Guide to EDUCATION 2022

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EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

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Contents CAN WE REINVENT 06 HOW OURSELVES? COMMENT

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IMPLEMENTING REFORMS AT ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION

BRANKO RUŽIĆ, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

LIVE IN THE AGE 14 WE OF ENGINEERING

VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ PH.D., FULL PROFESSOR, DEAN, FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

FOR 18 EXERCISE THE GREATER GOOD SUCCESSFULLY 12 DEVELOPING DESPITE CHALLENGES

ALEKSANDAR KAVCIC, FOUNDER OF THE ALEK KAVCIC FOUNDATION

BUILDING DEEPER 20 UNDERSTANDING WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

RYAN BOLLHORN, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST, THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

THAT’S TAILORED TO 22 SCHOOL THE CHILD

CHARTWELL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

VLADAN ĐOKIĆ PH.D., RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

YEARS OF EDUCATION FOR A 15 TEN HEALTHY SOCIETY PROFESSOR NATAŠA JOVANOVIĆ LJEŠKOVIĆ, PHD, DEAN OF THE FACUTY OF PHARMACY, NOVI SAD

IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić

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Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING: PULLEN EDITORIAL HALIFAX

SALES MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

FINANCE: Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

DIRECTOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com EDUCATION 2022 PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance international media

No37 Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fax: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs office@cordmagazine.com www.cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs ISSN no: 1451-7833 All rights reserved alliance international media 2022

Human Resources 2022 HAPPY CHILDREN 24 WHERE GROW UP

FRANÇOIS ALLAIN, BOD PRESIDENT, ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DE BELGRADE – THE INTERNATIONAL FRENCH SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

PEOPLE TODAY HAVE 30 YOUNG BETTER PROSPECTS GIZ

THAT OPENS ALL 26 DIPLOMA DOORS

GORDANA MEDAKOVIĆ, IB PROGRAMME MANAGER, AND DRAGANA IVANOVIĆ ĐORĐEVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATION SYSTEM CRNJANSKI

TURN STUDENTS INTO 32 THEY GREAT WORKERS SLOBODAN JANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, INMOLD

IN LEARNING 28 INTEREST THROUGH WORK DUAL EDUCATION

GIVES YOUNGSTERS AN 34 GRUNER OPPORTUNITY

GRUNER

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COMMENT

How Can We

REINVENT OURSELVES? With rapid digitalisation, the need to address the skills gaps is more urgent than ever. For policymakers, this is not only an issue of addressing what the economy needs in order to grow, but also how to close the gap between those whose skills are in great demand and those whose jobs will vanish with automation and digitalisation

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skills mismatch is probably one of the most quoted syntagms among policymakers, educators, HR companies and experts worldwide. Serbia is one of those countries where “labour shortages, combined with skills mismatches, could significantly impair the competitiveness of the economy”, as stated on the website of the World Bank in Serbia.

The gap between education and market demand was evident long before Covid-19, but the pandemic accelerated the need for new workforce skills dramatically. Policymakers, educators, parents and children suddenly found themselves in a world of work that was even stranger and harder to understand than before. As we read in this edition, the Serbian Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development, as well as the head of the most prestigious university, believe that they have good understanding of what is needed and what has been done.

On the other side, companies are themselves developing their own training and retraining programmes to fill the knowledge gaps present among their employees. In this area, remote work has placed new demands on employees who, in many instances, discovered that they lack a number of the skills needed to help them perform their tasks and live up to the business priorities set by their companies. In a nutshell, from nursery school kids to senior employees, everybody is in a position to reinvent themselves.

It always was difficult to comprehend which skills would be future-ready. It is challenge to write strategies for a time that’s ten or twenty years ahead. Along with classical knowledge or IT skills, today’s demands are for social and emotional 6

It is difficult to comprehend which skills would be future-ready. It is challenging to write strategies for a time that’s ten or twenty years ahead. As we have already witnessed, today it is not only classical knowledge or IT skills that are in high demand, but also some skills that were unheard of 20 years ago, such as empathy and adaptability skills like empathy, leadership qualities and adaptability.

Lifelong learning is now increasingly seen as skills building. According to McKinsey, skill building is more prevalent than it was prior to the pandemic, with 69 per cent of organisations engaging in more skill building now than they did before the Covid-19 crisis.

With rapid digitalisation, the need to address skills gaps is more urgent than ever, and is today considered a multi-time investment. For policymakers, it is not only a matter of addressing what the economy needs in order to grow, but also how the society can close the gap between those who possess skills that will be easily replaced

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

by automation or artificial intelligence and prepare them for tasks in which humans make a difference.

In summary, there are many dilemmas before us. What is the right balance between modernising existing education structures and inventing something completely different? How can we reconcile new demands of the economy with existing patterns of knowledge gaining? How can we foster innovation while retaining fundamentals?

How can we give companies a say while preserving the autonomy of universities?

How can we ensure that no one is left behind? For better or worse, our decisions will affect individuals, businesses and societies.

