ARISE: Action for Reducing Inequalities in Education
“ARISE: Action for Reducing Inequalities in Education” is a regional project implemented in Albania, Bosna and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey and funded by the European Commission. The aim of the project is to support inclusion of students with low socio-economic status (SES) by building national and regional partnerships of civil society organisations from six beneficiaries to engage in advocacy and constructive policy dialogue with governments, raise awareness among education stakeholders and pilot interventions targeting low SES students at school level. CEP, together with partner organisation from Turkey (ERI), is responsible for the policy analysis in the area of education, social care and health care and the research component of the project and will develop research methodology which will be applied in all beneficiaries. National researchers will conduct desk review and field data collection through focus group interviews with relevant stakeholders from systems of education, social care and health care. As main outputs of this component, national reports and policy briefs in the area of education, social care and health care will be produced, while CEP and ERI will develop a comparative report providing a clear picture of existing policies and current trends. CEP is also responsible for all project activities taking place in Serbia and will take part in activities related to policy outreach and advocacy on the national level, and in learning activities dedicated to partner organisations. In addition, CEP will be providing support to grassroots organisations and mentor support to selected schools in Serbia in implementation of school development programme.
Together in transition - Support to Children from Vulnerable Groups in Transition to Secondary Education (Second Phase)
This project presents the second phase of the project “Together in transition - Support to Children from Vulnerable Groups in Transition to Secondary Education” (2017-2019), which was implemented in 10 primary schools with the aim to increase the number of students from vulnerable groups who continue their education at the secondary level. Therefore, the project is based on experiences of 10 primary schools and the evaluation results of the first phase, which showcased that the project achieved significant results, and that there is a need to involve secondary schools and other local actors in order to ensure successful transition to secondary education and its completion. That is why the second project phase included those secondary schools which primary schools the from the first project phase cooperate the most with, as well as the local actors from their communities. The project includes implementation of three components - strengthening capacities of 10 primary schools for quality teaching and learning of students from vulnerable groups in transition to secondary education, strengthening capacities of 10 secondary schools for providing support to students, as well as strengthening capacities of local actors to understand, identify and support students from vulnerable groups in overcoming challenges they face in their educational paths. Project is being implemented in schools from Aleksinac, Becej, Bor, Zabalj, Knjazevac, Leskovac, Nis, Novi Sad, Surdulica, and Cuprija.
Within the programme “Quality Education for All (Quality Ed – Serbia)”, Council of Europe is implementing project that is built upon on the results of the project “Fostering a democratic school culture in schools in Serbia” (2017-2019). New project objective is to foster quality education by supporting schools and local communities in their efforts to fight prejudges and discrimination towards vulnerable groups, as well as violence in schools. Centre for Education Policy (CEP) provides team of local experts who deliver support to Council of Europe in local implementation of the mentioned project, i.e. in schools. Network of 20 pilot schools established within the previous project will serve as a base for sharing good practices and providing mentorship for new schools. CEP will continue to support 20 pilot schools from the previous project in designing and implementation of schools’ action plans as well as in building capacities of employees. In addition, CEP will support mentors, teachers and professional associates from 20 pilot schools, in sharing their practices towards new 40 schools. This project will, same as previous, utilise the CoE Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture in order to provide systematic support on two levels – school level, including their local communities and the level od education policy.
Support in Development and Establishment of the National Model of Dual Education
The project ‘Support in development and establishment of the National Model of Dual Education’ has objective to support Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and Commission for the development and implementation of dual education in the development of different reform related documents (e.g. bylaws, guidebooks for different stakeholders such as schools, parents, students, companies, etc.), the development of dual education monitoring and evaluation framework including accompanying instruments and in implementation of different research (e.g. research on stakeholders’ attitudes, challenges and good practices in implementation of the National Model of Dual Education, cost-benefit analyses for companies, etc.) in order to secure feasible implementation of the National Model of Dual Education in Serbia. Throughout all the project’s activities focus will be on the National Model of Dual Education aspects that are related to equity, access to education and relevance.
Within the project, Master plan for establishment and implementation of the National Model of Dual Education will be developed as a system tool for planning of complex reform processes, while one of the activities’ set will be dedicated to development of Communication strategy in order to secure better understanding on dual education notions by diverge target groups.
Research activities and activities related to Master plan are going to be implemented in cooperation with Swiss Economic Institute (KOF) of the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (ETH), Zurich.
ICE Club – Overcoming segregated multiculturalism: parents and teachers towards interculturalism
National Association of Parents and Teachers of Serbia, Fund for an Open Society and Centre for Education Policy are implementing project that has the aim of improving intercultural dimension of education in primary and secondary schools (strengthening openness towards cultural differences and intercultural values such as tolerance, solidarity and antidiscrimination) through activities conducted by the educational institutions and parents-teachers clubs in different municipalities/cities in Serbia. During the project, selected schools and parents-teachers clubs will unite and build their capacities for implementation of joint activities that aim at introduction of and enhancing intercultural activities into the education practice (through teaching and extracurricular activities). In order to achieve so, pairs of schools and parents-teachers clubs have been defined, which gained support in terms of grants for realisation of project ideas and mentorship. Good practice examples that foster intercultural learning, understanding and joint activities of different schools, families and local communities will be collected and promoted during the project.
