MoE: Training will be organized at the Police Academy for security guards employed in educational institutions

Specialized training for security guards employed in educational institutions, with a focus on working and communicating with children and young people, will be organized at the Police Academy, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MESI) announced.

This was reportedly agreed upon at a meeting between the relevant minister, Anđela Jakšić Stojanović, and the director of the Police Directorate, Lazar Šćepanović.

The Ministry of National Defense said that the goal of the meeting was to intensify cooperation between that government department and the Police Directorate.

The statement states that the meeting analyzed the Report on the Engagement of Security Guards in Educational Institutions, which the Institute for Education conducted through a survey among school principals.

"It was agreed that additional specialized training for security guards will be organized at the Police Academy, with a focus on working and communicating with children and young people, as particularly sensitive and vulnerable categories," the statement said.

As stated by the Ministry of National Education, a special segment of the meeting was dedicated to strengthening preventive activities in schools through the organization of educational workshops and lectures by Police Directorate officers.

It is added that the lectures will cover key topics such as the prevention of peer violence, cybersecurity - recognizing and protecting against digital threats and abuse, and raising awareness about the risks of drug abuse.

The Ministry of Education and Science said that the topic of the meeting was joint and coordinated action to prevent and combat forged and false diplomas, with special emphasis on the work of the Commission recognized by the Law on Recognition of Foreign Documents and Equalization of Qualifications, as well as its responsibilities for the coming period.

"In the coming period, cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Police Directorate will be further strengthened through the reform of the higher education program at the Police Academy, which seeks to raise the quality of police education and adapt it to modern social and security challenges," the MoESI statement concludes.