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INTERVIEW BRANKO RUŽIĆ, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

Implementing Reforms At

ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION By adhering to the framework established under the Education Strategy 2030, the Ministry is working – in cooperation with numerous partners – to create conditions to ensure the greater inclusion of children in preschool institutions, the development of dual education in secondary schools and higher education, and teacher training that forms the basis of every successful education system

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he Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing until 2030, which the Government of Serbia adopted in June 2021, represents the foundation for the systemic improvement of education and upbringing. This strategic document keeps pace with the continuity of the reform process conducted at all levels of education over recent years. According Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and 8

Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Branko Ružić, the new strategy will “enable the inclusion of even more children in education, the monitoring of the demands and needs of the labour market and, in accordance with that, the development of the knowledge, skills and competencies of pupils/students”.

Considering the importance of developing competencies among both pupils and teachers,

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

the Strategy has envisaged their improvement and the modernisation of teaching and learning processes, as well as the conditions under which teaching is conducted.

When it comes to the inclusivity of education, we can see that the new strategy places great emphasis on increasing the inclusion of children in preschool education and introducing compulsory secondary edu-

SUPPORT

IMPROVEMENT

MATRICULATION

Our goal is to secure good conditions for children and the work of educators in nursery schools, to impact on reducing waiting lists to enrol in preschool institutions, but also to provide parents with support

We plan to allocate around 18,500 computers to teachers. This will certainly help teachers to further advance, provide pupils with support and encourage the digitalisation of teaching processes

The State Matura exam will be introduced for three-year secondary schools in the 2022/2023 academic year, and for general, art and vocational school graduation in the 2023/2024 academic year

cation. What are the necessary prerequisites for these two goals to be met?

The Ministry, in cooperation with numerous partners, is working to create conditions for the greater inclusion of children in preschool institutions. The total percentage of the inclusion of preschool-age children is experiencing a growth tendency,alongsidethetraditionallyhighinclusion of children in the years prior to starting school.

Our goal is to secure good, modern conditions for children and the work of educators in nursery schools, to impact on reducing waiting lists to enrol in preschool institutions, but also to provide parents with support.

One of the activities that should enable the capacities of nurseries to increase is the Inclusive Preschool Education Project, which we have been implementing on the basis of a World Bank loan since 2018. Upon realisation, this project will secure 11,000 new places in nurseries across Serbia. Likewise, in cooperation with the Novak Đoković Foundation, we are working to adapt and convert the existing spaces of nursery schools in multiple cities.

Apart from this, the new Basic programme of preschool education has been applied successively in preschool institutions since 1st September 2019. The experiences of institutions implementing the Godine uzleta [Years of Rising] programme are positive, and changes are evident in the spaces where children learn, in the ways their learning is supported and in their participation among the community of their peers.

When it comes to the introduction of compulsory secondary education, which is also envisaged in the Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing until 2030, an important prerequisite is the amending of legal regulations and the Constitution.

education is becoming compulsory?

Dual education occupies an important place in the Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing. The strategy envisages a system for monitoring and evaluating the National Model of Dual Education, in order to be able to reach a conclusion on the sustainability of dual education, the extent to which employability increases for students and what the positive effects are in terms of increasing the competitiveness of the economy. The number of companies interested in cooperating with schools is growing every year, while the number of schools involved

be implemented without the inclusion of employers, with whom work-based learning would be implemented. The creation of dual study programmes should be based on the objective needs of employers for qualified staff with specific developed competencies. The ratio in the number of hours of active teaching that should be conducted at the higher education institution and work-based learning with the employer is determined by the study programme, with active teaching – encompassing lectures, exercises and other forms of active teaching – must be represented by an average of at least 450 hours of the entire

One of the changes that’s prompted the most comments in the past is certainly the introduction of dual education. Where is its place in this strategy and how much will the schools that provide this type of education be represented now that secondary school

Since the start of the 2021/2022 academic year, dual study programmes are being implemented at higher education institutions in Serbia for the first time. There are currently 32 study programmes accredited under the dual model of study, at nine higher education institutions in the dual education system is also growing continuously. Approximately 150 secondary vocational schools are currently included in this system, implementing 54 dual educational profiles. The economy has expressed its need for specific profiles of personnel, which led to an initiative to develop 14 new dual educational profiles, including for example tourist technician, industrial robotics technician, railway safety technician, haberdasher etc.

Interest is simultaneously focused on the introduction of dual education to tertiary education. What will this fundamentally change compared to the approach of existing programmes for educating personnel in this way?

The dual model of studies in higher education represents a form of cooperation between employers and higher education institutions, which – given employers’ active participation in both creating and implementing study programmes – should contribute to improving the relevance of higher education from the aspect of labour market needs. The dual model, in contrast to the standard one, is unable to

study programme per year, while work-based learning should also encompass an average of at least 450 hours per year at the level of the entire study programme.

Due to the relevant practical experience gained, students who complete their studies under the dual model have significantly increased labour market competitiveness and will have better chances of gaining employment with the employers with whom they carried out their work-based learning, but also with other employers engaged in the same field.

The Strategy’s priorities include the development of competencies and human resources, and the modernisation of teaching and learning processes, including the conditions under which they take place.

This requires the significant modernisation of education staff. How much resources both material and human – are realistically needed to implement this?

