101/2017, 27/2018 – other law, 6/2020, 52/2021, 129/2021, 129/2021 – other law, 92/2023 and 19/2025) and Law on Textbooks (2023).

According to the Law on the Foundations of the Education System, schools disabled learners and schools with learners with disabilities may provide additional support in educating learners with developmental disabilities in the educational group, or to other schools and families. This recognises that employees in schools for learners with developmental disabilities are possible sources of additional support for families, educators, teachers and professional associates of learners with disabilities, as well as to the institutions as a whole.

Educational reforms in Serbia that focused on de-institutionalisation and inclusion of the increasing number of learners requiring additional support also impacted on schools for learners with developmental disabilities and special needs. The overall number of learners in special schools has dropped and these schools have enrolled learners with more serious or multiple impairments who have been outside the system. The unjustified enrolment of a large number of Roma learners to these institutions has also been partly reduced. Additionally, special classes in mainstream schools have kept their traditional form, despite the fact that legal solutions have been heading towards a different practice.

The revised Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma 2022-2030 aims to strengthen education for all minority groups, particularly Roma. The strategy aims to improve the quality of life of Roma people by respecting human and minority rights, eliminating discrimination and anti-gypsyism, and ensuring greater social inclusion across all areas of society. It covers key sectors such as education, employment, healthcare, housing and social protection. It was developed through a participatory process involving institutions, civil society and the Roma community, with implementation overseen by the Co-ordination Body for Roma Inclusion and supported by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.

The education system in Serbia is multi-layered. The Ministry of Education develops policy, legal frameworks and teacher professional development alongside two institutions (Institute for Education Improvement and Institute for Quality Assessment). The Ministry shares responsibility for the education system with the autonomous provinces, local authorities and the schools themselves. Autonomous provinces co-ordinate education within their territories and local authorities support schools and communities. Schools implement inclusive education through individual education plans, support teams and pedagogical and personal assistants.

Special schools provide education at pre-primary, primary and secondary levels. Inclusive education allows the integration of learners with special needs into mainstream classes with additional support and teacher development. Reforms enhance education quality, digital competencies and access to early childhood education, especially for marginalised groups.

Special schools provide education at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels. Some provide all three levels of education, some only primary and/or secondary education. All three levels of education are provided in general, but not all three are available for learners with special needs. Special education is provided within developmental groups in kindergartens and special schools.

The existing system provides:

• schools for learners with the same types of special needs; 
• classes for learners with special needs in mainstream schools; 
• mainstream school classes together with other learners.

The inclusive education framework includes a multi-layered system for learners with special educational needs and inclusive education. There are inter-sectoral committees, individual education plans and teams for additional learner support, school inclusive education teams, pedagogical and personal assistants, resource centres, educational advisors, and external advisors for inclusive education (Law on the Foundations of the Education System – Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 88/17, 27/2018 – other laws, 10/19, 6/20, and 129/21, 92/2023 and 19/2025).

A Ministry initiative involved more parents in the education system and increased collaboration with teachers. Article 121 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System envisages the establishment of Municipal Councils of Parents. The aim is to increase the activity level and quality of parents’ participation in decision-making in educational institutions and municipalities, to benefit all learners.

Every school in Serbia is obliged to develop a school programme, annual school working plan and school development programme.

We Learn Together initiative.

The Sector for Prevention and Protection from Violence and Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in Education carries out systemic preventive and educational activities, activities to preserve emotional and psychological health, and activities to prevent protection from violence and discrimination.

It carries out work related to the inclusion of learners with disabilities and learners from socially vulnerable groups (learners from socially deprived environments, learners with refugee status and others). The Sector participates in the adoption of laws and regulations and co-ordinates development strategies and implementation of other activities in these areas. These contribute to the creation of policies and the promotion of inclusive and fair education, with special tasks related to activities to prevent and protect from violence and discrimination.

The Sector’s internal units are the Department for the Improvement of Preventive and Educational Programmes, Inclusion and Implementation of the Rights of Particularly Vulnerable Groups in Education: Group for Inclusive Education and Group for Preventive Work and Protection from Violence and Discrimination.

