The Minister of Education, Science, and Technological Development decided that the professional development program for employees in preschool education entitled: On the common path of Learning will receive the status of a program of public interest.

Online training for professional associates and teachers from primary schools On a common learning path, developed by consultants hired by UNICEF with expertise in the field of preschool and primary school education – professors of the college for teacher education and the faculty of teachers, as well as the expert associate of the psychologist of the preschool institution in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (Group for preschool education and education and the unit for managing the project Inclusive preschool education and care), the Institute for the Improvement of education and care and the Office of UNICEF in Belgrade, and through a consultative process in which professional associates and teachers from primary schools participated.

The aim of the online training On a common path of Learning is to empower professional associates and teachers in primary schools to strengthen the partnership between the two levels of the education system (preschool and primary school) through understanding the changes in preschool education and care (introduction of the new Foundations of PVO program, Godine uzleta), stronger connection and recognition of common values ​​in building support for children and families during the transition from kindergarten to school.

Specific goals:

1. Empowerment of professional associates and teachers in primary schools to support children and families in the period of transition from preschool to primary school and develop a partnership relationship with the family.

2. Acquaintance of professional associates in primary schools with the concept, starting points, and key concepts of the basis of the PVO “Godine uzleta” program.

3. Motivating professional associates in primary schools to promote the school as a place of research and learning for children of preschool and school age.

After completing the training, participants are expected to:

• be familiar with the changes brought by the new Basics of the “Godine uzleta” PVO program and share the acquired knowledge with other actors in the school (teachers, principals, students, parents) to achieve continuity in educational work;

• have a more complete insight into the needs and dilemmas of children and families in the process of transition from kindergarten to school by the specifics of the environment/concrete conditions in which these institutions work;

• have insight into successful examples of activities from practice that support the transition of children and families from one level of the education system to another;

• can organize actions to establish, nurture and improve partnership relations to support children and families when transitioning from kindergarten to school;

• be able to, in cooperation with other actors in this process, create a Draft Action Plan for supporting children and families during the transition from kindergarten to primary school.

The training covers the following thematic units:

1. Basic points of departure The basis of the program – Godine uzleta

2. Competencies for lifelong learning

3. Key terms from the basics of the PVO “Godine uzleta” program

4. Project approach to learning and project teaching

5. Monitoring and documenting the learning and development of preschool and school-age children through a portfolio

6. Support for children and families during the transition from kindergarten to school

7. Support for implementation and transfer of training

a) Final task: Drafting an action plan for supporting children and families during the transition from kindergarten to primary school.

The project was planned to include 1,300 professional associates from elementary schools. So far, 2,743 professional associates and teacher council coordinators from all elementary schools have completed the training.

The new training cycle is being organized in cooperation with the Association of Teachers of the Republic of Serbia and will include an additional 1,100 teachers. The beginning of implementation of the training is planned for Monday, August 21. and the training is carried out for three weeks entirely in an online environment.

As part of the project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care”, activities related to the improvement of digital competencies of professionals in the system of Preschool Education and Care are carried out.

The Center for Teaching Improvement “Abakus” in Belgrade developed a program to support the development of digital competencies of practitioners in preschool institutions. This support program includes programmed unmoderated online training, mentoring support, and horizontal learning for preschool staff.

The online training “Support for the development of digital competencies of practitioners in preschool institutions” was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Institute for the Improvement of Education, and the Center for the Improvement of Teaching “Abakus”.

The training is based on the Framework of Digital Competences of Preschool Teachers and Guidelines for the Application of Digital Technology in Preschool (2022 MPNTR, ZVKOV, ZUOV, CIP-Center for Interactive Pedagogy).

The organizer of the training is the Institute for the Improvement of education and upbringing, the training is implemented on the distance learning platform of the Institute for the Improvement of education and upbringing ZUOVEDU: https://obuke.zuov.gov.rs/.

Certificates of completed training programs will be issued by the Institute for the Advancement of Education in electronic form through the online application: http://sertifikati.zuov-katalog.rs/

The aim of the online training to Support the development of digital competencies of practitioners in preschool institutions is to empower educators, professional associates, and directors in preschool institutions in the application of digital technologies to improve the quality of the preschool institution’s work and support the child’s well-being.

In the Regulations on the conditions for establishing, starting work, and performing the activities of a preschool institution (“Official Gazette of the RS – Education Gazette”, no. 1/2019 and 16/2022) it was stated for the first time that it is necessary to plan that the rooms for educators have a desktop /laptop computer and printer. Accordingly, through the project, 112 preschool institutions were additionally equipped with sets of ICT equipment (laptop, multifunction device, web camera).

