In the presence of the Minister of Education, Ph.D. Slavica DJukic Dejanovic, the head of the World Bank office in Serbia, Nikola Pontara, and the president of the municipality of Sid, Zoran Semenovic, the newly built kindergarten in Sid was officially opened today. The new facility, whose construction cost 131 million dinars and covers an area of about 1,100 square meters, will be able to accommodate 140 new children, who will be divided into seven educational groups. The kindergarten was built on schedule, in just 12 months.

6 million dinars were set aside for equipping the new “Roda” kindergarten with didactic materials and furniture, and van transportation was organized for all children from the territory of the municipality of Sid who live in rural and rural areas.

Today we are opening a new kindergarten for another 140 children. It will be the fourth facility of this institution in the city area, which together with kindergartens in 17 rural areas will form a network of preschool institutions that open their doors to the children of this local government. The goal of the Ministry of Education is to increase the coverage of children in preschool upbringing and education, not only through the construction and increase of capacities, but also through training and raising the competencies of employees. In this way, we nurture educational forms and children of this time so that they are prepared and equipped for the future, which we will be particularly proud of. There is no better goal than investing in children. That’s why, with the support of the World Bank, we are building and upgrading kindergartens and thereby providing another 11,000 new places for children throughout Serbia,” said the Minister of Education.

Nikola Pontara, director of the World Bank Office in Serbia, pointed out that we are particularly proud to open the new Roda kindergarten in Sid.

“This is one of the successful examples of cooperation between the World Bank and the Ministry of Education of Serbia within the Project of Inclusive Preschool Education. We are delighted that the children will be able to spend their school days in pleasant conditions and make the most of their learning experiences. Investing in early childhood development and education is one of the smartest things a country can do. Attending preschool has lifelong benefits for children – it lays a strong foundation for their intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. Children who attend preschool perform better academically, enjoy higher lifetime incomes, and are less likely to exhibit behavioral problems. Quality early childhood education is also a very powerful tool to fight poverty and inequality and to build human capital for the future,” said Pontara.

“The newly built facility of Preschool “Jelica Stanivukovic Silja” of over 1,000 square meters intended for 140 children who will stay there, is one of the most important projects that, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Education, we have realized in the past period, not only the value of the completed works of over 130 million dinars, but also for the importance that the existence of such an object has for parents of preschool children. They will now be able to carefree leave their little ones in the care and education of professionals and devote themselves to their duties and work, and the other objects of the preschool institution will, after a long time, be relieved. This is a big day for the municipality of Sid and its citizens,” said Zoran Semenovic, president of the municipality of Sid.

The construction of the new facility in Sid, which began in September 2022, is part of the broader cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the World Bank, which is implemented as part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” program. This project is dedicated to increasing the capacity of preschool institutions across Serbia by 11,000 new places, as well as improving preschool education and care through the introduction of the New Fundamentals program and through the education of professional staff and mentoring support and training for educators. An important aspect of the program is the inclusion of children from the earliest age. This project includes 23 buildings, and the value of the investment is 47 million euros.

You can see the photos here.

Minister of Education Ph.D. Slavica DJukic Dejanovic, on September 11, 2023, visited the “Dr. Simo Milosevic” preschool, the “Zemunski Biser” kindergarten, which is the center of the cluster in the Program of Support for Preschool Institutions in the Implementation of the Foundations of the Preschool Education Program – “Godine Uzleta“, and awarded them a Certificate of Appreciation to support the horizontal learning of practitioners within the model Joint learning by modeling.

Minister Slavica DJukic Dejanovic, Ph.D., visited the kindergarten with Nikola Pontara, director of the World Bank office in Serbia, and Dejana Kostadinova, director of UNICEF in Serbia. During the tour of the kindergarten, she spoke with the children and teachers and expressed her satisfaction with the significant changes at the level of preschool upbringing and education, which were initiated by the introduction of the new program concept “Godine Uzleta”.

At the same time, as part of the 4th cycle of counseling of educational advisors, which is organized from the funds of component 2 of the project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care”, educational advisors from the school administrations of Zrenjanin, Novi Sad and Sombor visited the kindergarten throughout the day, in order to preparations for external evaluation of preschool institutions in accordance with the revised Quality Framework. The minister used the visit to greet the educational advisers and talk with them about their current and upcoming activities.

Zemun kindergarten is one of 5 kindergartens – cluster centers on the territory of the Republic of Serbia together with kindergartens in Cacak, Novi Sad, Loznica and Pirot. In order to strengthen these kindergartens for the implementation of one-day accredited professional meetings for colleagues – practitioners from other preschool institutions, the Institute of Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, within the Project, developed training for those responsible for the change of practice in preschool institutions, which was attended by all educators from of these kindergartens.

