Kragujevac – a city of rich cultural and historical heritage hosts students and teachers from four European countries

Dušan Aleksić, a City Council representative for education, and Boris Kovačević, the Mayor’s assistant for international cooperation, organized a reception for students and teachers from Latvia, Portugal, Italy, and Turkey. In collaboration with Secondary Vocational School in Kragujevac, they launched the project Common Culture for Europe within Let’s Live our Heritage ERASMUS.

City Council representative Dušan Aleksić reminded that Kragujevac has a very rich cultural and historical heritage. The city of Kragujevac is the educational centre of Central Serbia, with 25 primary and 11 secondary schools, as well as two preschool institutions. The First Grammar School and Lyceum, the first higher education institution in Serbia were established in the 19th century, when Kragujevac was the country’s capital. As a University centre, Kragujevac has 12 faculties in the city, as well as in five other towns, which are attended by approximately 18 000 students.

As he explained, the City officials make great efforts to reconstruct the existing and build new schools and preschools, and give strong support to the University. Our stance is that education is a crucial component for the prosperity of our city. It directly impacts the influx of new investments, the development of healthcare, industry , and consequently – the opening of new job opportunities. We are especially proud of the host, the Secondary Vocational School, which is the leader in dual education in Serbia and which educates the professional cadre for the development of our industry – Aleksić said.

The City makes substantial investments in education of young people, and the development of their potentials – Boris Kovačević, the Mayor’s assistant for international cooperation reminded.When it comes to international cooperation, the city of Kragujevac has signed Charters of Fellowship with many cities from countries all over the world – Boris Kovačević, the Mayor’s assistant for international cooperation reminded. Our elementary and secondary schools’ students have visited Suresnes in France, Pitesti in Romania, and many other cities, and we also welcome their students with hospitality. We make efforts for the young people to gain multicultural knowledge, so that they could create a better world in the future. Kragujevac is a city of kind and hospitable citizens, always friendly to those who come to visit us. We believe that the friendships they make here will last for long time –Kovačević said.

The students from Latvia, Portugal, Italy, and Turkey expressed gratitude for the warm reception. You have a beautiful country, with kind and interesting people. This is a one of a kind experience for us, who came to visit Kragujevac.