We are working continuously, through various projects and in cooperation with partners, to digitalise and improve the system to the greatest 9

INTERVIEW different instruments for the support of teaching and learning. For example, this model can be used to support education in rural areas, education for children with disabilities, for athletes, as well as for pupils that are resident abroad. The goal is for the education system to have digital materials ready and active learning activities designed, which will be easily distributed to all schools in the system and ensure an appropriate level of quality for remote education if it is needed in the future, but also under regular circumstances as a form of support to other schools in the transition to hybrid teaching, which is encompassed by the development plans of practically all schools.

possible extent, but also to improve processes and conditions for learning in our schools. That’s why the plan includes the equipping of another 21,500 digital classrooms. Likewise, at the end of last year, with the aim of improving teaching practises, the Ministry allocated 7,000 computers and 480 printers to primary and secondary schools throughout Serbia. We are also continuing with these activities this year, and the plan is to allocate almost 20,000 computers for IT cabinets. About 18,500 computers are also planned to be allocated to teachers. This will certainly help with the further specialisation of teachers, while providing support to students and encouraging the digitalisation of teaching processes.

The strategic goals also include increasing the achievements of pupils in final exams and reducing the number of those who drop out of school. According to some information, 25 per cent of pupils who complete primary school today don’t enrol in secondary school. How can this be fixed?

Data show that around 99% of eighth grade pupils take the final exam. With the aim of improving the achievements of pupils and ensuring greater fairness in the education system, the Ministry is taking steps to improve conditions for working and learning. Pupils and teachers are this year preparing for the final exam at the end of primary education that is harmonised with the new primary school teaching and learning programmes.

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The establishing of online state primary and secondary schools can be used to support education in rural areas, in education for children with disabilities, for athletes, as well as for pupils that are resident abroad Accordingly, schools have also already started organising preparations for sitting the final exam, as well as additional teaching.

Interestingly, of the total number of pupils who complete primary school, 97% enrol in secondary school. When it comes to the remaining three per cent of pupils, they certainly include children who won’t continue with secondary education, but it should be considered that this number also includes pupils who are enrolled in private, international schools, the military academy and religious schools, as well as students who will leave to study abroad.

The draft of the education strategy until 2030 foresees the establishing of online state online primary and secondary schools.

Will this be a complementary modality for situations like pandemics or a comprehensive transition to hybrid education?

It certainly isn’t about a comprehensive transition to online education, but rather about

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

Last, but certainly not least, we’ve been reading for years about the introduction of the ‘State Matura’ exam, but it seems that this government’s term will expire without it having been introduced. Will the next government be able to follow in your footsteps and finally introduce it?

The State Matura [school-leavers’ matriculation exam] will be introduced for three-year secondary schools in the 2022/2023 academic year, and for general, art and vocational school graduation in the 2023/2024 academic year.

The decision was taken to shift the date of introducing the State Matura because it is a project that requires comprehensive preparations for each segment of the process. We’ve also adopted amendments to the Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System, in order to create conditions in a timely manner for efficiently and professionally preparing for the implementation of the State Matura.

In order for us to once again verify the quality of tasks and procedures at the level of the system, we will organise a second state matriculation pilot exam from 4th to 8th April 2022. This second pilot should be conducted in 519 public schools and all private schools that have applied for inclusion in the pilot project.

All teachers will thereby receive an opportunity to see what the state matriculation exam will look like. I must remind your readers that our intention is for the State Matura, in the final epilogue, to have a certification character, i.e., for it to confirm the level of knowledge acquired by pupils in secondary vocational schools, art schools and high schools, but also for it to have a qualification character, in terms of passing and enrolling in certain higher education institutions.

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INTERVIEW VLADAN ĐOKIĆ PH.D., RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

Developing Successfully

DESPITE CHALLENGES The vision of the University of Belgrade is to continuously fortify its reputation as a leading educational and scientific research institution of the region, to attract an ever-greater number of students, improve study programmes and reform the system of work. During the previous period, we’ve launched many initiatives aimed at achieving these goals

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f we observe a brief overview of the World Bank’s suggestions for Serbia’s further post-covid economic development, one of the fundamental challenges mentioned is the inappropriate supply and demand of skills, i.e., education that isn’t adapted to the needs of the economy. That’s why the first question we posed to Vladan Đokić Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade, was: what, in this regard, can the Education Strategy 2030 change?

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“Continuous monitoring of the qualifications framework, alongside analysis and an understanding of what skills and knowledge are essential to cover the needs of the labour market at the national level, certainly represents one of the priority tasks for higher education institutions in Serbia, equally in reaccrediting existing study programmes and developing new ones,” says our interlocutor. “The demand for highly qualified, socially engaged professionals is increasing and changing in line with

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

numerous global challenges. We also see this in the indicators of the European Agenda for Higher Education, which predicts that half of existing occupations and jobs will require high qualifications by 2025, and which recognises the existence of numerous shortcomings in the education process and the skills that are acquired in higher education. In our context, this issue has only become more pronounced and evident under the circumstances of covid, though there are clear pre-existing indicators

MISSION

PARTNERSHIP

AGILITY

The University of Belgrade represents the most important academic institution in our country and the region, and our goal is to maintain our leadership position

The key is in partnerships of knowledge, the transfer of knowledge and ensuring an environment for future professionals to acquire practical skills during the period of their studies

Thanks to great experience in the digitalisation process, the University of Belgrade positioned and handled itself very well under the conditions of the pandemic and is successfully implementing its study programmes

that additional efforts are required, both in strategic and operational terms, to tailor higher education to the needs of the economy and labour market.”

Our interlocutor notes that this was one of the starting points in the drafting of the Education and Upbringing Strategy until 2030.

“However, it is my view that the determinants of the Strategy represent a broader conceptual framework for systemic advancement, and that individual tasks and goals must be established and implemented through specific initiatives and activities. One such initiative is the cooperation in providing support of the Public Administration to higher education institutions in the educational process, formalised by agreement in October last year. This marks an important step in public administration reform, both from the aspect of ensuring students acquire practical skills and from the aspect of achieving a high level of competencies for work in the real world.”

Before I mention several key perspectives that can play an important role in changing education, I would like to note that ensuring continuous work on the realisation of longterm strategic goals makes it essential for the University to define – in the form of the Strategy that has not yet been formally established – the directions of its development over a period of at least one decade, while monitoring the fundamental projections of the strategies of the Republic of Serbia and relevant international documents. Considering the very uncertain circumstances, particularly the current situation and the ramifications of the pandemic, the strategic

You are seeking the return of nationalised property to the University, based on the example of how the assets of religious communities were returned. Are there any individuals who donate to the university today; and who would you expect to be a patron of higher education in Serbia?

During the Interwar period, our University was one of the three richest universities in Europe, with revenues from more than 80 endowments and funds. Our University is now focused on an initiative to resolve the status of assets that were confiscated from the administrations of national institutions and endowments, with the aim of returning

One possibility for improving the existing quality of studies is the introduction of vocational programmes and dual education models. How much interest in following this path exists at colleges?

When it comes to the University of Belgrade, of our more than 320 study programmes at various levels of study, there are currently two existing study programmes of basic vocational studies on offer, as well as three study programmes of specialist vocational studies, which indicates the need for colleges to at least encourage consideration of this type of study programme. The university should nurture academic studies in the classical form, but also deliberate on all possibilities for developing vocational programmes, as well as the dual education model to the extent that it has the capacity for that, to the benefit of the entire society.

decisions that will be brought are very important to the long-term development of the University. First and foremost, it is essential when defining the Strategy to respect the University’s established traditional values and identity, through an appreciation for new circumstances in national, regional and international circles. Strategic perspectives in this framework should relate equally to the development of the processes and outcomes of education, the development of digital education and distance/online learning, the establishment and implementation of all-encompassing processes and procedures linked to the improving of human resources, the improving of student standards, the promoting and strengthening of scientific research activities, the encouraging and strengthening of international cooperation, and the advancing and optimising of the organisation of work, in which the primary goal in establishing the Development Strategy is actually finally strengthening the financial security and independence of the University.

How reliant would the Strategy for the Development of Universities be on the need for change in the field of education?

The university should nurture academic studies in the classical form, but also deliberate on all possibilities for developing vocational programmes, as well as the dual education model to the extent that it has the capacity for that, to the benefit of the entire society property in an institutionalised way. Numerous notable and wealthy Serbs have bequeathed their property to the University of Belgrade, with funding from revenues used to reward students’ professional and scientific works, to help impoverished students and student institutions, award scholarships and cover the university’s general needs, so this issue is significant because it would open new avenues of funding for the academic community. There are also positive examples today, both of individuals and socially responsible companies, but they are not as voluminous as they were during the golden age of Serbian endowment.

Money from endowments and funds used to be used to reward students’ professional and scientific works, to help impoverished students and student institutions. Are those needs today sufficiently addressed through other support instruments? What would it be wise to spend the money of donors on now?

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INTERVIEW

It’s important that we launched the initiative to establish postdoctoral research positions at the University. Our laws don’t currently recognise postdoctoral research and this restricts further training for many researchers. This sub-specialisation could help when it comes to retaining young people in the country and encouraging our scientists who’ve earned their doctorates abroad to return home, while it would also attract foreign researchers. Finally, in this way, the University of Belgrade would be even more strongly affirmed as an institution of integrity.

Space perhaps exists in this area for modern forms of endowments – of everything from equipment to facilities and funds.

During the period of the Covid-19 crisis we saw a significant difference between private and public faculties when it came to the possibility of switching to online teaching. What lessons have you learned when it comes to the digital transition of our higher education?

Thanks to great experience in the digitalisation process, the University of Belgrade positioned and handled itself very well under the conditions of the pandemic, and is now in the third academic year of successfully implementing study programmes that have been adapted to the situation. The last school year’s exam results and passing grades, which were conducted in accordance with the combined model of teaching, didn’t differ significantly 14

The intention is to use the period ahead to improve the process of selecting teachers at the University, which should be carried out as transparently and fairly as possible, in order to avoid situations in which the results of elections can be interpreted in different ways from previous years, and we can conclude on the basis of this that the quality of education and acquired knowledge will not be imperilled.

I am more concerned about the social aspect, i.e., the alienation of students deprived of a lively, interactive academic atmosphere.

Issues of urbanisation and environmental protection draw citizens onto the streets and disturb them, regardless of their party affiliations. Why are so few experts from universities today included in discussions about Serbia’s needs in any area of development?

