The number of schoolchildren in primary schools increased by 2,000.
Even though the number of first-graders has decreased in Croatia, the number of schoolchildren in Zagreb is on the rise.
Mayor Milan Bandić traditionally visited a Zagreb school on the first day of 2017/2018 school year. This year it was Vladimir Prelog School of Science, where he and Principal Zlatko Stić greeted the students in the sports hall.
Mayor Bandić wished all students a successful new school year, pointing out that, thanks to the efforts made by its teachers, the Vladimir Prelog School of Science is one of the best schools in Zagreb, which is why it received the 2017 City of Zagreb Award.
“This is the fourth biggest school in the city, but it is also the first in many aspects. The loyalty of its staff, principal, students, and their great results are proof that hard work and loving what you do truly pays off,” Mayor said. He also mentioned the upcoming renovation works “I am happy that we will put solar panels on the sports hall roof, which, together with new façade and windows and doors, will make the school energy-efficient. I am even happier to announce that the project documents for the construction of an additional building are being prepared, which means that the school will be able to switch to a single-shift system.”
“All students were carefree at school today, among other things, because one of the City’s programme enabled us to give our students free school books. The school is fully prepared for the new school year and the challenges we might face. We are the only ‘polyvalent’ school in the city, which means that our school offers both grammar and vocational school programmes, and we are among top five schools in the country when it comes to the number of students in both,” Principal Zlatko Stić added.
“100,000 thousand students start primary and secondary school in Zagreb today. We have had 2,000 more primary school students than last year, and there were 1,400 more students who enrolled in their first grade of secondary school than there were eight-graders who finished school last year. This shows that the pro-natalist measures that Zagreb has had in place for over two decades have been efficient, which we are immensely proud of. We should all sent a joint message of support to our teachers and other school staff because, without them, our schools would not be what they are now,” Ivica Lovrić, Hear of City Office for Education, Culture and Sport concluded.