Educational support in prevention of child marriages and dropout
The project is built on the results of the UNICEF project “Towards the prevention of child marriages” (2018-2019) and UNICEF and CEP joint efforts centered on reducing school drop-out. Namely, UNICEF and CEP developed Dropout prevention model (DPM), that was firstly piloted and then upgraded within the projects “Combating Early School Leaving in Serbia through effective drop-out prevention and intervention measures at the school level” (2014-2016) and “Establishing foundation for integrative approach to combating school dropout” (2017-2018).Project “Educational support in prevention of child marriages and dropout” involves stakeholders that were identified as crucial for project implementation i.e. Republic Institute for Social Protection. Project is implemented in schools from Pirot and Novi Becej, which continue to implement DPM with focus on prevention of child marriages, in cooperation with Roma NGOs, while in Belgrade a new target group has been established and it comprises 30 young girls who already dropped out from school. In cooperation with Bibija Roma Women Center, CEP will support to this target group in terms of providing training on developing job-finding skills and attritional professional orientation activities. Roma Women Center Bibija activists will also provide mentor support to girls who already dropped out from school.
Together in transition – Support to Children from Vulnerable Groups in Transition to Secondary Education (First Phase)
The project aims at increasing the number of students from vulnerable groups who continue their education at the secondary level. This project will strengthen the schools' and teachers' capacities to collaboratively plan and provide support to students from vulnerable groups in transition to secondary education, and respectively for individualisation of preparation for graduation exam and professional orientation. Schools and teachers will be empowered through accredited seminars, seminars developed for project purposes, regular meetings and support of project associates. In addition, the selected schools will receive grants of 3,600 euros for the implementation of project activities which are mainly dedicated to providing support to students and parents.
The project is being implemented in 10 selected primary schools across Serbia, located in the teritories of the local self-government units in which an increased need for intervention aimed at encouraging students' transition into high school was identified - Aleksinac (Žitkovac), Bečej, Bor, Brestovac, Đurđevo, Knjaževac, Leskovac, Niška Banja, Surdulica i Ćuprija.
Accessible and quality education for Roma girls and boys
This project is being implemented within the broader framework for support to schools and students in improving the quality and enhancing the accessibility of education, which is provided by Center for Interactive Pedagogy and Save the Children organization. In the first phase (from February to November 2018), Centre for Education Policy (CEP) has been engaged to deliver a set of mentorship measures within in 12 primary schools in Serbia. CEP was engaged for delivering an accredited training for teachers on the subject of students’ dropout prevention, as well as for providing support in designing and implementation of schools’ action plans for students’ dropout prevention. Evaluation of the first phase showcased that there is a need for providing continuous mentor support to these schools but also a need for including new schools, bearing in mind that measures that teachers conducted were effective, indicating that those measures should be implemented in other schools. In the second project phase (from June to December 2019), CEP has been engaged to provide support to new schools in the same manner, as well as to continue to provide support to schools from the first project phase, with focus on engagement of local community in overcoming challenges which schools and students face. In the first project phase, project was implemented in schools from Belgrade, Bujanovac, Vlasotince, Leskovac, Surdulica and Trgovište, and respectively in Belgrade, Vlasotince, Krusevac, Leskovac, Nis, Surdulica and Trgoviste, in the second project phase.
Financial Management, Accounting and Controlling Curricula Development for Capacity Building of Public Administration (FINAC)
The main goal of FINAC project is to contribute to the higher quality of budgeting, finance management, accounting and controlling in Albania's and Serbia's public administration by building its capacities in mentioned areas. This goal will be achieved through: designing and developing three new master degree programmes in Serbia and two new master degree programmes in Albania in the field of financial management, accounting and controlling; provision of trainings for public administration employees in Serbia; modernisation of one master degree programme in the field of public financial management in Serbia. All master degree programmes will be developed on the basis of learning outcomes, flexibility in terms of choice of elective subjects and consequent specialisation, choice of teaching and assessment methods in order to ensure fulfilment of the learning outcomes.
Within the project “Towards the prevention of child marriages” UNICEF has initiated support activities towards boy and girl pupils under the risk of early marriages and dropout, in partnership with Centre for education policy and with support of the Ministry for education, science and technological development. The project unites good practices and the instruments used in the project “Combating Early School Leaving in Serbia through effective drop-out prevention and intervention measures at the school level” which was highly successfully realized in 10 schools in Serbia (2014-2016). Aim of the project is further improvement of education employees’ capacities for dropout prevention as well as development of mechanism for prevention of child marriages on the local level, especially for Roma girls who are the most vulnerable group of children when it comes to child marriages. Local level activities will be implemented in 8 primary and secondary schools in Novi Bečej, Belgrade and Pirot.
