Montenegro, a country in the Balkans, has experienced immense economic growth in recent years. The newly independent nation joined the U.N. in 2006, and various efforts to advance education in Montenegro have been made since then.

1. In 2001, Montenegro passed the Book of Changes of the Education System of Montenegro, which promised improved education access and greater education quality. The reform prioritized educational equality as well.
2. Montenegro’s Plan of Action for Children 2004-2010 was developed with the Millennium Development Goals in mind. Its goal was to fight child poverty by improving health and education for children.
3. According to a UNICEF report, the primary school net attendance ratio (NAR) in Montenegro is 98 percent and the regional average is 90 percent. The secondary school NAR is 84 percent, and the regional average is 83 percent. Attendance in preschools is lacking, however, with only 29 percent of three-to-five-year-olds attending primary school. The regional average for preschool attendance is 41 percent.
4. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 made up 9.92 percent of Montenegro’s 2016 population of 644,578. The youth unemployment rate in the same age range sits at 41.1 percent.
5. The literacy rate among young people in Montenegro is high. Of those 15 years old or older, 98.7 percent of the population can read and write. Of men, 99.5 percent are literate and of women, 98 percent are literate.
6. According to a 2012 study by the Montenegro Statistical Office, those between the ages of 25 and 29 hold the highest level of education, and 28 percent of this age group are college-educated.

Improving education in Montenegro continues to be a priority for the country and aid groups. UNICEF priorities include increasing enrollment and attendance rates, raising quality of education and developing an efficient national system to monitor and evaluate education.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr