An €11 million grant from the EU was signed on 22 February for the Montenegro education programme. It will enable 13 schools, from kindergarten to secondary schools, to be modernised  with high-speed internet connections and more energy-efficient buildings.

With a focus on digital education and skills development, the upgraded infrastructure will improve learning conditions for students and the quality of teaching. It will create close to 1,700 new places for pupils and 530 full-time jobs for teachers. New buildings, in particular the construction of a new secondary school in Podgorica, will set new standards for education infrastructure in the country.

With over €64 million to be invested under the Montenegro education programme, the WBIF Bilateral Donors and the European Union are contributing an €11 million grant channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), while the European Investment  Bank (EIB Global) is providing an €18 million loan and a €2.5 million technical assistance grant for project management, procurement and to strengthen the capacities of the local project implementation team.

The grant agreement was signed in Podgorica in the presence of Minister of Education, Science and Innovation Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Montenegro Yngve Engstrom, and EIB Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris, as well as high-level representatives of the EU countries.

“Education is the foundation for development and prosperity, both at an individual and societal level,” said Yngve Engstrom, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Montenegro. “The education sector in Montenegro is in need of attention and faces many challenges. We hope that these investments will improve the conditions for Montenegrin students, teachers and other school personnel, and that they will support the comprehensive reforms needed in the education sector,” he added.

Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, said: “At the beginning of the our mandate, we said that this would be a year of large infrastructure projects. The signing of the contract donating funds for the construction, reconstruction, upgrading, adaptation and equipping of educational institutions marks a significant step towards the improvement of the Montenegrin system, creating better learning conditions in which the youngest generation can thrive.”

Kyriacos Kakouris, EIB Vice-President, who is responsible for operations in Montenegro, said: “As a long-standing partner of the country, we have embraced this opportunity, together with the European Commission, to support Montenegro’s education strategy, reform and infrastructure and intend to expand our fruitful cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation further. Going forward, we hope to jointly contribute to significant skill improvements that respond to labour market demands, with equal opportunities for all people in Montenegro in terms of employability, social integration and lifelong learning.”

This investment package will fast-track the modernisation of public education school infrastructure in the country. It is a flagship investment of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.

A significant milestone in the implementation of Montenegro’s comprehensive plan to renovate pre-university schools was marked on 26 August as the foundation stone was laid for the "Vladimir Nazor" elementary school in Podgorica.