Hacking Participation in the Balkans – A better region starts with youth -Innovative ways of empowering Balkans youth to impact policy making processes
The leader of the project is the Centre for Comparative and International Studies (Tirana, Albania) in partnership with Centre for Education Policy (Belgrade, Serbia). This project aims at empowering youth to understand what their rights are, and equipping them with the necessary tools and skills to reach out to institutions on issues of interest to them. The project will work with youth in Albania and Serbia, and it will help young people understand that their peers in other Balkan countries face the same issues, and it will equip them with knowledge and skills to tackle such issues, while also contributing to the systematic lowering of barriers between them. The project will achieve its aim through a continuous learning process and mentoring programme on participation in decision making though digital mobility. The project activities are conducting workshops on developing key competences for active participation and impact on policy processes such as communication, digital competences, social and civic competences, organising study visit on participation and the use of digital tools to enhance participation amongst youth, as well as organising Hackathon as an innovative way of empowering Balkans youth to impact policy making processes.
Fostering a democratic school culture in schools in Serbia
The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of education by fostering a democratic culture in the system of formal education through applying anti-discriminatory approaches based on the standards and practices of the Council of Europe. Specific aims are to enhance knowledge and awareness of the teaching and non-teaching staff, students and local communities on the concept, policies, practices and benefits from inclusive education and a democratic school culture, as well as to raise teachers capacities for implementation of activities that aim on developing competencies for democratic culture through teaching, within extracurricular activities and in cooperation with local community. Main project activities will include applying framework of competencies for democratic culture in school setting, as well as peer learning between participating schools. A total of 20 primary and secondary schools from the territory of 14 local self-governments across the region have been selected to participate in this project. Another project goal is to use gained experience to develop national level recommendations.
The leader of the project "Our Story" is the Government of Serbia Coordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja (CB) while the Centre for Education Policy (CEP) is a partner in the project. In the municipalities of Medvedja, Bujanovac and Presevo classes in elementary schools are realized in either Serbian or Albanian language and there is no form of cooperation within which students would have the opportunity to mutually interact and cooperate. The aim of the project is to establish a link between students and teachers of the two elementary schools in Presevo through the organization of extracurricular activities for students belonging to different national communities, as well as to increase the capacities of teachers from Presevo to strengthen intercultural practices through teaching and extracurricular activities.
The project will attempt to contribute to the building of mutual trust and respect among students from different national communities present in Presevo and will document a process that can serve as a model of good practice, potentially useful for other multicultural environments where decades of segregated education is present.
Establishing foundation for integrative approach to combating school dropout from the education system of the Republic of Serbia
The aim of the project is to contribute to an integrative approach and to enhance cooperation between the education sector and social protection sector in preventing the dropout from the education system of the Republic of Serbia at elementary and secondary school level. Respectively, aim of the project is to utilse the capacities of the both systems (education and social protection) in best possible way in providing support to students which are in risk of dropout and usually belong to vulnerable social groups (e.g. students coming from a family with a low socio-economic status, or from non-stimulating environments, etc.). Within the project, a plan for integrating measures of these two systems will be developed for students who are identified as those at risk of dropout, and methods for supporting pupils will be proposed and improved. Capacity building for teachers and social workers in the application of the integrative approach is also planned.
Help on the Route - Fostering Protection of Human Rights of Migrants Passing Through Macedonia and Serbia
The project is implemented by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, in partnership with the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland, Novi Sad Humanitarian Centre and Macedonian Helsinki Committee. The overall objective of the project is to protect the human rights of migrants through activities of civil society organizations in different fields. The specific objectives of this project are to empower civil society organizations supporting migrants through networking and capacity building, as well as creating a more favourable environment for the prevention and eradication of all forms of violations of human rights through advocacy of public policies aiming to ensure the protection of migrants' and asylum seekers rights. Within the framework of this project, the Centre for Education Policy supports the realization of the rights to education of the migrants and refugees’ children through the analysis of the capacities of organizations working in collective centres for support in ensuring the right to education for all children, training of employees in collective centres, developing of advocacy and information materials, as well as monitoring the realization of the right to education.
The aim of the project is to examine the intercultural skills of pupils and teachers in multicultural communities in Serbia, as well as their connection with indicators of intergroup relations (e.g. social distance). This research is based upon the results of the previous project that was determining the link between students' intercultural skills and their attitudes towards different ethnic groups in 6 local self-government units in Sandžak region (project "Youth in multicultural community 1" 2016/2017). This project seeks to examine factors that can shape the relationship between intercultural skills and intergroup relations. The research will involve 10 schools that are attended by pupils of different cultural backgrounds and mother tongues, and the instruments that are most often used for academic purposes will be applied. Schools from Subotica, Novi Sad, Bor, Preševo and Bujanovac are participating in the project.
Improving the quality of the education system of the Republic of Serbia and developing horizontal learning between schools (SHARE)
The main idea of the project is to initiate and develop mutual exchange and learning between schools with the aim of improving everyday practice of all participating schools. The project will support cooperation between 10 good schools and 10 pilot schools in need for additional support, as assessed through the process of external evaluation. The Project will assist good schools in taking a role of ‘critical friend’ by empowering them to recognise their own strengths and to reinforce their capacities for providing support and exchange of good practices with other schools. On the other hand, 10 pilot schools will be supported in taking actions to improve educational opportunities for their students. In order to do so, these schools will get continuous support from the CEP, IEQE, external expert mentors and peers from good schools. Based on lessons learned, the Project will provide recommendations how this novel practice could be scaled up to the system level.
