62,500 Serbian Kids Start First Grade Tomorrow

Is your child stepping into a classroom for the first time tomorrow? Classes in Serbia’s elementary and high schools begin on Tuesday, September 1, and about 62,500 children are entering first grade.

The figure was announced by Education Minister Dejan Vuk Stankovic during an appearance on K1 Television. Kurir’s report from August 31 rounds the number to “over 60,000” first graders, so if you come across both figures, they refer to the same generation, one is precise and the other rounded. Stankovic said the number doesn’t signal a jump in births, but confirms the demographic decline is still being felt.

“The birth rate is rising, but it’s not yet the jump we need,” the minister said.

When Are School Breaks and When Does the Year End?

For elementary students, the first semester runs through December 30, and the second begins on January 18, 2027. For students in grades one through seven, the school year ends on June 11, 2027. There are five breaks scheduled during the year, so if you’re building a family calendar, these are the dates to write down first.

Who Qualifies for Free Textbooks?

The Ministry of Education has secured 919,156 textbook units for about 96,000 elementary students, at a cost of 1,020,954,000 dinars. Distribution to schools began on August 20, and schools have been handing books to students since September 1. Textbooks are arriving in Serbian and in eight national minority languages.

Free textbooks go to:

• children from families receiving cash social assistance
• students with developmental disabilities who follow an individual education plan
• children from families with three or more children in the education system
• students who need large print, Braille, or an electronic format

If you think your child falls into one of these categories and the books haven’t reached their desk yet, the first person to ask is the homeroom teacher, since schools are the ones handling distribution.

The First Day in Traffic: What Parents Should Do

Serbia’s Traffic Safety Agency today urged drivers to be more careful, since far more children will be out on the streets starting tomorrow. The agency reminded drivers that the speed limit in school zones is 30 kilometers per hour within town limits and 50 kilometers per hour outside them, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

“Our appeal to parents driving their children to school is to always use a car seat, no matter how short or long the ride,” said Mirko Kokovic, deputy director of the Traffic Safety Agency.

Here’s a practical guide for the first morning, in points that actually matter:

• park so your child doesn’t have to run across the street when getting out of the car
• always drive your child in a car seat, no matter how short the trip
• pick a backpack and jacket with reflective material so your child stands out
• teach your child to look left, right, then left again before crossing, and to wait for eye contact with the driver
• don’t park illegally near the school, since it cuts your child’s visibility

As a driver, keep in mind what isn’t in the briefing for parents: children aren’t only near the school entrance. Kokovic’s point is worth remembering, school zones aren’t the only place you’ll run into students starting tomorrow, so staying alert pays off on the whole route to work, not just on the street with the 30 kilometer per hour sign.

The minister also mentioned that high schools are changing, with about 40 new educational profiles introduced over the past two years, and the mechatronics technician program is already fully enrolled. For parents of first graders, that’s a distant story for now, tomorrow all they need is a packed backpack, a signed exercise book, and a calm walk across the first crosswalk.