The non-governmental organizations – Parents’ Association, Human Rights Action (HRA) and the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) – today sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, requesting an urgent public statement on whether the engagement of security guards in primary and secondary schools will continue during the 2025/2026 school year. 

This measure, implemented from February to June 2025, was not merely a technical protection mechanism, but also a symbolic act that instilled a sense of safety and trust in the school environment, which must remain shielded from vandalism, physical conflicts, and all forms of security threats.

However, with the start of the new school year, the measure has not been extended, even though no systemic solution has yet been adopted. The previous announcement of introducing a new position of “community police officer” as a potential response remains far from implementation. This means that, at present, there is neither a permanent nor a temporary solution in place, leaving pupils and staff once again without institutional support in the area of physical safety.

According to publicly available data, at least 115 cases of peer violence were recorded in the 2024/2025 school year, further underscoring the severity of the issue and the need for urgent action.

We call on the Ministry to publicly present the results of the evaluation and announce its decision regarding the continuation of the security staff engagement as a temporary measure, until systemic and long-term solutions for school safety are adopted. Furthermore, if the decision-making process is already underway, we ask that the public be timely informed about the planned timeframe and the specific steps being taken.

Safety must not be subject to delay or compromise. We expect a prompt and responsible response from the relevant authorities, in the interest of all students, parents, and school staff across Montenegro’s education system.

Parents Association
Human Rights Action (HRA)
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)