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Vocational-school forum says final-exam results show a serious decline

June 25, 2026, 09:06 AMUpdated: June 25, 2026, 09:06 AM

The Forum of Secondary Vocational Schools said on June 25 that the average mother-tongue score in the final primary-school exam was 10.67 points, down 0.88 points from the previous school year. The organization says the decline should not be ignored and calls for a review of curricula, grading criteria, and pupils' functional literacy.

Pupils and school material in an article about final-exam results
Photo: Danas, article about the Forum of Secondary Vocational Schools statement.Image credit: FoNet/Ministarstvo prosvete

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N1

Vocational-school forum: education is in a serious state, do not ignore lower final-exam results

N1 carries the Forum of Secondary Vocational Schools statement: the average score on this year's mother-tongue test was 10.67 points, 0.88 points lower than in the previous school year. Forum president Milorad Antic said such a decline must not be ignored, and that school directors, services, teachers, and the Education Ministry should ask why results show a worrying trend year after year. The forum also points to insufficient focus on reasoning, critical thinking, and functional literacy, as well as the possible "inflation" of excellent grades and uneven grading criteria between schools.

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Danas

Vocational-school forum on the state of education

Danas publishes the same forum statement and specifies that the mother-tongue test covered Serbian and eight national-minority languages. The forum says causes and responsibility should be discussed openly instead of looking for excuses; if pupils receive high school grades while final exams show a lower level of knowledge, both teaching content and knowledge checks should be reviewed. The organization proposes tests at subject-council level to align criteria and assess pupil achievement more objectively.

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