The educational community joined UNICEF's appeal to respect the measures of #HandDistanceMask and open schools as soon as possible, as well as to urgently start preparations for the new school year in consultation with all interested parties.
"We appeal to all citizens to respect the epidemiological measures so that schools and kindergartens work less online. We need to think about the psychological health of children and their education. It is crucial to plan the next school year well, especially taking into account the needs of students, the different possibilities of various schools, as well as the consequences long-term isolation and online learning. It is necessary to provide computer equipment for students and teachers, as well as adequate transportation to school and heating in all schools," said Olivera Leković from the Educational Community.
Her colleague Nikola Latković emphasized the need for all interested parties to actively participate in the development of the national education strategy so that the next school year would be more inclusive and have a better quality than this one.
Also, Latković believes that it is necessary to work on better communication of all factors of the educational process. He believes that it is necessary to provide better support for the socio-emotional development of children during and after the pandemic by replicating the excellent My Values and Virtues program developed with the support of UNICEF.
Mladen Živković from the Educational Union emphasized the readiness of this NGO to work together with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, parents, students, other teachers' associations, NGOs and relevant partners in order to better organize the next school year.
"Hundreds of teachers-members of the Educational Community all together bring thousands of years of experience in the classroom, which is a useful resource for any planning of educational processes and policies, especially during a crisis when teachers are innovative designers of educational interventions every day," said Živković.
His colleague Nada Milović believes that better support should be provided, among other things, to talented students, especially those from marginalized families.
"Better cooperation with parents is needed, because often talented children lack motivation and support from parents who often face poverty," explained Milović.
The educational community calls for providing better support for the learning and development of children in every local community through the organization of a greater number of free extracurricular and school activities such as debate clubs, foreign language schools, creative writing workshops, comics, media literacy, etc.
The head of the UNICEF representative office in Montenegro, Juan Santander, said that schools exist because of children, but also that they cannot exist without teachers. Therefore, he states, it is necessary to actively involve all interested parties, especially teachers, students and parents, in the preparations for the new school year. All of them should promote compliance with #HandDistanceMask measures so that schools and kindergartens are open.
"The best education systems are based on the excellent quality of their teachers who provide a safe and motivating work environment where innovation is welcome. We must ensure that all children return to school safely and receive the necessary support for learning and socio-emotional development, and that teachers get better support during the next school year," Santander said.
The education community and UNICEF will continue to support the national education system by identifying the best ways to improve the quality of education for every child in Montenegro.
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