Supporting VET teachers’ Continuous Professional Development through e-Portfolio
General objective of the project is to promote the ePortfolio use in VET system in Serbia, while the specific objectives of the project are raising policymakers’ awareness of the ePortfolio’s potentials in fostering teachers’ continuous professional development (CPD), improvement of teaching practice and development of 21st century skills, building capacities of VET teachers to use ePortfolio as a method for enhancing self-learning and self-reflection skills, as well as strengthening school management capacities to institutionally use its ePortfolio, to plan, guide ePortfolio integration at the school level and select appropriate ePortfolio tools e.g. (Mahara, Google Drive).
The Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE)
The Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe (ERI SEE) is a regional platform for countries’ cooperation in the field of education and training. Members of the ERI SEE are signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Role and Organisation of ERI SEE: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia. The aim of the ERI SEE is to contribute to enhancement and implementation of national reforms in education and training in the region, bearing in mind the specific needs and conditions in every member county, as well as the broader context and trends.
In 2010, the ERI SEE Governing Board designated CEP too be the host of the ERI SEE Secretariat until the registration of the ERI SEE Secretariat in the Republic of Serbia. In the period 2010-2017, CEP has been successfully realizing numerous ERI SEE activities (regional thematic seminars, training events, project development workshops, study visits, international conferences etc.) aimed to support information exchange between member countries, building regional institutional networks (South East Europe Vocational Education and Training Network - SEEVET-Net), and development of the regional projects as well as coordination of development and implementation of Education and Competences dimension within the South East Europe 2020 Strategy. CEP was also actively involved in the transformation process and the founding of the ERI SEE Secretariat in Serbia.
Implementation of the ERI SEE Work Programmes from 2010 to 2017.
KulturKontakt Austria (KKA)
NL EVD International
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
ERI SEE member countries
Duration: August 2010 - December 2017
Democratic Competences in the Digital Era
The goal of this project is to implement several indicators from the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) related to the media and social networks. The pilot project consists of following activities: literature and curriculum review, assessment of how competencies are currently reflected in the education systems in partner countries. Project also included research on teachers’ opinions and needs related to the CDC and its implementation in the digital space, development of a common approach and support to teachers for using new didactical approaches in teaching, as well as preparation of the strategic document with recommendations and best practice toolkit. Beside Serbia, this project is being implemented in Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia and Croatia. Centre for Education Policy is in charge for project implementation in Serbia.
Supporting education of migrant/refugee children in Serbia
This project is based on the Work Plan for the implementation of the Cooperation Programme between UNICEF and the Government of the Republic of Serbia in the field of education in the period 2016-2017. The project goal is to enable successful integration of migrant/refugees children into the education system, starting from preschool education to the end of high school. It would be achieved through the development of training programs for educational institutions and school administration, as well as for the associations that implement programmes of informal education in refugee centres, thorough providing mentoring support and small grants to educational institutions, as well as by providing linguistic and professional support to schools and preschool institutions which would enroll these students. In the first phase of the project, targeted were those institutions in the municipalities/cities where the refugee centres are located (Belgrade, Lajkovac).
The second phase of the project is based on the results of the first phase, which involves the implementation of the National School Welcome programme for migrant/refugee children and support of the school for its implementation. Local coordinators were involved in the project in order to assist educational institutions in organizing daily activities for children and students. Schools also received small grants and tailor-made materials which will help them support migrant/refugee students. The second phase of the project included schools from Belgrade, Subotica, Sombor, Vranje, Sid, Sjenica, Pirot and Kikinda. Within the project a Handbook for schools on realisation of Professional instruction for education integration of migrant students has been designed.
Development and implementation of programmes to improve the capacity of educational institutions, school authorities and civil society organisations
The establishment of grant scheme for educational institutions and coordination of their plans of including children and students
Providing support to institutions for the successful integration of children and students
Cooperation with all interested parties, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and social welfare centres in enrollment of children
Coordination of meetings and mentor team
The distribution of relevant materials, reports and promotion of good practices
Ensuring quality education for children and students who are enrolled in regular education
Strengthening of Intercultural Practices in Culturally Diverse Schools
The goal of this project is strengthening of teachers, principals and professional associates of participating schools for the realisation of intercultural education. It foresees planning and implementing intercultural educational activities in five primary and secondary schools that are attended by large percentage of students belonging to national minorities from different regions of Serbia, strengthening of school teams for the implementation of intercultural school practices, testing of intercultural school activities on a selected sample and providing recommendations for further strengthening of intercultural practices in schools in Serbia, taking into account the capacities of institutions and possible support of the civil sector. Project is being implemented in schools in Belgrade, Valjevo, Novi Pazar, Kovačica and Subotica.
Teachers’ Interventions based on Research Findings
Building upon the project "Teachers - Reflexive Researchers of Inclusive Educational Practice" (NARIP), when local teachers teams conducted research in the fields of inclusive and intercultural education and based on the data obtained proposed adequate interventions for improvements in local communities, project “Teachers’ Interventions based on Research Findings” deals with the last phase of the action research - implementation of proposed interventions. More precisely, the goal of the project is to support five teams of teachers researchers in planning, implementation and monitoring of interventions, affirming in that way the role of teachers as leaders of positive changes in their local communities.