The Sector collaborates with other bodies, such as:

• Institute for the Improvement of Education for curriculum development and teacher training;
• Institute for Education Quality Assessment for national and international testing, setting standards, and data collection and analysis;
• National Education Council.

The Inter-sectoral Commission is a working body formed by the local self-government unit responsible for social activities and in accordance with the law regulating the basics of the education system. The commission has four permanent and one temporary member. The permanent members of the Commission and their deputies are appointed for four years by the competent authority of the local self-government unit, municipality, city or city municipality. The President of the Commission is elected by the permanent members of the Commission from among themselves.

The permanent members of the Commission are representatives of the health care system (a paediatrician), the educational system (professional associate psychologist in pre-primary, primary or secondary school), the social protection system (professional worker in social protection affairs) and an appropriate specialist. Permanent members of the Commission have at least three years of professional experience (Rule on Additional educational, health and social support for children, students and adults – Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 80/2018).

Active learner participation in education (Article 8 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System) aims to develop a comprehensive set of learner competencies, including: 

• self-confidence and self-awareness – fostering the ability to engage in self-assessment, take initiative and express personal opinions and viewpoints across various educational and social contexts;
• creative and critical thinking skills – promoting creative thinking, analytical and critical skills, as well as intrinsic motivation for lifelong learning and personal development;
• social and interpersonal skills – developing competencies for teamwork, constructive collaboration, solidarity, mutual understanding and cultivating friendships;
• decision-making and personal development planning – enabling learners to make informed choices regarding further education and career paths, and to strategically plan their personal and professional growth;
• ethical and human values – strengthening awareness of positive human values, respect for children’s rights, universal human rights and civic freedoms;
• democratic competencies – fostering the ability to actively and responsibly participate in a democratically organised and just society;
• respect for diversity and equality – cultivating competencies to understand and respect racial, national, cultural, linguistic, religious, gender and age equality, while promoting tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

The Framework of Standards for Career Guidance and Counselling Services further emphasises the importance of encouraging and empowering learners to take responsibility for their own professional and personal development, supporting the concept of learners as proactive agents in their educational and life trajectories.

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System clearly emphasises the role of parents in the quality of education, the right to education, enrolling children in education, and preventing discrimination and violence, and their active role in parents’ bodies such as the Council of Parents and Municipal Council of Parents.

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System recognises the importance of parents’ involvement in evaluating of education quality.

Every school website has a page with information on parents’ bodies (Council of Parents and Municipal Council of Parents).

Parents’ organisations are involved in some of the working groups for policy-making.

In accordance with Article 7 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System and the principles of inclusive education, schools are required to co-operate and develop on-going communication with the local community, including learners, families, local organisations, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders. Ministry of Education reports and guidelines emphasise the importance of involving all interested parties in planning and implementing educational activities, providing additional support to learners, and improving education quality at local level.

According to the Rulebook on Criteria and Financing Standards for Institutions that have the Activity of Basic Education and Care (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 72/09, 52/11, 55/13, 35/15 (authentic interpretation), 68/15, 62/16 and 19/23), Articles 2–7, schools receive funding from the government and local self-government budgets for salaries, employee benefits and material costs. The sum is set at the beginning of each school year and can be adjusted if necessary. The amount schools receive is determined by factors such as the number of employees and the hours they work, the school’s size and the number of learners.

Schools have at least sixteen classes from first to eighth grade, and adult education schools have at least eight classes. Exceptions can be made with ministry consent in certain areas. The number of employees is based on the total teaching hours, the number of classes or groups, and the number of teaching weeks.

Pre-primary educational groups are for 26 children, including up to two children with disabilities. The number of children is reduced by three for each child with disabilities. Class sizes vary depending on the total number of learners.

School leaders have some flexibility in using the allocated funding. The Law on Fundamentals of the Education System (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025) stipulates that schools can found learner co-operatives, which give learners additional opportunities for extracurricular activities and for entrepreneurship and acquiring additional funds for the school, which the school can use flexibly.

