History

Centre for Education Policy (CEP) was founded in 2005 within the Alternative Academic Educational Network (AAEN). In the beginning, the activities of CEP were directed at the area of educational reform and development, which was in compliance with AAEN mission and goals, but very soon there was a need for a much wider range of activities. For that reason, in February 2007, CEP was registered as an independent legal entity, i.e. as the association of citizens, and it continued with and expanded the activities of AAEN.

The history of CEP can be shown in three phases:

  • Phase I: The Alternative Academic Educational Network (1998-2005)
  • Phase II: CEP within AAEN (2005-2007)
  • Phase III: CEP as an independent legal entity - the association of citizens (since 2007)

Phase I

The Alternative Academic Educational network (AAEN) was founded in September 1998, as a reaction of a part of the academic community in Serbia to the repressive Law on University that had been passed by the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in May 1998.
AAEN carried out numerous activities, the most important of which are:

  • postgraduate education programmes;
  • international conferences on higher education;
  • publishing activities;
  • administering the UNESCO Chair for Higher Education Governance and Management.

You can find out more about AAEN, as well as about the aforementioned activities, at the AAEN's presentation.

Phase II

During 2005, a group of young experts in the area of higher education reform, who had already been engaged in AAEN, got together and founded CEP. The reason for founding CEP within AAEN was primarily the need to expand activities from the area of higher education (which was primary and, for a while, the only area of AAEN activities) onto all levels of education. Besides, CEP is more focused on education policy and research in the area of education, unlike AAEN which directed its activities at the implementation of specific educational programmes.

During this phase of development, CEP carried out a number of activities in the area of curriculum development, research of various higher education issues, cooperation with other similar research centres in the country and abroad, publishing etc. It also provided further education to its associates.

Phase III

AAEN undoubtedly gave considerable contribution to the development of higher education in Serbia. However, in the process of accomplishing the goals of CEP, there were some obstacles that reduced the efficiency of the activities within AAEN. First of all, the mission and goals of AAEN were too narrow. Besides, the area of interest and activities that was limited almost only to higher education could not help CEP to fully develop its activities on other levels of education. CEP soon developed its organizational structure that outgrew the outdated structure of AAEN. For these reasons, in February 2007, CEP was registered as the association of citizens, thus becoming an independent legal entity.