Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours
The Law on Primary Education prescribes that primary education is provided on the basis of a publicly valid educational programme for primary education. The educational programme includes: compulsory part, compulsory activities and extended part. The compulsory part comprises compulsory and elective subjects. Compulsory activities include: class meetings, days of culture, sports and technical activities. The extended part includes: extracurricular activities, additional and remedial classes, outdoor school and pupil excursions. Compulsory subjects are set by the Ministry following the proposal of the National Council for Education.
English is studied from the first grade as compulsory subject, whereas the second foreign language pupils choose is compulsory from the sixth grade. When choosing the second foreign language, schools are required to offer pupils at least two foreign languages, according to their capacities.
General part of a the publicly valid educational programme for primary education
a) Curriculum
Subjects / Activities | Grade and Class Load | |||||||||
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | Total class load |
Compulsory part: Compulsory subjects | ||||||||||
Montenegrin - Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian language and literature | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 41 |
Mathematics | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
English language | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
2nd foreign language |
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| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Fine arts | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Music education | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Natural science and social studies | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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| 6 |
Social studies |
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| 2 | 2 |
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| 4 |
History |
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| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Geography |
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| 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Natural science |
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| 2 | 2 |
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| 4 |
Biology |
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| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Chemistry |
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| 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Physics |
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| 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Informatics with technical aspects |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 |
Physical Education | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
Elective subjects |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Compulsory activities | ||||||||||
Class meetings |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Number of subjects | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
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Weekly number of subjects | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 206 |
Number of working weeks | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 31 |
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Days of culture, technical activities and sport | 7 days | 7 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days |
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Extended part | ||||||||||
Leisure activities |
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| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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Additional classes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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Remedial classes |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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Outdoor school
School trip | Outdoor school is envisaged as an option for pupils from 1st to 8th grade with the following scope: 1st and 2nd grade up to 3 days, from 3rd to 8th grade up to 5 working days. School trip is envisaged as an option for pupils of the 9th grade, taking up to 5 working days. | |||||||||
b) Curriculum for primary education at institutions where instruction is carried out in the Albanian language
Subjects / Activities | Grade and Class Load | |||||||||
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | Total class load |
Compulsory part: Compulsory subjects | ||||||||||
Albanian language and literature | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 41 |
Montenegrin language as non-mother tongue | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
Mathematics | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
English Language | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
2nd Foreign Language |
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| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Fine Arts | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Music education | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Nature and Society | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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| 6 |
Social studies |
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| 2 | 2 |
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| 4 |
History |
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| 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Geography |
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| 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Natural studies |
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| 2 | 2 |
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| 4 |
Biology |
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| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Chemistry |
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| 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Physics |
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| 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Informatics with technical aspects |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 |
Physical education | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
Elective subjects |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Compulsory Activities | ||||||||||
Class meetings |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Number of subjects | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
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Weekly number of subjects | 21 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 224 |
Number of working weeks | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 31 |
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Days of culture, technical activities and sport | 7 days | 7 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days |
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Extended part | ||||||||||
Leisure activities |
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| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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Additional classes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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Remedial classes |
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| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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Outdoor school
School trip | Outdoor school is envisaged as an option for pupils from 1st to 8th grade with the following scope: 1st and 2nd grade up to 3 days, from 3rd to 8th grade up to 5 working days. School trip is envisaged as an option for pupils of the 9th grade, taking up to 5 working days. | |||||||||
Proposed list of elective subjects is prepared by the Bureau for Education Services. The list of elective subjects and their content is adopted by the Ministry, at the proposal of the National Council.
List of elective subjects in primary school
Number | Title of the elective subject | Weekly class load | Grade in which it is studied |
I | LANGUAGE GROUP OF SUBJECTS |
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1. | Language workshop | 1 | IX |
2. | Literary and journalist workshop | 1 | VII or VIII or IX |
II | NATURAL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATIC GROUP OF SUBJECTS |
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3. | Mathematical workshop – combinatorial analysis and elementary theory of numbers | 1 | VII |
4. | Mathematical workshop - geometry | 1 | VIII |
5. | Mathematical workshop - sets, relations, functions | 1 | IX |
6. | Measurement in physics | 1 | VII |
7. | Medicinal plants | 1 | VIII |
8. | Chemistry through experiments | 1 | VIII and IX |
III | IT GROUP OF SUBJECTS | ||
9. | Creating graphics with image processing and photography | 1 | VIII |
10. | Introduction to programming | 1 | IX |
IV | SOCIAL GROUP OF SUBJECTS | ||
11. | Citizenship education | 1 | VII and VIII or VIII and IX |
12. | Interesting geography | 1 | VIII |
13. | History of Religion | 1 | IX |
14. | Researching humanitarian law | 1 | VIII or IX |
15. | European Union | 1 | VIII or IX |
VI | ART | ||
16. | Fine arts workshop | 1 | VII or VIII or IX |
| PHYSICAL CULTURE |
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17. | Sport for athletes | 1 | VII or VIII or IX |
VII | INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUP OF SUBJECTS | ||
18. | Environmental values | 1 | VIII and IX |
19. | Healthy lifestyles | 1 | VIII and IX |
20. | Entrepreneurship | 1 | VII or VIII or IX |
In Montenegro there are classes at which part of instruction is carried out in English. Teaching according to CLIL method is carried out in one class of the first grade, at four primary schools, and in one class of the second grade at four primary schools as well. This approach envisages regularly carrying out brief conversations in English during the instruction of the so-called non-linguistic subjects (mathematics, nature and social studies, music education, fine arts and physical education).
Teaching Methods and Materials
Teachers are provided with professional autonomy in organising classes, applying teaching methods, selecting forms of work with pupils, as well as in selecting tasks they set before their pupils within the established educational programme.
An institution that carries out publicly valid educational programmes should use the textbooks and teaching materials which have been approved by the National Council for Education. Private institutions are obliged to use textbooks approved by the National Council only for compulsory subjects set by the educational programme, i.e. approved by law. The preparation of textbooks is regulated by the Law on Publishing and the Rulebook on the procedure for obtaining, evaluating, approving and preparing textbooks and teaching materials.
The preparation of manuscripts of textbooks is carried out according to the established procedure. Each manuscript of the textbook requires professional assessment (review). Members of the review panel are selected from the List of Reviewers, adopted by the National Council for Education.
The organization of educational work is conditioned by the number of pupils, i.e. the size of school. At schools with larger number of pupils, teaching is conducted in subject-based classrooms for biology, chemistry, physics, as well as special classrooms for music and fine arts. The physical education is carried out in the hall for physical education. Subject-based classrooms and halls for physical education are equipped with teaching materials and aids.
All primary schools in Montenegro have been provided with computers - the number of which depends on the number of pupils, other computer equipment, as well as internet access. Contemporary methods of work and modernization of teaching brought about the use of “smart boards” in a number of primary schools.