The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has shown that the education system is extremely flexible and ready for further digitization and improvement, which will be worked on together with partners.
This was announced at an online meeting organized by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, and representatives of educational institutions, the UN system, embassies, international organizations and donors participated.
Summarizing what has been done in the education system in the previous four years, Minister of Education Damir Šehović said that Montenegro is at the end of a four-year period in which a lot of work was done, but also at the beginning of a new period for which priorities in education must be determined.
He stated that some of the achievements of the education system in the past four years are reformed education, creation of accessible and free education for all, better alignment of education with the labor market, creation of a systemic model for rewarding talents - the Quality and Talent Fund.
Šehović said that the achievements and increase in the rate include preschool education of three-year-old children from 50 percent to 73 percent in just three years, increasing the capacity of preschool institutions by over two thousand places, introducing free English language learning in preschool institutions, introducing bilingual teaching in part of primary schools.
Achievements include, as Šehović said, the modernization of subject programs for basic education, the introduction of teaching assistants, the introduction of mediators for RE students, the affirmation of secondary vocational schools, the revival of dual education in which 250 employers and 800 students are involved.
"We have opened the door to digitalization of the education system, which is also one of the biggest challenges of education, and from the next school year we will start implementing the digital classroom project in all classes of the first grade of elementary school," said Šehović.
He said that the challenge is also the introduction of a form of dual education for certain study programs at faculties, as well as putting emphasis on practice at faculties.
Šehović called on the partners to, as before, support the education system in the further affirmation of this segment of education.
He said that everything that was done during the crisis caused by the pandemic showed that the system is ready for such challenges.
"We could not have achieved these results without the help of our partners: the UNICEF Office in Montenegro, UNDP, UNESCO, ETF, British Council, EIB, CEB, as well as the selfless help of foreign embassies". Sehovic said.
The resident coordinator of the UN system in Montenegro, Fiona McLooney, pointed out that during the crisis, the education system quickly managed to ensure the continuity of the educational process for children, adolescents and young people, and that the digital gap in the education system was reduced.
She said that these achievements will affect better readiness for future challenges.
McLuney emphasized the importance of inclusion, i.e. inclusion of all children in innovative models of education, as well as continuous work on teacher training.
At the meeting, a presentation was presented on the UčiDoma project, as a response of the education system to the crisis, and it was concluded that following the model of that successful project, it is necessary to take the next steps in the improvement of education, through regular coordination and participation of all relevant parties.
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