New school year in numbers: 10,000 children in kindergartens, 53,700 students in primary and secondary schools in Sarajevo

(Patria) - The new school year in Sarajevo Canton begins on September 1, and 63,700 children and students will start attending kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.

Thus, more than 10,000 children will start kindergarten.

In Sarajevo Canton, 53,700 students will start attending 79 primary and 43 secondary schools.

"38,200 primary school students and 15,500 secondary school students will sit in school desks, among them 4,250 first-graders and 4,300 secondary school students beginning a new chapter in their lives. The number of students remains stable, which gives us additional strength and obligation to continue building a safe, stimulating and modern educational environment," stated the Ministry of Education of Sarajevo Canton.

Minister Naida Hota-Muminović pointed out that a certain number of families are returning to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is evident from requests for nostrification.

"Sarajevo Canton records a stable number of students, both in the first grade of primary school and in the first grade of secondary school. No matter how much it seems that young people are leaving the country, an equal number of families are returning. We see this from the nostrifications of foreign documents and certificates that we process in the Ministry. Our generation averages 4,200 students, whether in the first grade of primary or secondary school. That is a stable number and we are satisfied with that number. This means that in the future we will have a sufficient number of students and a sufficient number of teaching norms, which is very important – to preserve all jobs in education and to be able to create a creative and good arena for learning, growth and stimulating circumstances," stated the Minister of Education of Sarajevo Canton, Naida Hota-Muminović.

For the 2025/2026 school year, new programs have been introduced for 13 occupations, aligned with labor market needs. At the three-year level, courses are available for auto body/paint technicians, locksmiths-welders, heating, air conditioning and water installers, bricklayers-plasterers-insulators, hairdressers-wigmakers, printing and graphic finishing operators, and salespersons. At the four-year level, students can train as multimedia technicians, graphic technicians, food technicians, tourism and hotel technicians, and dental technicians.

According to the school calendar, the first semester lasts until December 31, 2025, and the second semester begins on January 29 and ends in June 2026. Classes for secondary school graduates end on May 6, for first-graders and ninth-grade students on June 5, while for other primary and secondary school students, the school year lasts until June 12, 2026. Classes from November 3 to 7 will be conducted online.