Supporting the development of digital competencies of educators, starting from initial education to continuous professional development, is one of the strategic goals of the education system of the Republic of Serbia in the coming period. According to the Law on the Basics of the Education and Training System, digital competence represents “the confident and critical use of information and communication technologies for work, rest and communication.” In the Rulebook on competency standards for the teacher profession and its professional development, competency is “based on the creative application and re-examination of professional knowledge, skills, and values ​​in a changing social and educational context”, which is especially important in the domain of digital competence, due to intensive technological development. Competences, including digital ones, represent a set of integrated knowledge, skills, and values, applicable in many situations and contexts, multifunctional to achieve multiple goals, solve different problems, and perform different types of tasks. (Framework of digital competencies of preschool teachers, group of authors, March 2022).

Specific training objectives:

● Acquaintance of educators, professional associates, and directors with modern digital technologies and online environments;

● Empowering educators, professional associates, and directors of PU to improve the quality of work both in direct work with children and in all areas of the practitioner’s professional activity by applying techniques of successful communication in the online environment;

● Support educators, professional associates, and directors in the process of continuous professional training and professional development.

After completing the training, participants will be able to:

 ● use modern digital means and tools, online environments for work, exchange, and learning; as well as mechanisms for communication.

● improve their daily work process by using digital devices and tools.

The training lasts 16 hours with a weekly workload that does not exceed 8 hours per participant.

The training was done on the Moodle platform.

The training covers the following thematic units:

1. Use of digital devices

2. Digital environment

3. Creation of digital content

4. Communication and cooperation in the digital environment

The training is intended for educators, nurse educators, special education teachers, professional associates, and directors of PU.

In the period May August 2023, the training “Supporting the development of digital competencies of practitioners in preschool institutions” is being implemented for 12,000 professionals from public PU.

The trainings are carried out in several cycles:

● Initial group of coordinators and mentors: A total of 245 participants on the portal, and 95% of participants completed the training

● First cycle – mentored participants: a total of 3,296 participants were registered for the training, 90% completed the training, and the rest of the participants are processing the content.

● Second cycle: it is realized through 5 rounds and so far a total of 8357 participants have been registered. Enrolled participants are processing the planned contents, registrations are not yet closed and new colleagues are joining the online training until the end of the week.

Currently, 11,898 professionals from PU are included in the training, but the registration of new participants is still ongoing.

In a series of events held on the occasion Day of City, the second Parenting Fair was held in Loznica on the 14th of June.

Inspired by last year’s successfully organized Parenting Fair, which was held as part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project,  and recognizing the importance of such an event, representatives of the local self-government and local institutions decided to independently organize the Fair this year, to the joy of parents and children.

On behalf of the City, the head of the Department for Social Activities, Tanja Glisic Matic, opened the program, said that “parenthood is the most beautiful and responsible profession in the world” after which children and parents had the opportunity to participate in numerous fun and educational workshops, such as workshops on the topic of health and healthy eating, but also in art, music and dance workshops and a sports school.

The goal of every socially responsible project is to design activities that will ensure the permanent realization of well-being for those it is intended for, in this case, families with children, by establishing a foundation for good practice even after the end of the project.

The project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” implemented by the Ministry of Education is well on its way to achieving that goal.

Six fairs organized by the Project and a fair organized by the City of Loznica and the City of Zrenjanin, which implements the grant program, announce the holding of this beautiful and useful event for next week.

You can see photos from the fair here.

You can watch the video from the Parenting Fair here.

The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Institute for the Improvement of Education and Training (ZUOV) and with the support of the Inclusive preschool education and care project, organized a new training cycle for 55 directors of public preschool institutions (PU).

Previously, during 2020 and 2021, several trainings were conducted, which 125 directors passed, which earned them the right to take the license exam.

The goal of the training program is to enable candidates to acquire directorial competencies by the rulebook that prescribes competency standards for directors of education and training institutions.

The Rulebook on the training program and taking the exam for the license for the director of an education and training institution (“Official Gazette of the RS”, number 63/18) regulates the training program by the director’s competency standards, the exam program, the method and procedure of taking the exam, the composition and working methods of the commission of the ministry responsible for education, i.e. the competent body of the autonomous province before which the exam for the director is taken, the content and appearance of the license form for the director, the content and method of keeping the register of issued licenses for the director, remuneration for the work of the members of the commission and other questions related to the examination and obtaining a director’s license.

By the Rulebook, a training program for PU directors was prepared. Training modules (directly through interactive workshops and distance learning) were developed in partnership with the Ministry, ZUOVA, UNICEF, and CIP-Center for Interactive Pedagogy. The activity was implemented as part of the project “Protection of children from violence and discrimination in the educational system”, which is carried out in partnership with MPNTR, UNICEF, and CIP – Center for Interactive Pedagogy, and is part of a joint project of UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA and UNDP, in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, led by the organization the Coordination Body for Gender Equality (Integrated response to violence against women and girls in Serbia II)

By mastering the Training Program, the candidate prepares to take the exam for obtaining a license for the director of educational institutions, and the training is a condition for taking the exam.

The training program is implemented in 3 parts: 2 + 2 days of standard training (directly, at a distance, or combined, in a group of participants) + 9 days of distance learning (individual).