Also, through the project, these kindergartens are equipped with low mobile furniture, ICT equipment and didactic tools.

By June 2023, the Kindergarten “Zemunski Biser” was visited by about 330 educators, professional associates and directors from 32 preschool institutions from all over Serbia during 11 expert meetings. Visits to the kindergarten – a center of the cluster additionally empowered practitioners from other preschool institutions in developing quality practice in accordance with the Foundations of the program, but also practitioners from Zemun because they had the opportunity to learn together, through quality mutual professional exchanges.

The visits will continue in the period September – December 2023.

You can see the photos here.

In order to ensure that all children have access to quality, inclusive preschool upbringing and education, further systemic action, long-term investment, intersectoral coordination and motivated professionals to work with children are needed, is the conclusion of today’s conference where the results of support to preschool institutions in the introduction new Basis of preschool upbringing and education program “Godine Uzleta”.

Support to these institutions was provided through the four-year project of the Ministry of Education “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” financed by the World Bank, which was implemented in cooperation with competent state institutions, civil society organizations, the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and UNICEF.

The State Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Anamarija Vicek, pointed out that the Ministry, in cooperation with relevant organizations and partner institutions, is intensively working on implementing measures and activities that contribute to the expansion of children’s access to quality preschool education.

“We work on providing support to the family in fulfilling its educational function, strengthening the professional competencies of the professional staff, as well as improving cooperation with other relevant actors in providing social support to children and families, such as schools, cultural institutions, health care, social protection, local self-government and another. Our joint efforts and activities are aimed at building a system of preschool upbringing and education that will be accessible to all children and open to the family, other levels in the education system, the local and wider social community,” said State Secretary Anamarija Vicek.

Progress in the improvement of preschool upbringing and education was achieved through the construction and reconstruction of facilities, as well as by strengthening the capacity of professionals to implement a new approach focused on learning through play and quality relationships between children and adults. Also, the importance of learning at an early age was promoted, and improvements in terms of inclusiveness were achieved through grants to support the inclusion of children from vulnerable social groups.

One of the partners of the Ministry of Education in this project is UNICEF in Serbia, which in cooperation with the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade developed and implemented a support program for the implementation of a new approach focused on learning through play and quality relationships between children and adults. According to the data of the Final Study on the quality of work of preschool institutions, parents feel welcome and consider that kindergarten is a good place for children where friendship is encouraged and nurtured, but it is also a place for building quality relationships between children of different ages, as well as between children and adults.

The director of UNICEF in Serbia, Dejana Kostadinova, emphasized that equal access to quality, inclusive preschool education lays the foundation for a transformative path of education.

“Serbia has recognized and defined this through its strategic determinations and goals and through the strong commitment of the Government. And we’ve seen the positive effects of that. By applying innovative reforms guided by a new program concept, we contribute to ensuring that every child gets access to quality, inclusive preschool education. But there are also challenges on the solution of which it is necessary that we continue to work together, which includes ensuring the conditions for the equal participation of children from sensitive social groups, especially Roma and children with developmental disabilities. What is needed is further systemic action, since sustainable reform requires strong institutions, motivated professionals, cross-sector coordination and cooperation,” said Dejana Kostadinova, Director of UNICEF in Serbia.

The World Bank, together with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, supports Serbia’s efforts to improve children’s cognitive skills during early childhood, which is the key to building the country’s human capital and workforce productivity.

Investing in children’s early education is one of the smartest things a country can do. It is an investment that brings better results in learning, health and behavior for every child,” said Nikola Pontara, Director of the World Bank Office for Serbia. ‚‚We are delighted that we are able to improve access to quality early childhood education and that both teachers and families are involved in the process, so that children feel empowered, feel understood by others and feel free to learn actively and flexibly in an interactive environment.”

The new program concept supports children’s learning in their natural situations – daily routines, play and research. For the implementation of this approach, more than 95 percent of all professionals employed in public and private preschool institutions and elementary schools were trained, while employees in public institutions received support through mentoring and horizontal exchange. Equally important is support for connecting with professionals from primary education through training “On the common path of learning” in order to ensure the continuity of support for children and families.

You can see the photos here.

Minister of Education, Ph.D., Slavica DJukic Dejanovic, and the president of the municipality of Petrovac na Mlavi, Dusko Nedinic, ceremonially laid the foundation stone today for the construction of a new kindergarten in Petrovac na Mlava. The new facility will provide 200 new places for children in this municipality and will cover approximately 1350 m2. The Ministry of Education allocated over 184 million dinars for the construction, and it is expected to be completed in the next 12 months.

