Montenegro's educational institutions face particular challenges due to insufficient funding and maintenance, impacting the quality of education. This comprehensive programme for the pre-university school system involves the construction, renovation and equipping of educational facilities and kindergartens in Podgorica and nine other municipalities. The focus is on increasing the country’s schooling capacity by creating 2,100 new places and around 530 full-time jobs, mostly for teachers. Planned developments will help alleviate overcrowding in schools and increase children’s access to better learning tools, thereby enhancing youth employability. By 2026, more than 10,000 students per year will benefit from innovative learning environments due to these investments.
More than €64 million is expected to be invested in education infrastructure through the programme with half of this coming from the Montenegrin national budget. Bilateral Donors and the EU contribute €11.4 million through a WBIF grant, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) provides an €18 million loan and a further €2.5 million grant. The EIB grant will cover technical and advisory support for project preparation, procurement and development of a national monitoring and evaluation standard for use in similar projects. This investment package will fast-track the modernisation of public education school infrastructure in the country.
The Bilateral Donors and the EU co-fund the programme under the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.