We are inviting primary school pupils from fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades to register for the free Summer School of Programming.

This year’s Summer School of Programming will take place in Sremska Mitrovica in two terms, between 28.7-4.8.2023 and between 23.8-30.8.2023. Participants will be provided with accommodation and meals on a full board basis in the Sremska Mitrovica Secondary School Student Dormitory. Classes will be held in the Gymnasium of Sremska Mitrovica, located in the town centre. 

In addition to the computer science curriculum that will be focused on solving algorithmic tasks in Python programming language and working in its Pygame 2D graphics library, attendees will be able to meet and greet IT industry professionals and enjoy recreational activities through field trips, quizzes, and board game nights.

Accommodation, food, and the Summer School of Programming curriculum are free of charge for participants, while transportation costs are borne by parents or legal guardians.

Candidates will have to have accounts on the petlja.org portal to be eligible. Interested pupils should apply not later than 5.7.2023. at 9 PM by filling in a questionnaire with their parents; the questionnaire is located at the following link: https://petlja.org/prijavni_formular. Although interested participants will need to fill in parts of the questionnaire with their parents or legal guardians, it is important that they answer questions related to their previous experience in programming alone. 

After closing time for applications on 5.7.2023, all candidates who successfully filled in the questionnaires will get emails with additional information and a link to a programming test they will be able to take between 6.7 at 10 AM and 8.7 at 10 AM. The test will be administered in Python programming language on the Petlja platform. Petlja Foundation reserves the right to set up a second round of testing and disqualify candidates that were cheating when taking the test. 

The number of available places at the Summer School of Programming is limited to 100, distributed across two slots of 50 participants each. The final selection of candidates will be made by a panel of experts and inform selected pupils and their parents or legal guardians not later than 15.7.2023. The ranking will be formed based on test results, pupils’ motivation and interest in programming. Pupils invited to attend the Summer School of Programming will be allocated to groups, so they can attend classes suitable to their previous knowledge. In case the number of invited pupils who selected the same time slot to attend the Summer School of Programming exceeds the number of available beds, priority shall be given to better ranked candidates. 

If you have any additional questions, please reach out: letnjaskola@mg.petlja.org

Summer School of Programming is organised by Petlja Foundation within the project “Building the critical computer skills for the future ready workforce” implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Education and supported by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.