Making Roads Safer Using a Gender-targeted Approach
In order to improve transport and road safety, the World Bank Transport and ICT Global Practice (in the Europe and Central Asia region) received a grant for an analytical project "Road safety through a gender lens making roads safer using a gender targeted approach". Within this engagement, local partner organisation Union of Persons with Paraplegia and Quadriplegia of Serbia (SPIKS) will deliver a road safety awareness campaign through focused intervention to high-school students in selected schools, while Centre for Education Policy will conduct preformative and impact evaluation od the campaign.
The goal of this project is to examine the intercultural sensitivity of young people, their parents and teachers in the region of Sandžak, as well as their attitudes towards intercultural education, in order to gain insight into their competencies for participation in democratic culture and life in culturally diverse society. Upon the realisation of the research, the research results will be publicly presented, firstly in Sandžak region, followed by other relevant conferences and events. The project is realised in partnership with the organisation Urban In, in the following cities: Novi Pazar, Sjenica, Tutin, Prijepolje, Priboj and Nova Varos.
Towards the Institutionalisation of Inclusive Education Monitoring
The main aim of the project is to make new proposal of The Standards of Quality of Education for next revision in 2016, which should include created and adapted indicators of National Framework of Inclusive education in Republic of Serbia made by Institute of Psychology. Institute of Evaluation of Quality of Education (IEQE) as partner on the project participates in creation of the proposal for new revision of The Standards of Quality of Education which should become more sensitive to capture different school aspects of inclusive education. Proposal of old, new and adapted standards and indicators, as well as evidences that serves in process of verification of standards and indicators, will be piloted in 20 primary schools across Republic in Serbia in order to achieve measurable, feasible, relevant, economic and informative set of standards, indicators and evidence of inclusive education with strong correlation with quality of education. As a result of this piloting, a study Standards, indicators and evidence that inclusiveness proposed for inclusion in the Framework for external evaluation of schools has been designed.
The project aims to contribute to decreasing dropout and early school leaving of children and adolescents through the establishment and enforcement of mechanisms for early identification of children at risk of dropping out, responding to this and through the implementation of efficient prevention measures and intervention at the school level. It is implemented in 10 selected primary and secondary schools. Project activities are aimed at decreasing the dropout rate in selected schools through testing the measures for dropout prevention and strengthening schools’ capacities for independent elaboration and implementation of policies in this field. Target groups of this project are children at risk of dropping out and their parents, other children in school, teachers, local community and relevant institutions (centres for social welfare, local self-governments etc.), civil society organisations, while the beneficiary will be the wider community. One of the project aims is to develop recommendations for decision-makers in order to adopt nacional mechanisms for prevention of students' dropout from education system.
Within the projects, set of three publication has been designed - How to Be a Caring School – A Study on the Effects of Prevention and Intervention Measures for Preventing the Dropout of Students from the Education System of the Republic of Serbia, Handbook for planning, implementing and monitoring of measures to prevent students from dropping out and publication Towards a High-quality Remedial Instruction - Support to improvement and good practice examples. Study How to Be a Caring School has beendeclared for one of the best UNICEF researches for 2017.
Another product of this project is the Training for planning, implementation and monitoring of measures for dropout prevention, designed for employees in primary and secondary schools, which is accredited i.e. has the status of a program of public interest which is approved by the Minister.
Towards Sustainable and Equitable Financing of Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia (FINHED)
The project aims to contribute to ensuring a more efficient, effective and equitable financing of higher education in the Western Balkans through (a) gathering and analysing fundamental and essential evidence on system-level and institutional financing and equity in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia; (b) introduction and implementation of the EUROSTUDENT survey in the three countries of the Western Balkans; (c) strengthening local expertise in developing policies on financing and equity in higher education; (d) policy framework for an efficient, effective and equitable higher education systems in the three countries; (e) university financing models based on sensible diversification of income streams; and (d) the establishment of Regional Resource Point with the purpose to sustain results and disseminate them across the region.
Within the project, a set of publications on social dimension on higher education has been produced, i.e. EUROSTUDENT report for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.
The project is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus Programme (project number: 530550-TEMPUS-1-2012-1-RSTEMPUS-SMGR)
Teachers - Reflexive Researchers of Inclusive Educational Practice (NARIP)
The project is based on the assumption that all the changes in the educational system cannot come to life if they do not directly involve those who are the main actors in the process of teaching - teachers themselves. The backbone of the activities in this project is the idea of a teacher as a researcher, a person who examines and based on concrete evidence improves practice and actively contributes to the improvement of conditions for quality education for every child. The project aims to support local teams of teachers researchers to research and promote inclusive practices in their school and community. Additionally, project idea is to improve the cooperation of teachers and other participants in the educational process, to identify issues in practice for improvement as well as proposals for their solution. Throughout this process, aim is also to increase the professional satisfaction of teachers, to contribute to the development of a knowledge base on education, teaching and learning and its promotion.
