The State Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, Dragan Bojović, said that the results, according to which Montenegrin students performed worse in the PISA test in 2022 than in 2018, were discouraging and that there was no reason to be satisfied.
In Boje jutra on TV Vijesti, he said that urgent measures are needed for the recovery of the education system. "We must carry out reforms, but not spontaneous, unsystematized ones," he emphasized.
Bojović mentioned yesterday that the minister initiated the initiative to implement the NTC learning system in our schools. He said that this is one of the measures that should be adopted.
The NTC learning system is a program of activities aimed at developing the motor and cognitive abilities of children in preschool and school age.
"Of course, the NTC system, along with certain other educations, which would imply that, for example, 20 teachers and educators should be trained for one period, say from half a year, in these new ways and systems of knowledge transfer, which would imply that certain cognitive and motor skills should be strengthened in children," Bojović said.
The second measure, as he stated, is that the analysis and changes of curricula should be urgently started.
He said that, as one of the shortcomings, he noticed that the number of classes in key subjects - mathematics and other scientific subjects - was being reduced.
He assessed that the students were not motivated enough for the last PISA test. "The entire system is responsible. We should have pointed out the importance of this testing and what it means for the educational system of Montenegro," he emphasized.
Bojović, when asked whether students will be banned from using mobile phones in schools, said that it should be discussed seriously.
Mirjana Radulović, professor of Montenegrin language and literature, said that the problem is complex and that it is not "from yesterday".
She pointed out, among other things, that the schools are not equipped with digital devices, are overbooked, that they have shifts that "go against rationality".
She emphasized that the biggest problem is the lack of staff. "At the labor office, we don't have professors of physics, chemistry, we have biologists, but the Faculty of Biotechnology is extremely difficult to complete... Educator is a profession that has been scorned by others," she said.
When asked why "the shine of Luča fades" on the PISA test, she said that the grades are quite unrealistic and that students study only for grades, not for knowledge. "Parents are also a big factor, and they don't help educators very much," she added.
Maja Lalić Kovaćević, coordinator of the education program at Unicef, said that the greatest responsibility rests with policy makers, but that the responsibility also rests with other links and participants in the education system, school administrations, school staff, parents, local communities, the media...
"The next reform needs to be designed together, to be based on the findings of the analysis of the education sector from last year, which was done as a joint venture of Unicef and the Ministry of Education, and which gave key recommendations for improving the system," she said.
She emphasized that there are no quick solutions, because they are not sustainable. She said that the results of the latest PISA tests are alarming.
"A comprehensive education reform must be started as soon as possible, and that is what we will do together. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, with the support of UNICEF and the EU Delegation in Montenegro, will prepare a comprehensive strategy for education reform next year, for a period of 10 year, which should set the vision of our system - what kind of education system do we want to have, with what knowledge do we want children to leave kindergarten, primary and secondary school, and clearly define the goals of education and ways to reach those goals," she said.
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