SCHOOLS IN YUGOSLAVIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100125-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 125
• Publication Date: January 3, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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Sociological - Education
Handbook
Belgrade
Oct 1948
REPORT
CD NO.
DATE OF
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
SU GJ ECT
HOW
PUBLISHED
WHERE
PUBLISHED
DATE
PUBLISHED
CC'iNTRY Yugoslavia
CLASSIFICATInnI RESTRICTID
' 3ECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
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SCHOOLS IN YUGOSLAVIA
comment: The followin~y reRort is ore of several taken from In-
formativni prirucnik o Jugo3lavi~i, a kandbook published irregularly
since late 19 by the Yugoslav Directorate for InPormation_]
According to the Law on Elementary Schools of 192y, elementary education
in prewar Yugoslavia was compulsory and free of charge. However, 44.6 percent
of the population was illiterate. In former Vrbas Banovina, 72 percent of the
population was illiterate. Illiteracy among women wee 87 percent in Boania-
Hercegovina in 1931. The percentage of illiterates in Kosovo-Metohi,ja was ap-
proximately 85 percent; while it was 67.5 percent in Macedonia.
Educational policy in prewar Yugoslavia was such that entire nationalities
did not have a single school is their native language. Macedonia did not have
a single Macedonian-language school. In addition, the dictatorship of 6 Janu-
ary 1929 started to close the schools iu Macedonia. Eastern Macedonia, with s
population of about 400,000, was left without a single Gymnasium which offered
a complete course. There rr.:e not a single school with teaching conducted in
Turkish or Albanian. It was mainly only the Germans and Hungarians who were
allowed to 1-sve their national schools.
T'he Ministry of Education of prewar Yugoslavia spent 966,858,638 dinars
for schools and science in 1939 - 1940, while postwar. Yugoslavia appropriated
2,031,472,861 dinars for 1946.
In 1937 - 1938, there was one school per 29.75 square kilometers: Schools
were very unevenly distributed, some areas being without a single Gymnasium,
while others had too many. The '.aw of 1932 introduced tuition for the univer-
sity /Belgradel]. Since the fee was high, many poor students were not able to
begin. their studies; while ethers had to discontinue studies they Y,ad begun.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Informativni prirucnik o JugoslaviJi, Eook 1, 1948.
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100125-0
riata oP the Central Press Bureau in the Council of Ministers of prewar
:oslavia shows that there were many cases in which schools did not get even
,?ercent of the money appropriated for them.
in Yugoslavia in 1938 - 1939, there were 10,903 elementary, secondary,
and advanced schools with an attendance of 1,739,907. The Germane and Italians
deetro,yed.or damaged a large number oP schools during the xar. In the liberated
part of Croatia in 1943, according to incomplete data, there were 221 elemen-
taryschools with 10,580 pupils.
In 1946 - 1947. there were 12,447 elementary, aeconaary, and advanced
schools with an attendance oP x,858,112; in 1947 - 1948 there were 14,403
schools with an attendance of 2,109,892.
The Ministry oP Education of Serbia appropriated 59,769,000 dinars in
Tuly 1946 for the renovation and construction oP school bulldittgs. The budget
of the Ministry aP Ed~ication of Serbia Por 1947 was 717,918,590 dinars, almost
as mach ae the budget of the federal Ministry of Education Por all of Yugo-
slavia 1A 1936 - 1937?
From the liberation to 1947 Serbia ap_nt 205,979,112 dittara on schools.
Voluntary contributions from the people in cash, materials, and manpower
nmaunted to an additional 1^e7,701,313 dinars. During this period 428 elemen-
tary echoola, 21 pre-Gymnasium schools, six Gymnasiums, and one teachers'
school with s total of 1,075 school rooms to accommodate 53,750 students acre
constructed. The construction of 301 elementary schools, 76 lower Gymnasiums,
eight higher GymnasiumQ and two pedagogi.a.cchoola was planned for 1940.