Intercultural Education in System of Education in Serbia
The goal of this research is to provide insight into current state of Intercultural education in Serbian system of education and to formulate recommendations for policy makers based on the evidence and emerging conclusions. The research contains following analyses: analysis of legal and strategic framework, analysis of programmes at Teacher education faculties, analysis of Draft National Curriculum Framework, analysis of Catalogue of programmes for in-service teacher professional development and analysis of project activities in civil sector. Apart from these analyses, an overview of teachers' experiences of capacity building for Intercultural education was done as well as a research on teachers' intercultural sensitivity. Additionally, besides recommendations for policy makers, a proposal of indicators for monitoring Intercultural education in Serbia was given.
IPA — Increasing the Capacity of the Serbian VET System in Improving the Quality, Coverage and Relevance of the Vocational Education and Training
Together with the GOPA Consultants (DE) and Ecorys UK Ltd (UK), Centre for Education Policy is part of the consortium led by WYG International Limited (UK), which is implementing an EU funded project “Increasing the capacity of the Serbian VET system in improving the quality, coverage and relevance of the vocational education and training”. The purpose of the project is to increase capacity of Serbian VET system in improving the quality, coverage and relevance of the vocational education and training through: 1. The assessment, revision and implementation of training programmes in the area of VET; 2. Capacity building of institutions involved in VET reform; 3. Development of the National Qualification Framework (NQF) for VET.
Support to Pilot Schools for Implementing Inclusive Education Policies and Practices
Joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe aims to improve social inclusion and social cohesion in the region, by promoting inclusive education and training. The project includes the countries of Southeast Europe - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo*. Seven selected schools per country will receive technical and financial support in the form of small grant loans (donations) for the improvement of inclusive education. In addition, there will be established a regional network of inclusive pilot schools (Inclusive School Net), for mutual learning and exchanging of experiences. Centre for Education Policy is a part of consortium, in charge of providing schools in Serbia with the technical support during the project lifetime.
Equal Access for All: strengthening the social dimension for a stronger European Higher Education Area (EQUI-ED)
The overall objective of the project is to diversify and enlarge the student body to mirror the society structure in Serbia. The specific objectives are to (a) enhance and improve efficiency of national support programme for diversifying and enlarging the student body entering and completing HE; (b) to establish and institutionalise practice of data collection and analysis in the domain of social dimension of higher education, both at the system and institutional level; (c) to establish institutional framework supporting student population to participate equally in higher education.
CEP’s role in the project was to contribute to the baseline study on social dimension, enhancement of the statistics on higher education, as well as to the development of the policy framework on equal access to higher education in Serbia
The project is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus Programme (project number: 516851-TEMPUS-1-2011-1-RS-TEMPUS-SMGR)
Ivana Živadinović
Duration: October 2011 - June 2015
Conducting Graduate Surveys and Improving Alumni Services for Enhanced Strategic Management and Quality Improvement (CONGRAD)
The CONGRAD project’s wider objective is to enable Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to continuously conduct graduate surveys for the purpose of enhancing study offerings and facilitating permanent modernisation processes. CONGRAD is expected to contribute to the improvement of institutional self-evaluation processes by collecting systematic and reliable information on the links between study offerings and subsequent employment of graduates, as well as enable the evidence based evaluation of higher education reforms and curricular changes in the last decade. CONGRAD results will be exploited through the development of an action plan for future graduate surveys including other HEIs in the Western Balkans.
The project is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus Programme (project number: 517153-TEMPUS-1-2011-1-DE-TEMPUS-JPGR)
The aim of the project is raising awareness of teachers about the teaching profession beyond the subject affiliation, started with project Teachers’ Attitudes towards Their Profession (RANON), familiarising teachers with the advantages of the formal partnerships in order to facilitate greater influence on the formulation and implementation of inclusive education policies, acquainting them with the importance of these policies and strengthening their professional capacities through trainings for their successful implementation.
European Integration in Higher Education and Research in the Western Balkans
The project seeks primarily to strengthen the capacity of partner institutions in the Western Balkan countries in the area of educational research in general, and higher education and research policy analysis in particular, as well as to strengthen the basis for evidence based policy making in the area of higher education and research in the Western Balkans. At the same time, the project looks into the dynamics of higher education and research systems in the Western Balkans, while placing them against the backdrop of European integration processes. The project aims to contribute to knowledge within education research, higher education and research policy analysis and European studies, given that the information and analytical studies of higher education and research in the Western Balkans countries is rather limited.
Building Capacity for Structural Reform in Higher Education of Western Balkan Countries (STREW)
The project objective is to strengthen capacity for higher education structural reform in Western Balkan countries and facilitate a coherent convergence of the Region towards European Area of Higher Education, as a prerequisite for genuine implementation of Bologna agenda. Specific project objectives are (a) to enhance Regional cooperation in higher education issues and address questions concerning coherent convergence of the Region towards EHEA; (b) to strengthen capacity for change in public administration of Partner Country’s higher education institutions, on the issues related to the EU modernisation agenda; (c) to develop joint regional roadmap for structural reform and benchmark it with the best European practice.