The challenges of our environment today include social transformation, globalisation, the endangering of the environment and ever-mounting pressure on public services, the healthcare system, infrastructure and housing, as well as the increasingly strong

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

positioning of information technology. The University of Belgrade’s strength lies in the variety and specificity of its members, with 31 faculties and 11 institutes, which contribute to enhancing its repute and significance in different ways. Some of them do so through academic excellence, some through social engagement, some through improvements to the healthcare system, as we see with the pandemic, and some do so through their participation in important state construction and infrastructure projects. It is very important that the Committee for Environmental Protection was established, for the first time since the formation of the University, as an expert and advisory body of the University Senate. The members of this committee are relevant experts from various scientific fields, who are tasked with presenting stances - argued from an expert perspective - that highlight the importance of environmental protection, as well as the activities, processes and procedures that would contribute to that.

What forms the basis of the University’s reputation today and what can make or break it? Have you recently had any opportunity to receive feedback on how the public views you and, if so, what does that indicate to you?

The vision of the University of Belgrade is to continuously fortify its reputation as a leading educational and scientific research institution of the region, to attract an ever-greater number of students, improve and innovate study programmes and reform the system of work in order to further affirm its place among the ranks of universities in the region and around the world. We’ve launched many initiatives aimed at improving the work of the University. We’re planning to introduce a greater role for students in managing the University’s bodies and organs, due to the recently-adopted Law on Student Organisation, which we waited almost a decade for. One of the most delicate issues is the selection of teaching staff. The intention is to use the period ahead to improve the process of selecting teachers at the University, which should be carried out as transparently and fairly as possible, in order to avoid situations in which the results of elections can be interpreted in different ways.

BUSINESS PROFESSOR NATAŠA JOVANOVIĆ LJEŠKOVIĆ, PH.D, DEAN OF THE FACUTY OF PHARMACY, NOVI SAD

Ten Years Of Education For

A HEALTHY SOCIETY

Novi Sad Faculty of Pharmacy successfully educates future pharmacists, medical biochemists, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors of science, specialists. Its goal is to be recognised as a leading educational institution for health professionals in the 21st century

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fter the first 10 years, we can proudly say that we are educating really high-quality health staff. We are flexible, we have attractive and current content in the curriculum and we manage to respond to rapid changes in society. Our knowledge has no expiry date ~ says professor Jovanović Lješković.

How do you position yourself as an educational institution for the 21st century.

What is the formula for your success?

The pandemic has reminded us how important it is to have high quality health personnel. We feel a great responsibility for our students who need to be ready for the 21st century healthcare system. Good quality education is crucial for good staff, so educational institutions must be flexible, respond to rapid changes in society and offer attractive and current content in their curriculum. It is extremely important today that faculties have good leadership with a clear vision and mission. In that sense, our faculty continuously invests in teaching staff, equipment, digitalisation and, most importantly, in the selection of current curricula and practice.

What are the key benefits of the curriculum you offer? Can you explain that with the example of the pharmacy study programme?

In addition to basic professional subjects, students also have the subjects Rare Diseases, Biological Drugs and Immunotherapy, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine, Oncology Pharmacy, Drug Addiction and Abuse, Pharmacoeconomics, Marketing,

exposure to various career opportunities and the introduction of courses aimed at professional development. The curriculum itself is designed so that students choose and create their own path through it. Compulsory subjects are followed by narrow professional and elective courses that open the door to specific areas of pharmacy.

Each of our subjects is like a building element, like a brick, say. And the final product of our five-year curriculum will be a typical house, known as the 21st century pharmacist.

Inside the house, the obligatory subjects will form the foundations and load-bearing walls, while with their personal choice of professional and elective subjects, each student will create and decorate their own pharmaceutical interior.

Serbia is intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and digitalisation of health on their agenda Professional Development, the Digital Pharmacy, and so on. I think that we are not only the first in the region but also among the first in Europe to introduce the subject of the Digital Pharmacy because it is important for our students to know what is happening in the field of digitalisation, telepharmacy and the application of artificial intelligence in medicine and pharmacy.

We bring students closer to all the different worlds of pharmacy already in the early years of our courses, through early

Enrolment time approaching? How to choose an occupation for the 21st century?

You need to think of your own interests and motivation and keep in mind that science is making incredible advances. Just look at what is being done in the fields of pharmacy, medicine, molecular biology, genetics, today we are all talking about mRNA, gene therapy, immunotherapy, biological drugs, personalized medicine, the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, prediction, disease prevention or choice of therapy. The possibilities in the area we call “Life Sciences” are amazing.

We are pleased that Serbia has lately been intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and the digitalisation of health on their agenda, and this is the chance for young people.

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BUSINESS VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ PH.D., FULL PROFESSOR, DEAN, FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

We Live In The

AGE OF ENGINEERING Interest in mechanical engineering studies among young people is growing year-on-year, as is the quality of newly enrolled students, because it is increasingly easier and faster to gain employment if you have a degree from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Thanks to this fact, young engineers are also increasingly opting to stay in their country, to remain in Serbia to work

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lthough every administration of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has done as much as could be done under the given circumstances, we must advance decisively. This is the right moment to decisively continue with the gradual reform of the faculty, because if we don’t change, then we will stagnate and slowly disappear ~ says Vladimir Popović Ph.D. You rated last year as being excellent for the faculty. What were all the things that marked the year?

