Bilateral agreements

Montenegro has signed a significant number of agreements with other, mainly European countries, on cooperation in the field of education. The agreements mainly involve the activities of student mobility, as well as the exchange of teaching staff, encouraging the cooperation of educational and research institutions, exchanging experiences in the field of improvement and education reform, etc.

The following bilateral agreements are in force:

1. Memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and Science of Montenegro and Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, on cooperation in the field of education, signed in 2008;
2. Programme of cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science of Montenegro and Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, in the fields of science, technology and education, for the period 2009 - 2012; 
3. Bilateral agreements between the Government of Montenegro and the Council of ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of education, signed in 2008;
4. Memorandum on cooperation on enhancing the English language teaching, professional development of teachers, increasing employment through the development of secondary vocational education, cooperation between schools at international level and support to parents whose children learn foreign language in preschool and early school age, signed in 2009, British Council;
5. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and Government of the Republic of Macedonia on cooperation in education, signed in 2010; 
6. Administrative agreement on promoting French language teaching in Montenegro, between the Ministry of Education and Sports of Montenegro and Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of France, signed in 2011; 
7. Agreement on the exchange of professional staff between Montenegro and Federal Republic of Germany, signed in 2011;
8. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and Government of Ukraine on cooperation in fields of education and higher education, signed in 2011;  
9. Memorandum on understanding in the field of education between the Government of Montenegro and Government of Turkey, signed in 2012;
10. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and Government of the Republic of Poland on cooperation in fields of culture, education and science, signed in 2012; 
11. Agreement  on cooperation between the Government of Montenegro and the Council of ministers of the Republic of Albania in the field of education, signed in 2013; 
12. Agreement  on cooperation in the field of policies, youth, physical education and sports between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, signed in 2013;
13. Memorandum on educational and scientific cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry for Human Resources of Hungary for the period 2012 - 2014, signed in 2013; 
14. Agreement on cooperation in the field of education between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of National Education of Romania, signed in 2014; 
15. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of Italy on cooperation in the field of culture and education, signed in 2014; 
16. Agreement on cooperation in the field of education between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed in 2014; 
17. Protocol on cooperation in the field of education between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Slovenia, signed in 2015; 
18. Memorandum on cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia in the field of sports oblasti, signed in 2015; 
19. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on cooperation in the fields of culture and education, signed in 2016; 
20. Memorandum on understanding on cooperation in the field of higher education and scientific research between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science of Montenegro and Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates, signed in 2016; 
21. Agreement on cooperation in the field of education, culture, sports and youth between the Government of Montenegro and Government of Hungary, signed in 2017;
22. Agreement on cooperation in the field of education, between the Government of Montenegro and Government of Republic of Serbia, signed in 2017;  
23. Cooperation Programme between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of Republic of Slovenia in the field of education, for the period 2017 - 2021, signed in 2017;
24. Cooperation Programme between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry of Human Resources of Hungary, in the field of education for the period 2018 - 2020, signed in 2017;
25. Administrative agreement between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, for promotion and support to studying French language in Montenegro, signed in 2018; 
26. Memorandum on understanding between the Government of Montenegro and Government of the United States of America on the Fulbright Academic Exchange Programme, signed in 2018;
28. Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and the Goethe Institute, signed in 2019;
29. Protocol on cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and the Goethe Institute in the frame of the „PASCH“ initiative, signed in 2019;
30. Memorandum on understanding between the Ministry of Education of Montenegro and Peace Corps, signed in 2019;
31. Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and Government of the Republic of Bulgaria on cooperation in the field of education, signed in 2021.                                                            
32. Amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Montenegro and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary on cooperation within the Frameworks of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme for the years 2021-2023, signed in Podgorica, on 11th November 2022. 
33. Program on educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China for the period 2024-2027, signed in China in February 2024.
34. Agreement between the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro on mutual recognition of higher education documents, signed in China in February 2024.
35. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro and the Peace Corps, signed in Podgorica in March 2024.
36. Agreement and Protocol between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Goethe-Institut Belgrade, signed in Podgorica, in September 2024.
37. Memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the British Council on cooperation in the field of education, signed in Podgorica, in September 2024.
38. Administrative agreement for the promotion and support of French language teaching in Montenegro between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France, signed in Podgorica, in March 2025.