Local authorities co-ordinate, implement and finance various measures related to inclusive education, such as providing resources to inter-sectoral commissions, which diagnose and track learners and recommending the most suitable type of schooling and measures to provide them with quality education. The local government unit compensates inter-sectoral commission members’ work, provides technical and other support, provides funding for support recommended by the commission and collects reports on the commission’s work. The local government unit also provides resources for vulnerable learners to ensure their full participation in educational activities and social inclusion.

Local governments also provide social protection to citizens, funding and local social benefits (one-time financial assistance and assistance in-kind) and community social services. Some forms of social assistance, like child allowance, are financed from the state budget and administered from the local level. 

Measures and mechanisms for inclusive education are defined in numerous laws and bylaws from different sectors. The social protection sector defines the rights and grounds for financing transportation, learners’ meals, lump sum benefits and community welfare services.

Serbia’s Monitoring Framework for Inclusive Education is a collaborative initiative of the Ministry of Education, the Sector for Prevention, Protection from Violence and Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups in Education, UNICEF, the Open Society Foundations, and the Institute for Psychology. The framework operates at national, municipal and school levels. It establishes specific indicators and expected values for monitoring and evaluation, accompanied by methodological guidelines for tool development.

The framework encompasses three domains of monitoring and evaluation: characteristics of the educational process, school ethos and support for educational inclusiveness. It provides a common language and standardised information on the state of inclusive education and municipal-level reporting.

The framework complements external school evaluation and school self-evaluation. It incorporates indicators on the inclusion of learners from vulnerable groups, the development, implementation and monitoring of individual education plans, and teaching practices and collaboration among diverse stakeholders in inclusive education.

Updates to the Monitoring Framework for Inclusive Education in 2023 were implemented in 20 local self-governments to enhance the effectiveness of the monitoring system and adapt it to current educational needs and contextual realities. The National Report on Inclusive Education for 2022–2024 provides comprehensive insights into progress and challenges in inclusive education, highlighting on-going efforts to strengthen equitable access and the quality of learning opportunities for all learners.

The alignment of national standards, municipal reports and school-level assessments within the framework is a key mechanism for developing evidence-based policies, evaluating inclusive education practices and strategic planning to effectively address the educational needs of vulnerable and marginalised learners in Serbia.

Self-evaluation

Self-evaluation strengthens institutions and promotes quality improvement by giving teachers a very active role. It assesses a teacher’s or school’s own practice by defining objectives and priorities and monitoring the achievement of these objectives using appropriate tools. Self-evaluation and the development plan provide information about institutions, their work, and the achievement of defined goals (Rulebook on the Evaluation of the Quality of Work of Educational Institutions, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 14/2018 and 1/2024).

External evaluation

The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation is a government body which aims to evaluate education and make recommendations for providing a quality education system. The Institute defines standards in education and evaluates education and training participants in the education system.

The Institute for Improvement of Education was established to monitor, ensure and improve the quality and development of the educational system. It performs development, advisory, research and other expert activities in pre-school, primary and secondary education.

Evaluating schools’ work is based on a quality framework that covers all aspects of school life and work (Rulebook on Standards of the Quality of Work of Educational Institutions, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 7/11, 14/2018, 1/2024). The quality framework includes 30 standards and 158 indicators across seven key areas of school work: school programme and annual work plan; teaching and learning; learner achievements; learner support; organisation of work; management; and resources.

The external evaluation process consists of an assessment by an External Evaluation Team, made up of external, independent observers from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and, if necessary, representatives of the Institute for Evaluating the Quality of Education (Rulebook on Evaluation of the Quality of Work of Establishments, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 14/2018, 1/2024). It is based on information collected through observations and direct communication with stakeholders regarding life and work in schools, in accordance with evaluation criteria and established standards.

External evaluation of institutions provides feedback on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. It helps schools to reassess their functioning and direct them towards fields of action. National-level reports on final exam results contain relevant data that can be used to analyse the work of schools.