First of all, I would like to thank you for expressing an interest in the activities and development of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. We had university elections over the course of spring, through which a new administration of the Faculty of MechanicalEngineeringwaselected,whichtook over its duties on 1st October. The members of the Dean’s Collegium are now three ladies, for the first time in this faculty’s history. The previous year was marked by exceptional interest among students in enrolling in all of our faculty’s study programmes, the continued excellent results of our student teams (Formula student, Beoavia – aviation, Confluence Belgrade – shipbuilding, Robotoid, ZeptoHyperTech – biomedical engineering), as well as the presenting of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the World Expo in Dubai.

There has been increased interest in mechanical engineering studies among youngsters for years, but what’s new is that ever more of them want to stay in Serbia 16

after graduating. How has that changed?

We’ve been working on this for years, but the circumstances, including a good policy of the state, have also helped us. That increased interest contributed to raising the quality of newly enrolled students, such that this year the average grade of our freshmen coming from secondary schools stands at 4.40, and approximately 60 per cent of new students come to us from high schools.

I agree with your observation that ever more of our graduates are choosing to remain in

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

their country. Contributing to this the most was an increase in offers of high-quality jobs for engineers, as well as continuous increases in salaries, particularly over the last five years. A large number of high-tech companies have opened their development centres in our country, which is crucial to future development.

You have excellent cooperation with many companies, including renowned firms like ZF, Bosch, Siemens, Brose and Endava, but

also public enterprises and companies like EPS, NIS, Petrohemija etc. What are students brought by this collaboration?

There is practically no significant company operating in our country with which we don’t cooperate. Apart from the aforementioned companies, there are a number of domestic private companies with which we’ve developed cooperation. All this enables students to have high-quality work placement student internship, and after that also the possibility of choosing the right employer.

I wish to highlight our excellent cooperation with the Association of Students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering regarding all issues that impact on education activities, but also our students’ further career development. A number of them are starting work well before the completion of their studies, which used to be a rarity.

When it comes to the popularity of our study modules, the largest number of students traditionally enrol in thermotechnics, mechanical production engineering, which also encompasses artificial intelligence, robotics, intelligent technological systems, automated control, aviation etc.

You’re also recording increased interest among students from the region, but also from the UAE. This isn’t only important in financial terms, but also in terms of expanding your influence, right?

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has always attracted the best school pupils, both from the surrounding countries and from the regions of North Africa and the Middle East. That interest waned significantly as a result of the wars and crises of the end of the previous century and the beginning of this one, but it is now being reactivated.

There’s a lot of room in this area to improve the work of our faculty, because we have an exceptional tradition of educating foreign students. We had several meetings, both in Dubai and Belgrade, with universities and companies from the UAE, and we expect a larger group of students to come from this country in the next school year.

The influence of our country is thus expanded in the best way, because our graduates and doctors of technical sciences find themselves, or will find themselves, in important positions in their own countries.

All of the aforementioned determines the position of our faculty as the best school of mechanical engineering in the wider region.

Despite a lot having already been done, your faculty is still working to harmonise its study programmes with the needs of the market. Is the dual education model, which is being developed according to the needs and specifics of the higher education system, part of this process?

The key reason for my candidacy to become dean is the fact that I believe deeply that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – despite its

with companies on the basis of mutual interest. We are currently working with ZF to develop a study programme based on the dual model of study.

Conditions for studying are increasingly improving, but what working and research conditions do your young scientists have, given that they should bring accelerated economic development to our country?

Both conditions for studying and conditions for scientific work are increasingly better, but there’s always room for improvement.

Our faculty has the constant support of

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has always attracted the best school pupils, both from the surrounding countries and from the regions of North Africa and the Middle East greatachievementsinthepastandatraditionto beproudof;despitemanygreatgenerationsand renowned professors who’ve carried its name around the world – still can and must advance.

I believe that, even today, at this faculty there exists new energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to improve many segments of work, in order for our faculty to remain a cornerstone of education and science in the future.

That’s why we’re constantly innovating our programmes and subjects, and introducing new accredited study programmes. I would like to point out the new Industry 4.0 master’s studies programme, as well as the undergraduate study programme in Information Technology in Mechanical Engineering.

The dual education model opens new doors to even more intensive cooperation

the state in its development, without which merely maintaining the monumental building of the faculty would be difficult. As I spent four years performing my duties as the Secretary of State responsible for Science and Technological Development, this topic is one that’s extremely close to me. The time in which we live is the time of engineering, and that’s a fact that supports our efforts.

Our generation of professors and this administration are tasked with utilising all of these opportunities in the right way. And we should always be mindful of the fact that, in a house with tradition, nothing begins or ends with us, and we are all just a stage in the development and building of the reputation of our house: the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Belgrade.

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INTERVIEW ALEKSANDAR KAVCIC,FOUNDER OF THE ALEK KAVCIC FOUNDATION

Exercise For The

GREATER GOOD No one can be inventive without thinking originally and distinctly. At the Foundation we aren’t afraid of inventing new methods that raise the level and quality of education. And demonstrating inventiveness, and leading by example, is also an educational tool – one that teaches and emboldens others to think differently themselves.

