The Education Committee held its twenty-fourth sitting on 22 June 2010. The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Dr Zoran Sami, and attended by Dr Zarko Obradovic, Minister of Education, Slobodan Jaukovic and Vesna Fila, Assistant Ministers of Education, and the headmasters of schools educating young talents according to special programmes: Radivoje Stojkovic of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Grammar School – Novi Sad, Olga Dragojlovic of Svetozar Markovic Grammar School – Nis, Rade Zejak of the Karlovci Grammar School – Sremski Karlovci, Dusko Babic of the Philological Grammar School and Srdjan Ognjanovic of the Mathematical Grammar School in Belgrade, Aniko Varga of Deze Kostolanji Grammar School for Talented Students – Subotica, Attila Gajda of Boljai Grammar and Boarding School for Talented Students – Senta and Vigor Majic of Petnica Research Center in Valjevo.

The representatives of schools educating young talents according to special programmes briefed those present on their manner of operation and the young talent’s educational results and achievements. They also pointed out the long-lasting financial problems, flaws and outdatedness of certain legislative regulations, problems in financing the talented students’ travels to international competitions, unregulated status of university professors involved in high-school education, as well as insufficient boarding capabilities.

Headmaster Zejak highlighted the need to construct a student dorm in Sremski Karlovci. About 30% of students from the whole territory of Serbia come to be educated at the Grammar School, however, there are a lot of children who are talented but lack the funds to be educated outside of their own areas, Zejak added. Headmistress Dragojlovic pointed out the problem of preparing students for the Olympics since the preparations are organised in Belgrade, and most of the students do not live on the territory of the capital. The Headmaster of the Belgrade Philological Grammar School pointed out the lack of space for the schools’ extracurricular activities. Srdjan Ognjanovic stated that the state should monitor and take care of young talents even after they had completed their high-school education because 70-80% of young people who continue their education abroad tend to remain there. He also added that seven students from the same class in the Mathematical Grammar School won scholarships and will continue their education at the prestigious University of Cambridge.

Committee Chairman Dr Sami and deputy Gordana Comic stated that the attitude towards talented children who should become role models for their peers must change, and encouraging knowledge should become an important national and state investment.

All present agreed that young talents should be supported, and that sittings and gatherings like this one should become regular practice in future so as to come up with additional funding for education, competitions and work with talented children in the upcoming period.

Dr Sami stressed that the Education Committee would continue to actively tackle all these issues. He added that the state should increase its allocations for talented children and include them in the 2011 Budget and asked the headmasters of high-schools educating young talents to draft a proposal for the improvement of the working conditions and status of talented students by September.