“The Ministry of Education is resolutely continuing to invest in the preschool education system because we firmly believe that, in this way, we are investing in the future. This is not only the foundation for a new facility but the foundation for a better tomorrow,” said Ph.D. Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.

The Minister emphasized that the Inclusive Preschool Upbringing and Education project, implemented in cooperation with local self-government and with the support of the World Bank, provides the opportunity for every child to grow, learn, and develop in a stimulating environment that will enable them to reach their full potential.

“By building another facility, we are investing in the future of our youngest, and at the same time, we are providing support to their parents,” she said.

Contracts for the financing and construction of a new kindergarten in Petrovac na Mlava were signed in July 2023 at the Ministry of Education.

“Today, in this place, we are literally laying the foundation stone for the future because every project that concerns children and the youngest is an investment in the future. Today, we are starting to solve the decade-long problem of our fellow citizens with waiting lists, and I would add that an equally important aspect of this project is the increase in children’s coverage of preschool education. Every child has the right to unhindered access to preschool education, as an important part of the educational and social process, and that’s exactly what we are providing with the new kindergarten,” said the president of the municipality of Petrovac na Mlavi, Dusko Nedinic, on this occasion.

He pointed out that today proves that all the effort, hard work, and perseverance invested in the fight for better conditions and the future of our youngest fellow citizens were not in vain, and we could not be happier and prouder for that.

“We are grateful to the President of the Republic of Serbia, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the Ministry of Education for their support and understanding of the problem we were facing, but also for everything else they do to improve the education sector in our municipality. This is a historic day for the municipality of Petrovac na Mlavi,” he added.

The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the World Bank, is implementing the construction, extension, adaptation, and equipping of existing facilities on the territory of Serbia as part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project. The implementation of this project, worth 47 million euros, will provide 11,000 new places for children in the preschool education system. The project, in addition to expanding capacity and building preschool institutions, pays special attention to improving the knowledge and skills of professional staff through mentoring support and training for around 12,000 educators. An important aspect of the program is the inclusion of children from the earliest age, as well as the sensitization of the general public and the education of parents about the importance of early development and early inclusion.

The delivery of toys and teaching aids to kindergartens started this week (with a total value of EUR 75,000 per purchase for 5 kindergartens) and is expected to be completed during August 2023. These are articles that should enable the structuring and use of kindergarten space in accordance with the new program concept and the creation of preconditions for the quality realization of one-day professional exchanges of practitioners from different preschool institutions during the implementation of the model.

Within the framework of component 2 of the project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” implemented by the Ministry of Education and Development with funds from the World Bank loan, the Support Program for the Implementation of the New Foundations of Preschool Education and Care “Godine uzleta” was developed and implemented. In addition to trainings, mentoring support, and the creation of manuals and guides, two models of horizontal learning and exchange were developed to support the improvement of the competencies of practitioners: the model of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) and the model of Joint Learning by Modeling (JLM).

Within the model of Joint learning through modeling developed by the Institute of Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, 5 kindergartens from preschool institutions in Novi Sad, Zemun, Cacak, Loznica and Pirot were chosen to be cluster centers where, for the purpose of education and horizontal organize professional visits of employees from other preschool institutions in Serbia:

PU “Radosno detinjstvo” Novi Sad, Kindergarten “Kalimero”

PU “Bambi” Loznica, Kindergarten “Bambi”

PU “Dr. Sima Milosevic” Zemun, kindergarten “Zemunski biser”

PU “Moje detinjstvo” Cacak, Kindergarten “Mladost”

PU “Cika Jova Zmaj” Pirot, Kindergarten “Lane”

In order to support the cluster centers for the further development of quality practice, the exchange of examples of good practice in the application of the new program concept and the realization of one-day expert meetings for colleagues from other preschool institutions:

– training was developed, accredited and implemented for 90 practitioners from these kindergartens (for conducting and moderating professional exchanges);

– continuous professional support is provided;

– activities are carried out in connection with the additional equipping of kindergartens-cluster centers with low mobile furniture, information and communication technology and didactics (on the basis of the examined needs of kindergartens and in consultation with the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy, UNICEF and the Ministry, the technical specifications of the equipment were drawn up and carried out market research for all three acquisitions).

In the previous period, deliveries of ICT equipment and low-mobile furniture were already made to the mentioned kindergartens, which are the centers of the cluster (with a total value of EUR 90,000 per purchase for 5 kindergartens).

The additional equipment of the cluster centers significantly contributes to the improvement of the quality of professional support to practitioners in the development of different models of joint learning and exchange, and thus to the improvement of the quality of educational practice in preschool institutions in Serbia.

You can see the photos here.