EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
The preschool institution Cika Jova Zmaj in the territory of the City Municipality of Vozdovac has 46 nurseries and kindergartens.
Monitoring the requirements of the new settlement of Stepa Stepanovic, the Municipality, in cooperation with the City, opened for this settlement the Mala sirena (i.e. Little Mermaid) – one of the state-of-the art and the most attractive kindergartens in Belgrade which, on two and a half thousand square meters in 15 comfortable rooms, can accommodate 300 little children, whereby waiting lists have been shortened and the places for children in other kindergartens in Vo`dovac have become free.
Upon the remodeling of the space of a local community, a new kindergarten Zvoncica (i.e. Tinkerbell) was also opened for 50 little children in the settlement of Braca Jerkovic. The Municipality shall, in cooperation with donors, remodel a number of smaller spaces so that children, while their parents are at work, could be accommodated in the areas where they live. It has been planned for Ripanj and Jajinci as well to provide new kindergartens by remodeling some space.
In the old Vozdovac urban settlement, the elementary school has been operating since 1908. In addition to it, a new building was constructed in 1928 and then it had 511 pupils. Since 1931, this school has been bearing the name of Vozd Karadjordje. In some of the villages at the foot of the Avala Mt. schools had been founded even earlier. In Ripanj, for example, the elementary school has been operating since 1884.
Today, the elementary school education takes place in 17 elementary schools, among which there is also the Elementary School Miodrag Matic – the only educational institution in Serbia which is engaged in education and upbringing of children suffering from cerebral palsy, the School for Elementary and Secondary Education Vozd, and the Music School Petar Konjovic. In them, there are over 12 thousand pupils/students.
In the settlement of Stepa Stepanovic, on 1 September 2014, the newly constructed Elementary School Danilo Kis was opened, the capacity of which is 720 pupils for operation in one shift. It is among the most attractive and best equipped schools in the territory of Belgrade. It has 32 classrooms, cabinets, a gym with dressing rooms and, within the development of the schoolyard, the sports grounds, the athletic track, and a long jump track will be constructed.
In the territory of the Municipality, in addition to two private secondary schools, there are also: the Eighth and the Twelfth High School, the Second Commercial, Geological, and Hydrometeorological Secondary School Milutin Milankovic, the Beauty School, and the Textile Design School. The People’s University Svetozar Markovic is engaged in the vocational education of adults.
Care for safe childhood and schooling is provided in the Home for Children and Youth without Parental Care Zmaj Jova Jovanovic, which includes the shelter for abused children, and in the Home for Children and Youth Mosa Pijade and the Corrective Institution for Children and Youth Vasa Stajic.
The only shelter in the capital for adults and the elderly people – the homeless ones, is located in Vozdovac. Small patients suffering from special diseases are accepted by the Special Hospital for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Neurology. The elderly people find refuge in the Retirement Home Vozdovac, students from the countryside, in the hall of residence The 4th of April, and those with disabilities in the hall of residence
Mika Mitrovic.
HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE, CULTURE
In 1999, upon the foundation of the private university Singidunum, which nowadays has eight faculties, Vozdovac became a university center and, way back forty years ago, a number of faculties of the Belgrade University have also „made themselves at home“ there – the Faculties of Political and Organizational Sciences, of Transport and Traffic Engineering, of Pharmacy, and the Faculty of Security Studies. There is also the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Applied Studies.
Science also comes along with higher education. Vozdovac Municipality is the seat of eight scientific institutes. In the area of water management, Jaroslav Cerni is the biggest scientific and research organization in the Balkans. Out of the others, there are also the renowned ones: Kirilo Savic, the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, the Institute of Immunology and Virusology Torlak, the Serbian Institute of Veterinary Science, the Institute of Nuclear Energy Genetics and Engineering.
Although the first library in Vozdovac was founded in 1923, in the premises of the Elementary school Karadjordje, one could say that the Society for Development and Embellishment of Suburbs of Queen Mary had laid the foundations of the current versatile cultural activities. In addition to the people’s reading room, opened in 1934 by engagement of this Society, a mixed chorus had been formed, a course in the French language, drama and chess clubs…
The agent of the present-day cultural activities is the Center of Culture and Sports Sumice, which organizes various cultural and sports events, and is mostly focused on the young ones. The Library Dositej Obradovic operates in Vozdovac as a branch of the Library of the City of Belgrade. There is a number of cultural and artistic societies that are active, among which the oldest ones are Stari Dusanovac – Sane, Milan DJ. Milicevic from Ripanj, Stepa Stepanovic, as well as Radost (i.e. Joy) and Zlatno doba (i.e. Golden age).
In the birth home of Field Marshal Stepa Stepanovi} in Kumodraz there is the permanent exhibition of the Military Museum with the authentic exhibits from the First World War and the life of the great commander.