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first grader who starts school in the next 2022/23 school year will never have to buy textbooks - because – in a nutshell – it is at this point that the Alek Kavcic Foundation’s idea of providing free books to children aged seven will be realised. While the Foundation doesn’t fill its book collection by grade, children in each grade receive the

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We expect more schools, parents and pupils to benefit from free textbooks in the next school year, as the number of textbooks offered in our programme grows

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

possibility of coming closer to receiving free schooling. However, this battle still isn’t over for many reasons.

Who is the winner of your ongoing struggle to secure free school textbooks?

The students are undoubtedly the winners. They are the ones who benefit from a free public education. As a reminder, free

education, without hidden costs (such as textbook costs), is a basic human right guaranteed by both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Serbian Constitution. Upholding rights guaranteed under the constitution is certainly a victory for all citizens of Serbia, especially those of school age.

How many schools and parents have voted for your offer, as you say, with their wallets?

More than 300 (of a total of about 1,300) schools in Serbia use some of the books that are free on our website besplatnabibioteka.com. However, interestingly, a good percentage of those schools are actually unaware that the books they use are free, and they still require pupils and/or parents to buy textbooks. We are working to change this. We expect more schools, parents and pupils to benefit from free textbooks in the next school year, as the number of textbooks offered in our programme grows.

Your disputes with Klett are well known, but what about the state? Is your cooperation with the state publisher of school textbooks a sign that your ideas are at least being partially embraced, or not?

Our free textbook programme is growing, and is well received by both the state publisher and the readers, i.e., schoolchildren. Sadly, Klett, which is a German multinational publishing house that owns three publishing companies in Serbia (Klett, Logos and Freska), has a problem with our growing programme. Klett’s main motivation is fear for their shrinking profits. It is unfortunate that profit is a motivator for a multinational company that tries to market itself as an “educator” that is, supposedly, primarily interested in dispersing knowledge. Klett has launched lawsuits against me and against the Alek Kavčić Foundation, but out legal team is handling these lawsuits very well and I expect us to prove victorious. There is no law that prevents the Foundation, or me personally, as a citizen of Serbia, from supplying free textbooks to my fellow citizens, for the benefit of Serbia as a nation.

A German company should not have a say in this matter.

If the schedule is correct, then the list of textbooks required for the fourth grade is already known, while the list for the eighth grade will be published soon. How many books on this list will be yours?

We don’t fill our book collection by grade. Rather, we work on providing textbooks for all grades in parallel, concurrently. Naturally, eighth grade has more subjects than first grade, so it is going to be easier to provide all textbooks for first grade than eighth grade. In fact, at this point in time, we have completed all textbooks for first grade, so a first grader who

There is no law that prevents the Foundation, or me personally, as a citizen of Serbia, from supplying free textbooks to my fellow citizens for the benefit of Serbia as a nation.

A German company should not have a say in this matter starts school in the next 2022/23 school year will never have to buy textbooks. We expect to successively fill the rosters of other grades within the next two years, and the Foundation will provide all those elementary school textbooks, for all school subjects, free of charge.

Until recently, your offer only included books in pdf format or printed versions.

Is your digital version of books going to be free and how can this equate to the financial sustainability of your endeavour?

A digital textbook doesn’t differ much from a pdf textbook. In fact, a digital textbook is a pdf, but it has more than just text and pictures, in the form of interactive material, videos, exercises etc.

But it must be understood that the pdf is the background of any book, whether it is interactive or not. The creation of any digital, electronic or cyber textbook requires some funding, but it is a one-off expense. Once the pdf and/or the digital textbook is created, it is done; it doesn’t need extra monthly maintenance. All that is required is to put it on a website for everyone to download and use. Putting something on a website requires no additional cost (except for the negligible costs of a few dollars per month to maintain the website), so our programme is in fact financially SUSTAINABLE. That is actually the beauty of it.

At the end of the day, what is more important for the improvement of the quality of education in Serbia: free access to textbooks or the freedom to think differently?

Both. They are complementary. Free education is a basic human right, so textbooks must be free. A free education is a prerequisite for a nation’s prosperity.

Being inventive in the way we utilise resources is an exercise in thinking freely and differently. No one can be inventive without thinking originally and distinctly.

We, at the Foundation, aren’t afraid to invent new methods that raise the level and quality of education. Demonstrating inventiveness, and leading by example, is also an educational tool – one that teaches and emboldens others to think differently themselves.

If you could add one thing from the U.S. method of teaching, what that would be?

Inventiveness in the classroom. Moulding all teachers to conform to the same boring standards is not the best way to educate.

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BUSINESS RYAN BOLLHORN, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST, THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

Building Deeper Understanding

WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

At the International School of Belgrade (ISB), we believe that students should have experience of solving real-life problems. Research shows this kind of authentic learning experience makes the learning process more relevant and builds deeper understanding. It also helps students develop entrepreneurial skills and understand the importance of failure.

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tudents learn to solve real-life problems by researching ideas, designing solutions, pivoting from failure, building models, putting solutions into action and then reflecting on their process. Research clearly shows that this type of real-life, project-based learning has a positive impact on motivation and creates deeper understanding for students.

