Second enrollment period begins: 659 first-graders enrolled in Centar municipality

Enrollment for the first grade of regular primary school takes place in April and August based on lists of school-aged children provided to schools by the competent municipal authority in whose territory the school is located. In accordance with the Law on Primary Education of Sarajevo Canton, primary education is compulsory for all children until they reach the age of 15, or until they complete primary school. A child who has reached the age of five and a half by March 1st of the current year is considered a school-aged child, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

A school that has adequate staff and spatial conditions may allow a child younger than the prescribed age for the start of compulsory education to enroll, if requested by parents or guardians and if the school, after considering the recommendations of relevant experts, determines that it is in the best interest of the child.

The assessment of children's abilities for enrollment in primary school is carried out by a commission composed of a pedagogue (pedagogue-psychologist or psychologist) and a primary school teacher, with a prior medical certificate from the competent health institution. Based on the commission's opinion, a school-aged child may be temporarily exempted from enrolling in regular primary school, for a maximum of up to the age of seven.

The following documents are required for the enrollment of first-graders: the child's birth certificate, a medical certificate (no older than six months) on the child's health status, and a certificate issued by the preschool institution on attending the compulsory preschool program for children in the year before starting school. Enrollment will take place on the premises of the primary school based on the aforementioned documentation.

After the first enrollment period in April, for the upcoming 2016/2017 school year, 659 first-graders have been enrolled in the first grades of 11 primary schools in the Centar municipality, consisting of 334 boys and 315 girls, which is 4.2 percent more compared to the previous school year when 632 children were enrolled, and 13.42 percent more compared to 2014 when 581 children were enrolled in the first grades.