After an evaluation, the External Evaluation Team drafts a report and meets the school’s head teacher. They discuss areas of high-quality work and areas that need improvement, and ways to make the improvements (Rulebook on the Evaluation of the Quality of Work of Educational Institutions, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 14/2018 and 1/2024).

Article 43 of the Law on the Foundations of the Education System describes the role of the Institute for the Assessment of the Quality of Education. The Institute contains a Centre for Quality Assurance of the Work of Institutions, which develops educational quality standards and participates in external evaluations. It also develops self-evaluation and external evaluation tools and training programmes and prepares publications on external evaluations, self-evaluations and promoting the school quality.

The Ministry of Education uses JISP as a central database for education data. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (RZS) retrieves data from the JISP database for primary and secondary education.

JISP data includes: the number of learners, grade ranges, class sizes, teaching in minority languages, special schools and adult education, among others. Open Data and eGovernment also gather data on numbers of learners and class sizes.

In 2024/2025, the Institute for the Improvement of Education set up a web platform on resource centres and assistive technologies. It contains data on the quantities of available assistive technologies and information on the work of 13 resource centres in Serbia.

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System (Article 176) envisages the implementation of a unique educational identification number that will accompany learners through all levels of formal education. The number is assigned when a learner first enrols in an educational establishment.

The school educational chart is a structured list of data, produced by schools, that contains indicators on school life and work. The chart: 

• monitors learners’ achievements in schools in accordance with previously defined national standards; 
• informs the public about the school’s characteristics and its progress in selected areas of development; 
• provides information to enable decision-makers to improve the performance of individual schools, as well as the educational policy as a whole (Law on the Foundations of the Education System, Article 177).

The chart promotes a culture of measurement, emphasises progress and development and focuses on the results of the educational process. It increases the responsibility of all participants in the educational process and involves the public (for example, informing parents, learners, the local community and the broader public of a school’s condition and achievements).

European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education data tables

Since 2015, there have been significant reforms in initial teacher education in higher education institutions. These reforms are grounded in several key legislative acts:

• Strategy for the Development of Education in Serbia by 2030 (SDES 2030) (adopted in June 2021), which outlines comprehensive goals for the education sector;
• Action Plan for SDES 2030 (2023–2026) (finalised in October 2023), which operationalises the strategic goals with specific measures and activities;
• Law on the Foundations of the Education System, which underpins the legal framework for inclusive education and professional development.

The Institute for the Improvement of Education, established in 2004, has a significant role in teacher professional development and research. The National Education Portal contains online training courses and a catalogue of professional development training.

Initial teacher education

Induction programmes for teachers last from one to two years, during which time teachers work as trainees. Trainee teachers have a mentor who supervises their work and provides support. Mentors are licensed teachers with at least five years of professional experience or external consultants (education specialists).

Continuing professional development (CPD)

Teachers are expected to maintain a personal CPD plan (portfolio) based on self-evaluation of their competencies. Since 2012, the school CPD plan, developed by the school management board, has been an integral part of the school development plan and annual plan.

The Rulebook on Continuing Professional Education and Career Advancement for Teachers and Professional Counsellors (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 109/2021) stipulates that professional development for staff in educational institutions is planned according to the needs and priorities of education and teaching, as well as priority areas determined by the minister responsible for education. Article 3 specifies that institutions must plan the needs and priorities of professional development based on individual staff CPD plans, the school’s development plan, results of self-evaluation and institutional quality assessment, reports on the achievement of educational standards, and other indicators of educational and teaching quality.

The Ministry of Education prescribes CPD priority topics every three years, as well as the forms and procedures for CPD implementation, conditions for CPD-based promotion and other regulations. For 2023–2025, the Ministry has identified nine CPD priority topics. These include improving teachers’ and professional associates’ competencies, enhancing access to education and support for learners from vulnerable groups, reducing school drop-out rates, and expanding the network of educational assistants and improving their competencies.