The other republics in Yugoslavia also msde great efforts to restore and
construct echoola. In 1945, the Ministry of Sducatiou of Croatia, in addition
to a regular allotment for school maintainance of 155,323,600 dinars, approved
an additional allotment of 25 million dinars for the repsir of damaged elemen-
tary school buildings.
In 1836 -.1937, in Macedonia fliers were 846 elementary :schools attended
by 95>335 pupils. During 1944 - 1945, there were 889 elementary schools at-
tended :y 92,231 pupils; in 1945 - 1946, there were 1,102 elementary schools
with 113,271 pupils, or 30 percent more than there xere before the war. Twenty-
five percent of biacedonia's entire budget for 1946 uas allotted Por education,
while an additional 82,000,000 dinars were allotted from the Fund Por the Re-
habilitation oP the Countzy. In 1946, 281 school buildings were constructed
with 94,794,000 dinars being spotted for this purpose and with the people con-
tributing voluntary labor.
In 1947, in Montenec_,rb,there were 147 elementary school buildings with
270 school rooms were renovated, producing 17,947 square me'.e_s of apace. The
constn:etion of new snc~ola produced. an additional 30 school rooms with 10,)!.6
square meters of sFace.
The number of elementary schools and pupils attending them has increased
since the liberation n; folloxs;
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1944 - 1945
1945 - 1946 1946 - 1947 1947 - 1948
Se: >> is
3, 552
3,724-
4,086 4,343
Croatia
2,849
3,143
3,131 3,379
Slovenia
714
Fs3o
8111 1,189
Bosnia-Hercegovina
646
930
930 1,320
Macedonia
889
1,102
1 14-
, 3 1,208
Montenegro
572
5~3
596 613
Total
9,222
10,362
10 4
,7 7 12
052
There were 2,754 higher elementary schools
,
in Yugoslavia in 1947 _ 1948.
The Law or. Rational Schools of 1929 stipulator? that compu?.aory elementary
schooling was to last 8 y?ara. According to this law an elementary school wea
was8donertocputlthisdlawsintoieffectto From~1929ntoa1941hnot~ahe~n~ eu8-nothing
school was opened, nor was azy teaching plan or program drawn up for suchear
school.
On 26 October 1945, the Fr~sidency of 61ie Provisional F.ople`s Assembly
of Yugoslavia asst*.ed the Law oa r.?mpuisory 7-Year Education. The law provides
for compulsory education to be~,_s a; the age o? 7 and continue until 15, aad
is being put into effect gradually. ~a'e plan calls fir 60 percent cP the chil-
dren who have completed 4 years oP el.n:enta:y school ;o be enrolled in 7-year
schools in 1950 - 1951. Phere were 306 7-year schools is 1947 - 1948, distribu-
ted as follows: 149 in Croatia, 71 in hfacedonie, 55 in Slovenia, a.nd ~1 in
Montenegro. There were 259 pre-~}ymnaeiuma in Serbia, the teaching plans and
programs of which are almost iden+,ical wi+,h those in tk;e 7_year schools.
There xere 180 lower Gymnasiums in 1947 _ 1948 as follows;
ll in Croatia, 43 in Slovenia 28 1 73 in Serbia,
8 in Montenegro. ~ n Bcsnia-Hercegevina, 17 ir. Macedonia, and
There were 197 higher 3ymnasiums in 1947 - 1948 as follow;: 90 in Serbia,
49 in Croatia, 24 in Slovenia, 17 in Bosnia-Hercegovina, 12 in Macedonia, and
6 in Montenegro.
Ro of Secondary Schools (General Education) and Pupils
(irc.luding 7-year schools, pre-Gymnasiums, and Gymnasiums]
1940 - 1941 1945 - 1946 1946
- 1947 194?
- 1948
Schoola* S*.udents Schools Students S
h
l
c
oo
s 3tudenta Schools Students
Serbia
149
343
422
Croatia
112
154
208
Slovenia
65
62
122
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1y4~: - 1941 1945 - 1946 1946 -1947 1947 - 1948
Schoole* Students 3choola Students Schools Students 3choola Students
Ia 1940 - 1941, there xere 37 teachers' schools attended by 7,486 students.
