The downward trend in the number of freshmen enrolled in state universities has been present for almost a decade. According to data published by Politika, after enrollment for the current school year 2023/24. year, there were 3.034 vacant places at the University of Belgrade, which is 13,5 times more than ten years ago (226 places).
In order to determine the exact reason for this trend, a working group was formed at the University of Belgrade, which should analyze the drastic drop in the number of students in recent years.
Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Goran Roglić He said that the working group should prepare a meeting of the extended rector's collegium, which will probably be held in February, and which will examine the reasons for that decline at the University of Belgrade.
The data of the Republic Institute of Statistics show that from year to year there are generally fewer freshmen in Serbia. Academic year 2023/2024. 47.946 students enrolled in the first year of basic studies, including private faculties and colleges of vocational studies. Ten years ago, there were 53.819 freshmen.
It is possible to guess the reasons why this trend is more pronounced at state faculties.
Full professor of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Milo Tomašević, told "Vreme" that one of the reasons why the number of enrolled freshmen is decreasing is the demographic factor, because the number of high school students in Serbia is also decreasing.
"Another factor is that the quotas at state colleges are not adjusted to current job demands. The quotas in the last ten years have been almost the same, yet for some faculties the demand is higher, while for some it is constantly lower", says Tomašević and adds that considering that the state finances the faculties, it should give priority to what is important and increase enrollment quotas there.
He states that the demand for faculties with information and communication technologies and biomedical faculties has increased, while it has decreased for faculties with teaching professions.
"As far as I am aware, there is an initiative by the dean of those faculties to do something about it, because soon there will be a big problem of a shortage of teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry from various other professions", says Tomašević and adds that there are enough quotas, but that the attractiveness of that position is extremely reduced for some systemic reasons that are not only financial.
On the other hand, he says, this increase in enrollment at private colleges cannot explain why it is happening, especially since those colleges are in some cases not cheaper than state ones.