Teachers’ professional development and career progression

The Strategy for Education and Upbringing in the Republic of Serbia until 2030 (SROVRS 2030) supports the objectives outlined in previous policy documents regarding teacher professional development. In addition to on-going CPD, the strategy emphasises the importance of:

• teachers’ pedagogical, psychological and methodological training, ensuring they are equipped to effectively respond to diverse learner needs;
• comprehensive teacher career development, covering all stages from induction, acquisition, renewal and potential loss of licences, to assessment systems, monitoring, training, rewards, professionalisation, and enhancing the status and reputation of the teaching profession.

Professional development in Serbia’s education sector is being strengthened through:

• the introduction of the ‘Framework of Digital Competences – Teacher for the Digital Age’, which supports teachers to develop skills for modern educational environments;
• continuous professional development: teachers are encouraged and incentivised to pursue on-going professional development, including in inclusive education;
• international collaboration: programmes like Erasmus+ are facilitating exchanges and collaboration, enhancing educators’ professional growth.

Teacher roles and special education

The Rulebook on Continuing Professional Development and Career Advancement for Teachers, Educators, and Professional Associates (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 109/2021) states that special education and professional development for teachers includes: 

• continuous improvement of competencies;
• mentoring of trainee teachers;
• co-ordination of teams showcasing good practices and innovations;
• monitoring the development of teacher competencies in relation to learner achievements;
• planning various forms of professional development within institutions. 

This framework ensures quality educational work and teacher professional development in accordance with contemporary educational needs.

Teacher roles also include:

- developing learners’ key competencies that prepare them for life and work and provide a foundation for further learning;

- providing additional support to learners from vulnerable backgrounds, gifted learners and learners with disabilities to help them achieve their educational potential according to their individual abilities.

These guidelines support the improvement of teacher professional development practices through initial education, induction, licensing, continuing professional development, career advancement, monitoring and evaluation of teachers’ work and defining national priorities.

Special teacher education

The Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation and the Faculty of Medicine offer five-year programmes for training special education teachers, including courses relevant for teaching and working with learners with special educational needs.

Expert associate

Expert associates: 

• promote the educational work in the institution; 
• monitor, encourage and support learners’ overall physical, intellectual, emotional and social development and propose measures to add to learners’ development and well-being;
• provide professional support to pre-school and school teachers and principals. (Law on the Foundation of Education 2025, Article 138, The tasks of expert associates, p. 53–54) 

Article 138 of the Law on the Foundation of Education defines expert associates’ role within the education system, including providing guidance and support to pre-school educators, teachers and principals, thereby contributing to the improvement of educational work and the implementation of educational standards.

Pedagogical advisers

Pedagogical advisers provide professional assistance to colleagues who, after self-evaluation or external evaluation, have concerns or dilemmas in work, or when learners do not progress to their potential and have low levels of achievement. They also actively participate in preparing the school curriculum, individual education plans, programmes for protection against violence, abuse and neglect, etc., and participate in the school’s development plan, annual work plan and professional development plan.

They help to analyse self-evaluation results and propose measures to improve the performance of the institution and monitor learners’ progress. They also participate in developing the professional competences of teachers, educators and professional associates in the institution.

Several by-laws regulate school leadership:

• Rulebook on standards of competences for leaders of educational institutions (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 38/2013)
• Rulebook on the Training Programme and Examination for the Licence for the Principal of an educational and upbringing institution (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 77/24).

School leadership is also regulated by the Law on the Foundations of the Education System, under article 114:

The institution shall have management, governance, expert and advisory bodies in accordance with this Law, the founding act and the general act.

School leaders’ professional competencies

The Rulebook on the Training Programme and the Examination for the Licence for the Principal of the Institution of Education (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 77/24) includes standards of competence for school leaders. These include: 

• providing a quality context for learning;
• monitoring achievement and encouraging learner development; 
• developing an inclusive policy, culture and practice in the institution. 

School leaders must form individual teams for inclusive education, protection against discrimination, violence, abuse and neglect, and self-evaluation. (Law on the Foundations of the Education System, 2025, Professional bodies, teams and pedagogical committees in an education institution, Article 130).

