Bilingual Project

In cooperation with the Government of France and the French Cultural Centre in Belgrade, with the authorisation of the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Republic of Serbia, and at the initiative of our former headmistress, Vesna Fila, bilingual lessons were introduced into two classes of the 7 th grade in the school 2004/2005 year. Today 90 students attend bilingual lessons, in the 7 th and 8 th grade.

Apart from the 6 lessons of French a week, these pupils attend lessons of Maths and Chemistry in French. At the beginning, the teaching was done by the teachers from the French school in Belgrade, while our teachers of Maths, Chemistry and Biology were being trained, attending lessons of French, both in Belgrade in the organisation of our Ministry, and during the summer schools in France, where they also took their exams.

The project is carefully supervised by the Committee for the Development of Bilingual Teaching in Serbia. The pupils who are interested in attending bilingual lessons are required to pass the entrance exam. This bilingual project also includes «The Third Belgrade High School», our dearest next-door neighbouring school, in which bilingual lessons are carried out both in Italian and in French.

Vesna Fila was awarded by the Chevalier de l'ordre des palmes academiques in 2004. And she was not the first head teacher of our school to be honoured for the achievements. Tihomir N. Kostic, principal, was awarded by the Ministry of Education of France in 1935 (Bronze Medal) for the introducing of the French language into the curriculum. The school was also awarded by the Palmes academiques. In 1976 Milena Rakovic was also awarded by the Chevalier dans l` Ordre National du Mérite.