Because of the great den~aad for teaching personnel nex schools for teachers
xere opened immediately after the liberation.
In 1945 - 1946, there xere 40 teachers' schools with 9,486 students, in
1946 - 1947, there xere 44 teachers' schools ',pith 10,022 students, in 1947 -
1948, there were 53 teachers' schools with 15,145 students, and the plan calls
for 54 teachers' schools to be !n operation by 1951.
The teachers' scY.oole were distributed as fo'loc;s:
? 1945 - 1946 1946 - 1947 1947 - 1948
Serbia
lj
16
Croatia
14
16
'Slovenia
~
2
Bosnia-Hercegovina
4
6
Macedonia
3
3
Montenegro
1
1
Total
40
1,4
TFxHNICAL 1IOCATIONAL] SCHOOLS
In 1938 - 1939, there were 852 lower technical and secondary technical
schools in Yugoslavia. At the beginning of 1946 - 1947, there were Bali such
ochools (including schools for trainees in the economy) distributed as follows:
.109 agricultrral schools with 4,121 students, 11 forestry schools xitY. 496
studenra, 22 mining schools xith 1,322 students, 627 industrial and handicraft
schools with 60,445 students, 24 maritime and transportation scbools with 4,325
students, 78 commercial soho~_a with 11,125 students, and 23 schools for the
I~~iblic health sen?ice with 1,084 students.
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In 1947 - 148, there were 1,139 lower technical and secondary technical
s::nouls (including schools for trainees in the economy) with 104,725 students.
7:.e. r'ive-Year Plan calla for the number of students in the secondary technical
sc"r.:cls to be tripled.
There xere 21 secondary art schools with 3,173 students in 1938 -?1939?
The first year after the liberation, the number had increased to 60 with 8,601
students; by 1947 - 1948 there were 80 secondary art schools w'_th 12,544 stu-
dents.
The following secondary art schools were in session in 1947 - 19489 plas-
tic arts schools with 472 students, 13 applied arts schools with 662 students,
55 music schools with 11,242 students, 5 schools of acting with 170 students,
and one ballet school r-ith 98 students.
In 1947, schools for the general education of blue-collar xorkere xere
established to provide blue-collar.workere, prtuirrily shock xorkere, xith a
general education. These schools provide a 2-year course and are established
in large places, primarily industrial centers. Shock workers, innovators, and
inventors are given priority to enter these schools. The schools have a lower
and higher tours;. The lower course is attended. by blue-collar workers with an
elementary education, and the higher course by blue-collar workers xlth at
least 2 years of secondary school. Students xho successfully complete the
higher course may continue their specialized education in the corresponding
department of a university. In 1947 - 19t+6, there were 88 such srhools with
3,768 students.
Under Articl= 13 oP the fearral Cons~itution all national minorities have
the right to develop their own culture and use their own language.
In 1946 - 1947 achoole for national minorities were as fellows:
Albanian Language
There were 467 elementary achoole with 57,578 Pupils, 15 secondary schools
with 1,683 students, and one teachers' school with 142 students.
Hun~rian Language
There were 208 elementary schools with 34,019 pupils, 29 secondary schools
with 8,777 students, anti two teachers' schools, compare3 with 186 Hungarian-
language schools before the war.
Bulgarian Language
There were 95 elementary schools with 5,268 pupils, 21 secondary schools
with 2,802 students, and one teachers' school.
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C2e~:2;uslovak hanguage
There were 53 elementary schools with 7,195 pupils, six secondary schools
w_ih 1,285 students, and one teachers' school, compared with 43 Czechoslovak-
'_ u.gusge schools before the xar.
Ttal:'.an Language
There were 56 elementary schools with 4,037 pupils, 14 secondary schools
with 90j students, and one teachers' school, compared xith five Italian-lan-
guage schools before the war.
