The Ministry of Education supported the initiative of the Media Institute (IMCG) to introduce the subject of media literacy in elementary schools and enable children to learn from 2022/2023. during the school year, they manage the information they get from the Internet more responsibly and with better quality, the Institute announced.
The organization said that in response to the initiative of IMCG and the National Coalition for Media Literacy to introduce an optional subject of media literacy, the Ministry announced on Thursday that such a plan exists for primary schools from the 2022/2023 school year. , which is a shift in relation to the existing state.
It is stated that the Ministry Institute, as the initiator, directed the relevant decision-makers in the Institute for Education and the National Council for General Education to find a way to make media education available to students of secondary vocational schools.
"Convinced that education should not be the privilege of any group, and that the authorities realize that educational policies should follow the spirit of the times in which media literacy is one of the elementary skills, IMCG approached the Institute for Education in July with the initiative to make media literacy compulsory optional subject in all primary and secondary schools in Montenegro," said the Institute.
They added that currently, only high school students can choose that subject, which is only 30 percent of the high school population.
The Institute explained that according to the procedure, the final word on the initiative to introduce the subject will be given by the National Council for Education, taking into account the opinion of the Institute for Education.
"IMCG hopes that these institutions recognize that media education is the answer to technological progress, general digitization and a strong increase in the amount of information (infodemic) and expresses the expectation that they will soon formalize the principle plan and make a decision on the introduction of the elective subject media literacy in all basic, but and secondary vocational schools", they state from IMCG.
In that organization, they believe that such a decision is a chance to make young people, "digital natives", more ready for the challenges that come from the Internet and to more skillfully and responsibly manage the huge amount of information they are exposed to today, regardless of which education they choose and what they will do. to deal with in the future.
"By introducing the subject of media literacy in all schools, Montenegro would be positioned among those countries that strategically reflect on the challenges of the digital society, such as campaigns of lies, misinformation, hate speech, which abound on media platforms, and would respond with education, not bans and restrictions on human rights and freedoms," said IMCG.
The institute, as they said, together with a group of enthusiasts, professors of high schools, universities, representatives of educational institutions, journalists, civil activists, has been working for years to strengthen media education.
The Institute thanked everyone for their selfless commitment to a more educated and capable society.
"We owe our gratitude to the EU and the USA, which continuously through various programs support the strengthening of professional journalism and critical awareness among citizens," said IMCG.
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