SIGNING CEREMONY ANNOUNCES NEW INVESTMENTS IN KINDERGARTENS – CLUSTER CENTERS

The First Vice-President of the Government of Serbia and the Minister of education, science and technological development Branko Ruzic today, with the ceremonial signing of the contract, announced the equipping of five new kindergartens – cluster centers in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pirot, Loznica and Cacak. The value of the contract is 21 million dinars, and the funds are provided as part of the Project “Inclusive Preschool Education”, which the Ministry is implementing in cooperation with the World Bank. The entire amount will be earmarked for the purchase of furniture, teaching aids and ICT equipment.

“Kindergartens – cluster centers are one of the measures by which we create conditions for improving the quality of pre-school education and provide support to educators and strengthen their competencies for the implementation of the program “Godine uzleta”, said Minister Branko Ruzic and announced that the Project also provided additional funds for equipping 107 preschool institutions with sets of low mobile furniture and ICT equipment in the amount of one million euros.

Professional visits of employees from other preschool institutions in Serbia will be organized in kindergartens – centers of the cluster, for the purpose of education, in order to ensure the further development of quality practice, exchange of experience and realization of one-day professional meetings. Educators from kindergartens – cluster centers are trained to conduct professional exchanges, and continuous professional support from the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy is provided.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development within the Project “Inclusive preschool education” provides support to peeschool institutions in the introduction and implementation of the new Foundations of preschool education and care “Godine uzleta”.

In addition to equipping kindergartens – cluster centers, the support includes training for 14.000 educators, mentoring support for 168 kindergartens, production and printing of six different manuals, worth 4.300.000 euros. In addition to the Project, the Ministry provides 11.000 new places for children in kindergartens throughout Serbia through the construction, extension and adaptation of kindergartens.