Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia: Ministry of Education’s Call Reveals Serious Shortcomings
The Ministry of Education’s public call for funding projects in the field of pre-university education, worth 50 million dinars (approx. €425,000), has revealed serious shortcomings and confirmed that the system of support for organizations in this area is deeply unbalanced, the Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia (UNSS) stated.
An analysis conducted by UNSS shows that a significant portion of the funds went to student and university associations, even though the call was formally intended for pre-university education. Of particular concern is that among these beneficiaries there are organizations with well-founded suspicions of operating as so-called GONGO or PONGO associations (organizations closely tied to institutions or individuals), which further undermines the purpose of funding and creates room for misuse.
“Our intention is not to question the work of student organizations that have a long tradition and valuable projects, but to point out that secondary school students, schools, and their associations have been neglected. In a system where funds allocated for pre-university education are redirected to other priorities, the core objective is lost – supporting pre-university education actors across Serbia and those working in pre-university education in general,” UNSS said in its statement.
The analysis also highlighted a strong territorial imbalance: as much as 70% of the total budget (34.7 million dinars, approx. €296,000) ended up in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, while organizations from other parts of Serbia were left marginalized. Equally concerning is the fact that only half of the supported organizations (50.6%) have education as their primary field of work, while many have no public communication channels at all – over 70% do not have an Instagram account, and nearly half do not have a website.
UNSS further emphasized that the call lacked transparency, since the names of the evaluation committee members were not published, nor was there a clear division of projects by education-related thematic areas. “Transparency is key to trust, and in this case, neither schools nor citizens can see who makes the decisions or in which areas the projects contribute to education,” the Union assessed.
UNSS’s Request
As one of the key solutions, the Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia calls for the introduction of a separate public call dedicated exclusively to secondary education and school student organizing, which would clearly distinguish funding intended for university students from that intended for secondary school students. Additionally, UNSS demands an increase in the overall budget allocation for such projects, in line with the growth of the national education budget.
“It is necessary for secondary school students to have their own space and support, and not to remain a side topic in public calls that primarily fund other priorities,” UNSS underlined.
The Union reminded that it had already submitted a set of ten recommendations for improving the public call to the Ministry of Education – including digital application procedures, longer deadlines, and the publication of reports on supported projects – but that these proposals have so far not been taken into account.
“We expect the Ministry of Education to recognize the seriousness of the issue and ensure that future calls truly serve the development of education and provide genuine support to secondary school students across Serbia,” UNSS concluded.
Besides that, UNSS has made you an interactive report regarding the results of this public call from the data analysis we made. You can access the interactive report here