A general act regulates the composition and appointment of management bodies and professional bodies in private institutions. Private institutions must ensure parents are represented in the management body. The Law on the Foundations of the Education System (2025), Article 116 defines these bodies. Article 126 defines the head teacher’s jurisdiction and responsibilities.

The school leader’s scope of work can be divided into two key categories:

• Managing the administrative and technical functioning of the school (administrative tasks related to monitoring and enforcing laws and regulations, personnel issues, health care protection, administrative work with learners, financial and maintenance activities).
• Professional and pedagogical activities (planning, programming, organising and introducing innovations, monitoring and improving teaching, working with learners with special needs, professional orientation, professional development, etc.)

On-going support for school leaders

The Rulebook requires school leaders to undertake training to achieve the standards and competences envisaged by law. School leaders must take an exam to obtain a licence.

Every local self-government has an informal group of school leaders, which meets regularly to discuss important topics. Meetings are frequently called by regional school authorities.

Official decision of SEN

For learners who need additional educational support due to social deprivation, developmental difficulties, disabilities, learning difficulties, risk of drop out, or other reasons, institutions undertake measures to adjust the schooling conditions. This could be by removing physical or communicational barriers, adapting the educational programme and methods, or preparing an individual education plan (IEP). The process includes continuous assessment and monitoring, and involves the learner’s parents, (pre-)school members and external professionals.

School psychologists or pedagogues (expert associates of the learner’s school) assess and evaluate the learner’s abilities and competences and identify potential special educational needs. This assessment is not a pre-condition for school enrolment but a follow-up to school enrolment: after parents choose a school for their child, the school must accept enrolment if the family lives in its area.

Pedagogues work to identify and eliminate pedagogical causes of learning/behavioural difficulties and collaborate with pedagogical and personal assistants in the process. Psychologists provide support for learners with an IEP and those from vulnerable groups, identify and support gifted learners, and collaborate with parents to ensure educational support for learners.

Special schools/classes

Enrolment into special schools or classes requires the opinion of an intersectoral commission formed by the local self-government units (which include experts from the health care, social welfare and education systems) and consent from parents (and/or legal guardians).

Special units/other forms of specialist provision

Inclusion of learners with developmental disabilities into special developmental groups requires the opinion of an intersectoral commission and parents’ consent.

Education of learners in prolonged hospital care is provided at the request of parents, with supporting medical records.

Two main mechanisms that change the paradigm of education of learners from vulnerable social groups are the availability of mainstream schools to all learners with IEPs and the establishment of inter-sectoral commissions to evaluate additional social, health and educational support for learners (replacing the categorisation commissions).

Resource centres provide direct support to learners and schools, and develop the competencies of teachers and professional staff working with learners with special educational needs. There are 13 resource centres in Serbia.

Model schools integrate resources and professional support within schools, enabling learners with additional needs to access quality education in the mainstream system. There are four model schools in Serbia.

Support measures that learners may acquire based on the educational regulations include:

• affirmative measures of enrolment into pre-school institutions;
• primary education for each learner in the nearest school, i.e. right of parents to select a school that their child will attend, regardless of the type (source) or level of need for additional support;
• affirmative measures of enrolment into secondary schools and higher education institutions;
• the right to an individual education plan at all levels of pre-university education;
• free transport to school during the compulsory preparatory pre-school programme and compulsory primary education, including free transport for learners with developmental disabilities and their carer;

Learners from vulnerable social groups can also receive:

• pedagogical assistants;
• free textbooks and/or abridged textbooks required during the compulsory education;
• education in a special education group (developmental groups in pre-school institutions) or in schools or classes for learners with developmental disabilities and special needs;
• adjustment of enrolment exam, final exam and Matura exam;

Schools for learners with disabilities support mainstream schools with specialist staff.

The National Curriculum contains detailed instructions for each school subject, as well as recommended teaching methods. A separate curriculum for each grade includes the list of compulsory, elective and optional subjects.

In 2015, a new curriculum policy introduced individual education plans (IEPs) and teams for additional learner support. (Rulebook on Requirements for Determining the Right to an Individual Education Plan, its Implementation and Evaluation: Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 74/18).

