For the first time in 25 years, religious education teachers in Serbia have been granted equal legal status with other educators, following a package of amendments to the country’s education laws adopted by the Serbian government, national broadcaster RTS reported.

Under the new regulations, teachers of religious subjects — known in Serbia as veroučitelji — will now be able to sign permanent employment contracts, apply for long-term loans, and return to their positions after maternity leave, just like teachers of other subjects.

The amendments affect three key laws:

• The Law on the Foundations of the Education System,

• The Law on Primary Education, and

• The Law on Secondary Education.

Until now, religious education teachers could only work under one-year temporary contracts, which were renewed annually. This arrangement left them without job security or access to many of the social benefits enjoyed by other educators.

Father Stevan Jovanović, a member of the Committee on Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci, described the reform as “a correction of an injustice that lasted for a quarter of a century.” According to Jovanović, the bill had been in preparation for more than two years.

“Religious education teachers have finally gained long-awaited security and recognition. They are now truly equal to their colleagues teaching other subjects,”
Jovanović told reporters.

The reform also introduces symbolic but meaningful linguistic changes: religious education, civic education, and a second foreign language will now officially be classified as optional subjects rather than programs. While this does not change the student experience — religious education remains an elective — it affirms the equal status of these disciplines within the national curriculum.

Jovanović emphasized that religious education continues to play an important role in shaping young people’s values and understanding of faith:

“We see that those who attend religious education courses approach faith more consciously and with deeper understanding. These young people view spirituality as a meaningful part of life,”
he said.

Although the Serbian Parliament approved the amendments nine months ago, public debate over their implications is still ongoing. The Serbian Orthodox Church has welcomed the changes, saying the new legal status of religious education teachers will strengthen their professional position and enhance the prestige of the subject within Serbia’s educational system.