Pupil and student mobility

FLEX (The Future Leaders Exchange) is an exchange program funded by the US Government intended for secondary school students. The program includes scholarships for selected students which cover their travel expenses, a one school year secondary school attendance during, and living in a host family in the United States. The program is implemented by the American Councils. Interested students of the first and second grade of secondary school take an exam to qualify for the program.

Every year, UWC (United World Colleges) awards three or four scholarships to the best Montenegrin gymnasium students to attend one of their colleges located around the world. The focus is on the 16-19 age group, thus the candidates for the UWC are students of the second grade of gymnasium. During their two-year college education, the UWC scholarship users improve their English language proficiency, as this is their language of instruction, and acquire knowledge and skills that direct their future careers. After completing the two-year education, students acquire a world-known and recognised IB diploma (International Baccalaureate Diploma) which allows them to continue education in their home country, as well as abroad.

Besides opportunities for longer periods of stay abroad, there are also short-term opportunities for students. Such programs are conducted at school level, by way of bilateral cooperation with donor organisations from other countries.

Montenegrin students of primary and secondary schools commonly participate in international knowledge Olympics and skills competitions. Students of primary schools and gymnasiums compete at international Olympics in the fields of mathematics, informatics and natural sciences, whereas students of secondary vocational schools take part in EuroSkills - biannual competition in vocational subjects based on Montenegrin membership in the WorldSkills Europe Association.

Teacher mobility

Teachers’ work engagement in another country is possible on the basis of bilateral cooperation agreements in the field of education. This type of engagement is done on the basis of a published call, and the financial arrangement usually implies that the host country covers the costs of stay and salary, while insurance and transport costs are the obligation of the domicile country.

Short-term stays, i.e. professional development of teachers abroad is primarily done through the Council of Europe’s projects and programs. At the moment, there is an ongoing cooperation with the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz which is aimed at improving language teaching in Europe, not only in terms of foreign languages, but in terms of national languages and languages of instruction as well. The Centre encourages the improvement of language teaching by exchanging good practice, promoting innovative changes and training in thematic seminars attended by a significant number of teachers from Montenegro. The cooperation with the Centre is coordinated by the Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro.