According to the proposed amendments to the Elementary Education Law, pupils will be learning English from the 1st grade as a mandatory subject, while the second foreign language will be mandatory as of the 6th grade, Dnevne Novine writes.
So far, the second foreign language has been mandatory as of 7th grade, whereas it has been optional in the 6th grade.
In addition, the amendments stipulate 10% reduce in the overall number of classes and reducing teachers’ working hours by two classes a week.
The maximum number of students per class will be reduced from 30 to 28. The current law stipulates maximum of 30 students per class, which can exceptionally be increased up to 33 students.
The amendments are aimed at improving quality of education. Implementation of the new provisions should start in 2017/2018 school year.
The public hearing in the latest amendments to the law starts as of 10 May.
