Living Standards Measurements Study - Serbia 2002 - 2007

distributed geographically. According to the Multiple
Indicators Cluster survey of children and women 8
preschool education encompasses only 45 percent of
children from urban and 14 percent of children from
rural areas, aged 3-5. Among the ranks of the
poorest, the participation rate is only 7 percent, while
the participation of Roma children is 4 percent. In the
past five years it has been apparent that the country is
investing efforts to increase participation of children
in institutional preschool education.
The number of institutions, teachers and
medical staff, and number of children in institutions
has been growing steadily from 2002 to 2006. The
national MDGs feature an objective to include 70
percent of children in preschool education by 2015.
Graph 8.4. Participation in preschool education for the overall population
162825 161938 162256 167441 173203
1776
1804
1840
1873
1970
11345 11512 11847 12240 12842
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Employees Beneficiaries Institutions
8.2.2. Data from 2002 and 2007
LSMS
When illustrating the situation in preschool
education, according to LSMS 2002 and 2007, we
have focused on children aged 3 to 7 years.
According to LSMS 2007 kindergarten is attended
by 38.1 percent of children aged 3-5 years (39
percent boys and 37 percent girls). Preschool
institutions are attended by 83 percent of children
aged 6-7 years (81 percent of boys and 85 percent of
girls). Over 96 percent of children attend state
kindergartens.
Graph 8.5. Participation in preschool education
(LSMS)
35%
Education
3 to 5 years 6 to 7 years 3 to 7 years
83%
51% 51%
43% 40%
2002 2007
During the past five years, the participation of
children aged 3-5 years in preschool education has
increased moderately (about 5 percent) 9 . However,
large differences are still evident, depending on
various social and economic variables. Children
aged 3-5 years, coming from households whose
head has low educational level, are far less likely to
attend kindergarten than the average for general
population (16 percent relative to the average of 43
percent). Further, only 15 percent of children from
the poorest quintile attend kindergarten. No children
from this category attend private kindergartens.
Children from households below the poverty line
are far less likely to attend kindergarten (13 percent
compared to 43 percent). Kindergarten is attended
by 15 percent of Roma children covered by the
sample 10 , while PPP covers 45 percent Roma
children and 34 percent of children from poor
families.
Geographical differences in the coverage of
preschool education still exist. Children from urban
areas, Belgrade, West Serbia and Vojvodina, are
more likely to attend kindergarten. Children from
East Serbia are least likely to attend kindergarten
(15 percent attendance). Expensive services and
long-distances to kindergartens are important
factors for non-attendance of children in this region.
The most commonly cited reason for nonattendance
of kindergarten is the child’s wish to
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