Higher education institutions cooperate with many universities around the world on the basis of bilateral agreements they sign directly. The agreements specify the areas of cooperation such as exchange of students and teaching staff, participation in joint scientific and research projects, exchange of scientific literature and experiences in the teaching process and scientific work. Overview of bilateral cooperation of the University of Montenegro.

Cooperation and participation in worldwide programmes and organisations

When it comes to global-level cooperation in the field of education, the cooperation with the United Nations organizations i.e. UNESCO, and with the OECD is notable, as well as participation in global testing organized in the field of education, such as TIMSS, PIRLS, ICILS

Montenegro is a member of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (UNESCO ASPnet), a global network with more than 11,000 registered educational institutions from 182 countries. The mission of the network is to promote and apply the UNESCO values ​​and goals within the four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. The objective of the network is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals and support the Education Agenda 2030. The Montenegrin ASPnet network, currently composed of 16 educational institutions, certainly plays a recognizable role among the members of the global ASPnet network - through activities aimed at promoting world peace and topics including: intercultural learning, natural and cultural heritage, global citizenship and sustainable development.

The Ministry of Education has regular communication and cooperation with the National Commission for UNESCO aimed at providing support to the planning and implementation of national activities, as well as coordinating activities and calls from UNESCO and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Venice (as well as its Antenna in Sarajevo) for participating in international and regional events and projects.

Cooperation with the OECD takes place through participation in the PISA testing in which Montenegro takes part since 2006, as well as through periodic monitoring and surveys (e.g. Competitiveness Outlook - Education and Competences).

The Examination Center of Montenegro is conducting several international research in cooperation with International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), PIRLS, TIMSS and ICILS.

PIRLS

Montenegro participated for the first time in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2021. The sample for this cycle included 141 schools during the main testing. The results achieved by Montenegrin students were below the international average. Only 2% of students achieved an advanced level, while even 13% did not even achieve a basic level.

The contract for participation in PIRLS for 2026 was signed in December 2024 and is of key importance for improving students' literacy and reading skills, as well as for further analysis and improvement of the educational system of Montenegro. The PIRLS survey plays a key role in assessing reading competencies among students in different countries, providing a comprehensive view of global literacy trends. By assessing how fourth graders read and understand texts, PIRLS identifies key areas where educational policies and practices can be improved.

TIMSS

Montenegro participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for the first time in 2019, and then in 2023. The sample for the 2023 cycle included 141 primary schools during the main testing. The results achieved by Montenegrin students were below the international average, but they are significantly better compared to the TIMSS cycle that was conducted in 2019. In TIMSS 2023, 2% of students achieved an advanced level in mathematics, and 1% in natural sciences. 84% of students achieved the basic level in mathematics, and 80% in natural sciences.

The contract for participation in TIMSS 2027 will be signed in April 2025. TIMSS allows countries to compare education systems and student achievement across countries. This comparison can reveal strengths and weaknesses in educational practices, thereby helping to identify areas for improvement. Participating states can use this data to identify the most effective educational strategies, as well as to develop goals for improving instruction. TIMSS is a longitudinal study that enables monitoring student achievement over time, as well as analyzing trends and the impact of changes on student achievement through different research cycles.

ICILS
Montenegro joined the next cycle of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) for 2028. It is an international comparative study in which, in an innovative way, computer and information, as well as algorithmic literacy of eighth grade students are assessed. The focus is on their abilities to use computers to research, create and communicate at home, at school and in their communities. ICILS reports on students' abilities to collect, manage, evaluate and share digital information, as well as their understanding of issues related to the safe and responsible use of digital technologies.

The new ICILS 2028 cycle will enable countries to use ICILS data to make informed decisions about how best to prepare students for life in an age of ever-evolving digital technologies, educational policy and practice, gain a deeper insight into how artificial intelligence is used and how it can be applied within resources, planning and teaching and learning in schools, cope with new challenges associated with the development of basic digital literacy competencies among young people, generate internationally comparable indicators of computer and information literacy and computer thinking of students.