Delivering training courses for higher education administrators on the collecting and instrumentalising evidence in university policy making, policy evaluation and monitoring of implementation.
Supporting the establishment of the Western Balkans Higher Education Expert Network
The project is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus Programme (project number: 511335 -TEMPUS-1-2010-RS-TEMPUS-SMHES)
Jelena Branković
Predrag Lažetić
Milica Grahovac
Duration: October 2010 - October 2013
Education Policy Study Programme in Serbia and Montenegro (EPSP)
The project objective is to contribute to the reform of education system in Serbia and Montenegro through establishing modern, flexible and internationally recognised programmes (master level) on education policy, compliant with the highest European standards and designed to meet constantly changing needs of education systems and to respond to expectations of different groups of learners and users.
The project is supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus Programme (project number: 159074-TEMPUS-1-2009-1-RS-TEMPUS-JPCR)
Predrag Lažetić
Jelena Branković
Duration: December 2009 - September 2013
University’s Social Responsibility
The research aims primarily at identifying and interpreting the internal and external perceptions of the social contract between university and society in Serbian context (through qualitative techniques), by addressing the issue of university’s social role and responsibility, as seen by its members, on one hand, and salient external stakeholders, on the other. In parallel, the research seeks to identify (through quantitative techniques) key characteristics of the protagonists of academic profession in a changing higher education environment.
Teachers’ Attitudes towards Their Profession (RANON)
The project strives to contribute to the development of the teaching profession, as well as creating a solid empirical base on teachers' attitudes and perceptions on key educational topics (teaching profession and its improvement, responsibility, quality of education, cooperation of teachers within the school, at the municipality level etc.) for the purpose of further in-depth analysis and research. The project also aims at creating the pre-conditions for the development of education policies based on research and with participation of teachers as key actors in the educational process; providing teachers with the information on modern trends in education and their role in improving the quality of education and, finally, providing teachers with the information about opportunities for self-organization at the municipality level and the possibilities of strengthening teachers' associations.
This project is being implemented within a broader plan for short-term follow-up of monitoring of the implementation of inclusive education policy, which should provide regular reports and feedback needed in order to enable education system to generate quick corrective actions of different actors involved in the implementation of the inclusive education policy. The project is focused on school work and cooperation in local communities as essential objects for monitoring. In-depth qualitative analyses of practices of inclusive education (that did not exist in current practice) is being be used as monitoring methodology. Monitoring of work of a small number of schools are being be part of an analysis that would identify what worked well in practice so far, what are the key school pillars in the implementation of Individual Education Plans, what are the difficulties and barriers they faced, what are experiences gained and what schools and communities have learned from the experience of implementing inclusive education.
Documentation of existing practices in the implementation of inclusive education, specifically the implementation of Individual Education Plans, developing pedagogical profile of the child and the individualization of teaching, enrolment procedures and organization of overall educational and social support for the child within the school and the local community;
Mapping the existing problems in the implementation of inclusive education and analyze their causes;
Formulate proposals and concrete solutions in implementation of inclusive education for the purpose of better achieving the objectives of the inclusive education policy (correction of existing support measures and proposals of new measures);
Developing the model for monitoring the inclusive education at the school level together with the model for the observation of teaching focused on the elements of inclusive education.
Advancing Teacher Professionalism for Inclusive, Quality and Relevant education (ATEPIE)
The main goal of the project is to formulate national qualification frameworks for teachers in Western Balkan countries which can act as guidelines for further changes of educational practices and the reform of educational system. Their elaboration entails engagement of decision makers in the field of education, teachers’ educators, researchers and teachers themselves. A special attention is given to the voice of parents and pupils, especially those from marginalized and vulnerable groups, in order to assure a truly inclusive and anti-discriminatory approach. The project also strives to empower teachers within the related project “International Teacher Leadership,” as well as to provide support to young researchers of South Eastern Europe and disseminate policy recommendations, proposals and education research results.
The overall goal of the campaign for inclusive education is creation of an inclusive culture and practice for all children - increasing the enrolment rate of children from marginalized groups and improving the quality of education that they receive in preschool, primary and secondary education. The campaign included over 100 events across Serbia together with media campaign at the national and local level, publishing of articles on the topic of inclusive education and preparation of materials for educational institutions in Serbia about quality educational practices harmonized with the principles of the Education for All. The campaign included a brochure providing an overview of basic concepts related to inclusive education was prepared in order to better understand the concept of inclusion and inclusive education, as well as the importance of inclusion in society in general.
Research Policy, Financing and Performance: Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia in comparative perspective
The aim behind the study was to provide an informative comparison of policy developments, financing and performance in the three countries which were once part of the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia: Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. The research looked into the degree to which financing as a policy instrument is conducive to the development of scientific research within these countrie. The results can primarily be used by policy makers in Serbia, and though to a lesser extent other two countries, as well as international institutions and organisations approaching or seeking to enhance their understanding of the research systems under study.