The first two days of the training program for taking the license exam for a group of 55 principals were realized on April 19 and 20 in Zlatibor, and on that occasion, the principals dealt with the following topics: Preschool culture as a function of building quality; Towards a stimulating and safe preschool environment; Respect for diversity, equality, and fairness; Child protection – encouraging learning and development; Kindergarten for every child – development of inclusive policy and practice; Planning and programming based on data and research; Leadership and change management in the context of preschool institutions; Preparation of candidates for planning and conducting research in educational practice.

The other two training days were held on June 6 and 7, 2023, also in Zlatibor. The topics of the interactive workshops were:

What is quality in preschool education and care – the perspective of employees, children, and parents; How do we ensure the participation of parents and community members in the life and work of the institution; Support for children and families from vulnerable groups; Effective strategies and skills in the function of quality cooperation with significant actors; Leadership of the director of the institution: delegation of tasks and group discussion as a way of working in the institution; Instructive – pedagogical insight into the immediate work of employees in the function of improving and changing practice; How to ensure that records and reporting are of high quality; Director’s professional portfolio as preparation for the licensure exam and study guide.

Participants will attend 9 days of online training in the summer months.

The general impression of both participants and training leaders is that the training took place in a pleasant, working atmosphere and quality exchange through joint learning and understanding of relevant topics. The training participants highly rated the content and implementation of the training. In the training evaluation questionnaires, they say that they got more than expected. They especially emphasized the importance of connecting relevant topics with the practical work of directors of preschool institutions.

You can see the photos here.

Acting Minister of Education Djordje Milicevic and Mayor of Loznica Vidoje Petrovic visited the newly built “Kolibri” kindergarten in Loznica on June 13, where 270 new places for children will be provided.

Milicevic said that by expanding the capacity of kindergartens, support is provided to parents and local self-government, while our youngest, especially those from socially sensitive groups, are provided with adequate upbringing and education as a basis for a happy childhood, and therefore a better future.

“By building a new facility, we are continuing the implementation of our educational policy, which aims to increase the coverage of children through preschool education and education,” he said.

The mayor of Loznica, Vidoje Petrovic, emphasized the importance of this project.

“This is one of a series of extremely important projects that have been realized in our city precisely thanks to the support of our state, the Government, the relevant ministry, and the City of Loznica. Loznica is a city that is rapidly and strongly developing. Loznica is the city of the future. The construction of this building in the preschool institution “Bambi” is an opportunity for all of us to send a strong national message, regardless of whether it is an important message to the people, regardless of whether it is an important message,” he said.

The new building covers an area of ​​1,840 square meters and slightly more than 119 million dinars were allocated for its construction. About 12 million dinars were set aside for equipping the newly built “Kolibri” kindergarten with didactic material and furniture, while about 2 million dinars were set aside for ICT furniture and equipment.

Construction and furnishing of a new building, within the framework of preschool education.

The construction and equipping of a new facility within the “Bambi” Preschool in Loznica is part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project, which is implemented by the Ministry of Education with the support of the World Bank, and aims to improve the availability, quality, and conditions of preschool education. Accordingly, the project pays special attention to the improvement of preschool education and education through the introduction of the New Basics program of PVO “Godine uzleta”, as well as to the improvement of the knowledge and skills of professional staff.

As part of his visit to Loznica, the Acting Minister of Education, Djordje Milicevic also visited the “Bambi” kindergarten, which is the center of the cluster in the Preschool Institutions Support Program in the implementation of the new Foundations of Preschool Education and Care Program – Godine uzleta, and awarded them a Certificate of Appreciation for supporting the horizontal learning of practitioners within the Joint Learning through Modeling model.

In order for the kindergarten centers of the cluster to be able to establish and develop quality practice, but also to strengthen their competencies to realize one-day accredited professional meetings for colleagues from other preschool institutions, the Institute of Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade is part of the Inclusive Preschool Education project, developed a training for those responsible for changing practices in preschool institutions, which was attended by all teachers from this kindergarten.

Also, through the project, this kindergarten was equipped with low-mobility furniture at the value of 1,735,945.00 dinars and ICT equipment at a value of 1,679,500.00 dinars.

Since January 2023, the “Bambi” kindergarten has been visited by about 300 educators, professional associates, and directors from 30 preschool institutions during 10 professional meetings.

Bearing in mind that educators learn best through high-quality professional exchange with fellow practitioners, visits to the Bambi kindergarten additionally empowered colleagues from other preschool institutions to develop high-quality practice by the Basics of the program.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the World Bank has been implementing the “Inclusive preschool education and care” project worth 47 million euros. This project will cover 23 facilities, and more than 13,000 educators have gone through mentoring support and training so far. An important aspect of the program is the inclusion of children from the earliest age, as well as the sensitization and education of parents on this issue. It is planned that the project will be implemented by the end of March 2024.

You can see the photos here.