IEPs adopted by the school team (which includes parents, teachers, school psychologists and/or pedagogues) develop curricula for individuals with learning difficulties. To adopt IEPs, parents’ consent and the opinion of the intersectoral commission are required.

IEPs allow adjustments to the curriculum, either entire or partial (one subject or several subjects), to suit the learner’s needs. If required, standards of achievement and learning outcomes can change in line with a learner’s capacities. Adopting IEPs continues to be a cornerstone of inclusive education.

The Rulebook on Detailed Guidelines for Establishing the Right to an Individual Education Plan, its Implementation and Evaluation (2018) regulates the implementation and evaluation of IEPs in pre-school, primary and secondary education.

In 2023, the curriculum was refined to include more indicators that capture local-level implementation, recognising that local data is crucial for monitoring and improving educational practices. This refinement aims to enhance the responsiveness of the curriculum to the diverse needs of learners.

The Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Serbia until 2030 (SDES 2030) and the Action Plan for 2023–2026 aim to ensure that reforms are inclusive and participatory.

Inclusive school development and capacity building involves developing specialist provision to support all learners and increasing the capacity of mainstream schools. This includes cross-sectoral collaboration with health, social and community services, as well as continuous professional development for all staff.

School inclusive education teams play a key role in identifying learners from vulnerable social groups, developing and implementing individual education plans and co-ordinating additional learner support programmes. They monitor learners’ progress, provide guidance and training for teachers and ensure the implementation of inclusive policies at the school and pre-primary level.

Capacity building includes horizontal learning and support provided by experts from resource centres and model institutions. Specialist provision may include targeted learning programmes and support from specialists such as speech therapists, psychologists or social workers.

Within the Catalogue of Continuing Professional Development Programs for Teachers, Educators, and Specialist Associates (from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025) there are 56 programmes in the area of ‘Children/learners requiring additional support in education’, and the number of trainings is increasing.

The inclusive school environment ensures that all learners, regardless of their abilities or social background, have equal opportunities for learning and development. Key elements include adapted teaching methods, additional support for learners with special educational needs and active collaboration among teachers, specialist staff and parents.

The Law on the Foundations of the Education System (Article 130) provides for inclusive education teams and professional bodies to support learners.

The Strategy for the Development of Education until 2030 (SDES 2030) emphasises the development of learners’ social skills and empathy, including peer support.

The Action Plan 2023–2026 includes specific training and programmes on inclusion and violence prevention for teachers and learners.

Teams for violence prevention and peer education provide support to learners and raise awareness about inclusion.

Since 2003, early childhood education and care (ECEC) (in the sense of integrated care and education of children from six months to the beginning of primary education) has been an integral part of the first phase of the education system. The integrated or unified ECEC system, the backbone of which is pre-school institutions, offers multi-purpose, integrated services for young children and families. Each ECEC institution provides education, care, nutrition, and social and preventive health care for children.

The ‘Call for Action for Support to Early Childhood Development’ strategy aims to initiate co-ordinated and comprehensive action to invest in children from the prenatal period to school entry. The strategy for supporting families experiencing disadvantage includes financial assistance and subsidies for attending early childhood education, psycho-social support through counselling and workshops, and easier access to pre-schools via transportation and flexible hours. It also involves individualised programmes for children with special needs and collaboration with the local community to ensure inclusion and equal opportunities for all young children.

The coverage of children in pre-school education is continuously increasing (69.9% in 2022/2023). The coverage of children from 6 months to 3 years and children aged 3 years up to the start of the compulsory pre-school programme increased by 4 percentage points each year between 2020 and 2023. (Source: National Report of Inclusive Education in Serbia for 2022–2024, p. 12).

To ensure education quality, special attention is given to: 

• supporting learners’ transitions to the next education level and ensuring continuity in education; 
• the democratic nature of participation in the education system in creating and implementing educational policies, respecting needs and rights, obligations and responsibilities; 
• career guidance and counselling for employees, learners and adults, directed towards the individual’s personal development and educational and professional advancement (Law on the Foundations of the Education System, Article 7).