United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Belgrade

Review of Urgent Assistance Needs for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Excluding Kosovo)

Winter/Spring 2000/2001

December 5, 2000

The pattern of decline in GDP through the 1990s has also affected trends in education expenditures. Therefore, though the share of GDP budgeted for education remained consistent at around 4%, expenditures for education in FRY in 1998 compared to 1990 were lower by 27.2%.

The system is in urgent need of comprehensive reform to improve the quality of education. The teaching/learning environment, teaching methods and curricula all require renovation and improvement. The resource structure by which the system is funded also needs to be reformed. While this process gets underway, there are a number of urgent practical needs to be met in the coming months.

Chronic under funding over a period of years is reflected in aging, overused and poorly maintained facilities which require extensive rehabilitation to make them usable in winter. Water supply and sanitary facilities are also a priority. Teaching aids, school furniture and other equipment including school kitchens are generally in poor condition and require repair or replacement. These short-term priority interventions will help to keep schools operating at a minimum level while the process of reform takes place.

Because responsibility for maintenance of school facilities rests with each municipal authority, it is difficult to obtain an overall figure for required maintenance for schools countrywide. The estimates in Table 5, amounting to US$ 34.5 million are based on a compilation of requests received for assistance, information from current school rehabilitation programmes, and institutional experience in the sector.

Salary levels in education, particularly in Serbia, are also an urgent problem. The average net monthly salary in October 2000 was approximately US$28. The education system has been disrupted by strikes in recent months, and the Serbian Government has announced a plan to triple average salaries in the first quarter of 2001. The total number of people employed in education is 109,052 and the difference between the present gross salary and the planned one is close to US$100 per month. Gross salary obligations would increase by US$10.7 million from US$ 5.2 million to US$16.9 million per month. While recognizing that low teacher salaries are a major problem, salary support is not included in the immediate requirements for donor support. Total needs, donor contributions, government contribution and gaps are shown in Table 5.

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