Mapping Policies and Practices for the Preparation of Teachers for Inclusive Education in Contexts of Social and Cultural Diversity in the countries of Western Balkans
The overall objective is to contribute to the promotion of inclusive education and training policies and practices in Western Balkan countries (Albania, BiH, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) in contexts of social and cultural diversity. The specific objectives are (a) to analyse policies and practices regarding teachers’ pre-service training and in-service professional development schemes at the country level, to identify issues, challenges and good practice in the 7 participating countries with regard to the skills and competences required for inclusive education practices by teachers from primary and secondary education; (b) to identify in a cross country report the key findings from the country analyses in regard to major issues, challenges and good policies and practices for preparing teachers for inclusive education.
Autonomy of Higher Education Institutions in the Countries of Former Yugoslavia
In cooperation with Magna Charta Observatory, CEP conducted research on the concept of autonomy in higher education in the former Yugoslavian countries. The research was focused on the following questions: Who is autonomous? What does autonomy mean? How autonomy is "implemented"? The analysis of the concept of autonomy on the basis of laws and regulations was conducted as well as an analysis based on interviews with key stakeholders in all ex-Yugoslavian countries. The research addresses four dimensions of autonomy, namely, organizational structures and institutional governance, staffing, finances and academic matters. Preliminary results of the research were presented at the 24th annual CHER (Consortium of Higher Education Researchers) conference in Iceland in June 2011.
Reproduction of Social Inequalities through Education Transition & Efficiency and Equity of Student Standards
As part of a wider research project dedicated to the analysis of poverty in Serbia, two analyses were conducted by CEP: (1) an analysis of reproduction of social inequalities through education transitions and (2) an analysis of efficiency and equity of the student welfare system in Serbia. The first study focused on issues related to the reproduction of social inequalities through the education system in Serbia, with special attention to the system solutions about the rules of registration in high school and colleges, and to the transfer points where social reproduction becomes evident. The second study was dealing primarily with a system of scholarships and student loans in Serbia. The aim of the research was the assessment of equity and efficiency of the distribution of such assistance to students taking into account socioeconomic status of students.
Identification and consolidation of available data bases (PISA, TIMSS, higher education in Serbia data base etc.)
Analysis of data on three education transitions: from primary to secondary, from secondary to higher education and from higher education to work
Analysis of statistical data about student grants and loans awarded in the course of 5 years
In-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 students from various socio economic backgrounds
Writing of (1) An analysis of reproduction of social inequalities through education transitions and (2) An analysis of efficiency and equity of the student welfare system in Serbia.
The two studies were published in the compendium "Analysis of the characteristics of poverty" in 2009, printed by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Implementation Focal Point.
Working Conditions of Teaching Staff in Higher Education
The aspect of higher education teaching staff working conditions are very often neglected in higher education reform plans and even the institutions that have started developing their own quality assurance systems often do not pay attention to this aspect of quality, although it is often points out that teachers have a key role in education reforms. Through analysis of relevant documents (legal framework, statutes of universities and colleges, rulebooks) and interviewing of staff, different aspects of teachers' work were addressed (nomination and promotion, teaching function and it’s possible training, research function and it’s possible training, administrative function and it’s possible training, the satisfaction of staff with the working conditions, etc.).
Publication about the National Qualifications Framework primarily serves as a key reference text for the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework in Serbia (and possible other countries in the region). The publication contains basic information about NQF relevant for the implementation of NQF in Serbia and examples of implementation of NQF in other countries.
Factors of Low Efficiency of Studying in Higher Education in Serbia
In cooperation with the Czech scientific institute CERGE-EI, CEP conducted research on the inclusiveness and efficiency of higher education in Serbia. The research involves analyzing the structure of the student population in terms of socioeconomic characteristics. Furthermore, during the research the possible impact which socioeconomic characteristics of students have on access, progress and finishing of higher education was considered. The research results were presented in the form of scientific article for publication in the Higher Education Policy in English and the journal of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory in Serbian.
The research of higher education funding models in SEE has been launched in order to made available information about higher education funding in selected countries of SEE, but also to deepen the higher education funding theme with the systematic review of the theory about higher education funding. The research approach was by the three analytical levels: system, institutional and individual student's level. The key intention of the study is to provide material for widening and deepening the ongoing discussions on financing higher education in the region and to offer a solid overview of the current situation to interested national and international audiences alike.
Tuning Teacher Education Curricula in the Western Balkans
The research was designed in order to provide information about the competences that teachers need in practice and that could serve as a base for development of programs and courses for teacher education. For this purpose, the project was designed to help in determining disparities between demands of practice and existing programs for teachers’ education. The aim of this research project was to examine the possibility of reform of curriculum for teachers’ education towards education based on the competencies they need in practice. Using the methodology of the European Tuning project, these competencies are defined in consultation with students and staff from institutions for training teachers, but also with a greater number of staff from future employers, e.g. kindergartens and schools. The survey included institutions for teachers’ education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia.
Definition of the conceptual framework and development of the preliminary list of teachers competences
Consultations with stakeholders, finalization of the list of teacher competences, distribution and collection of questionnaire and analysis of results
Overview of the existing policies and study programs in teacher education and identification of necessary improvements with respect to competences needed
Preparation and writing of the Analysis of Teacher Education Curricula in the Western Balkans
Preparation of the publication Tuning Teacher Education Curricula in the Western Balkans