Rumanian Language
There were 37 elementary schools with 3,951 pupils, five secondary schools
with 629 students, and ore teachers' school xith 70 students, compared with j4
Rumanian-language schools before the war.
Turkish Language
There were 70 elementary schools with 7,908 pupils and one secondary
school with 66 students.
Russian Language
There were eight elementary schools with 1,482 pupils and two secondary
schools xith 334 students, compared with three Russian-language schools before
the war.
In 1938 - 1939, there w?re 21 Pa ultiea and eig;yt other schools of higher
learning in Yugoslavia. The faculties consisted of Pour lax, four philosophy,
three medical, three technical, two agricultural and forestry, three theologi-
cal, and txc veterinary. Other schools of higher learning included. two schools
of economics and commerce, two pedagogical schools, txo music academies, and
two plastic arts academies. p total of 16,261 were enrolled in the faculties
and 1,473 in the other schools.
In 1945 - 1946, there were 36 faculties and other schools of higher learn- ~
ing with 25,761 students; in 1946 - 1947, there were 40 with 39,239 students;
and in 1y47 - 1948, there xe:e 49 with 46,423 students. In 1947 - 1948, of the ~
32 faculties, five ware medical with 7,535 students, four agricultural sad
forestry with 3,923 atudenta, four philosophy with 4,286 students, four law
xith 4,581 students, three technical with 10,268 students, three economics
with 7,333 students, three theological with 440 students, Three natural science
and n?,abhematica with 1,976 atudenta, two pharmacy with 1,314 students, and t~:o
veterinary with 1,969 atuden*s. Of the 17 other schools of higher learning,
eight were pedagogical schools with 1,648 students, three plastic arts acad-
emies with 352 atudenta, three music academies with 383 students, one state
institute for physical culture with 173 atudenta, one agricultural school for
mountain farming with 178 students, and one actor's academy with 64 atudenta.
A total oP 43i62s students were enrolled in the faculties, and 2,798 in
the other schools of higher learning.
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AESTRICTID
dosnis-Hercegovina did not have a single faculty or other school of higher
~duc3tion before the xar. Shortly before Germany attacked Yvaoa7a.,ae e_ _ -.
cul: ;are and forestry rA..,,, ~.,..._- _
farming, and a ~^ ~~ '~?"';~ ana law faculties, a school for mountainv
pedagogical schoo_. j ;
I.~
oPhY, medical, and agriculturevand forestry facultieahe xar. It nox has philos-
i
i ~~
Montenegro did not have a single school Por higher education before the
xar. It naW has a pedagogical school.
In 1y38 - 1939, there xere 32,144 teachers in 'tugoslav elementary schools.
Many teachers xere killed during the National Liberation War, 2,787 teachers
xere killed in Croatia alone. Even during the National Liberation struggle the
peoples authority tried to increase the number of teachers. By the time of
the liberation, 1,213 nex teachers had been qualified in Croatia. In 1944 -
1945, there were a total of 450 teachers in Macedonia, which xas increased to
1,456 in 1945 -'1946; ,1,960 in 1946 - 1947, and 2,298 in 1947 _ 1848. Itt 1947 -
1948, 23,9 teachers xere employed in Yugoslavia.
The Ftye_Y~~r Plait calls fur 16,200 nex teachers to be trained for Yugo_
slay schools. In 1940 - 1941, there xere 9;396 teachers in secondary echoole
Por general education {including teachers in teechers~ schools) and 8,605 itt
1947 - 1948. Teachers for echoole of general education, 7-year echoole, pre-
GYmnasituns, and lcxer Gymnasiums are trained in pedagogical schools. Teachers
for higher Gymnasiums are trained in philosophy and natural science e.nd mathe-
matics faculties. About 5,000 professors are to be graduated prom these fac-
ulties by 1951.
THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN ANL TBE SCHOOLS
A total of 5,9pG,000,00C dinars is assigned by the Five-Year Plan for in-
vestment in education. The plan provides for the construction oP one million
square meters of school area, providing accommodations fec an additional 320 OOJ
students.
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