While working on real-life problems, we have learned that technology applications can help students develop solutions in a

Applications such as Fusion 360 and TinkerCAD are professional tools which are being used to provide students with real-world skills virtual space as well as a physical space.

For example, 3D CAD software is having a significant impact; allowing students to generate ideas and build them completely within a 3D world. These final designs can be printed using 3D printers and used to construct a final product.

Applications such as Fusion 360 and TinkerCAD are professional tools which are being used to provide students with real-world skills.

Virtual learning spaces have also had a significant impact on student learning.

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Recently, ISB’s Grade 5 students explored a virtual Chemistry lab using Minecraft Education to experiment with the construction of elements and compounds. This virtual learning experience led to students developing a more profound understanding of chemistry concepts.

This real-life approach, along with the use of modern interactive applications,

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

helps create a more relevant learning experience for our students. The opportunity to experiment and play with different concepts using innovative tools should not be a replacement for hands-on learning, it should enhance and transform the entire learning experience, allowing students to do and learn things that would otherwise be impossible.

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BUSINESS

School That’s Tailored

TO THE CHILD

Chartwell International School, which is located in a beautiful and tranquil Belgrade residential area, has been providing education to children from the ages of two to 18 for more than 20 years

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wide range of subjects is offered throughout the school – from foundation to secondary level, designed to stretch and challenge each individual, providing everyone with the opportunity to discover and consider their own particular interests and talents With over 40 different nationalities of pupils, Chartwell is a world of its own. In a tightknit establishment that celebrates cultural diversity, the unifying factor is the school’s accreditation from Cambridge University, which recognises Chartwell as an international school, as well as its registration with the Serbian Ministry of Education.

Academic standards are keenly monitored at Chartwell International School, while class sizes are small enough – with a teacher-pupil ratio of as little as 1 to 3 – and are tailored to suit the academic needs, interests and potential of each child, including additional personalised tuition if needed. Contemporary teaching methods are applied, with an interdisciplinary approach to subjects.

Although the Chartwell management team leads the way, it is the Chartwell teachers that represent the success and beating heart of the school. They come from a variety of backgrounds and have varied experiences, but they all share a love of teaching, empathy for their pupils and a commitment to their education. All are well qualified for the role they play. Encouragement and motivation are keywords in the lexicon of Chartwell’s teaching philosophy.

Lessons at Chartwell International School are taught in English, but a variety of other world languages are also offered in tandem. Cultural diversity is very important at Chartwell. The school traditionally celebrates UN Day, promoting tolerance 22

Chartwell fosters a strong family atmosphere and is not governed by rules, but rather by respect for others and common sense and respect. Poetry and music evenings are organised, at which children recite poems and sing in their native languages and those that are taught at the school. British traditions are respected, with celebrations of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Christmas, while Chartwell is the only school in Belgrade to celebrate Bonfire Night.

Chartwell fosters a strong family atmosphere and is not governed by rules, but rather by respect for others and common sense. This is a place where students come for more than just study – Chartwell is a home away from home.

This is what makes the school a unique, tension-free environment, where pupils and teachers chat during breaks, play sports together, resolve problems and jointly participate in various projects. Regardless of their many cultural differences, pupils

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

and teachers respect each other and work closely to achieve the best possible results.

With an awareness that education encompasses much more than the academic programme, great emphasis is placed on that extracurricular activities that are offered on a daily basis and range from sports to fencing, dance, drama and languages, while Chartwell’s pupils are also involved in the life of the community.

Chartwell’s goal is to provide teachers and pupils with conditions under which they will all be able to achieve their best results. The school will continue to optimise class sizes, in order to be able to tailor the curriculum to suit the individual needs of pupils. Moreover, this school has also implemented the latest air purification technologies in its new buildings, using HEPA filters and UV lights, which provide fresh air for the improved efficiency and concentration of pupils and staff.

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BUSINESS FRANÇOIS ALLAIN, BOD PRESIDENT, ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DE BELGRADE – THE INTERNATIONAL FRENCH SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

Where Happy Children

GROW UP

EFB is part of a global AEFE network of 552 international French schools in 138 countries. The curriculum in all these affiliated schools is the public schools in France, which makes it much easier for children to integrate into a new school when their family moves to a different country

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he time of borders is slowly coming to an end, with the trend of global citizenship taking over. People are moving around the world more than ever before. EFB aligns with this trend and has been empowering generations to explore the world since it opened in 1951.

You are simultaneously the parent of an attending pupil and the President of the Board of the French School of Belgrade - EFB. Could you please explain this double-role model?

Every parent who has a child attending EFB automatically becomes a member of the Association – like a shareholder. All parents are invited to participate in regular General Assemblies, though attendance is not obligatory. They are invited to vote on certain strategic topics and to decide who will represent them, together with other members, on the Board. The members of the Board work closely with the school management team on a voluntary basis and contribute with their own set of skills and competencies. The model is interesting and flexible: it enables parents to get involved directly in the management of the school if they wish to.

You’ve spent more than a decade living in Belgrade. Your spouse is Serbian, and your son speaks both languages. How does EFB fit in?

EFB is a French school, but Serbia is its country of adoption – just as it is mine. It was crucial for my wife and I that our son adopts both traditions as his own. Cultural immersion is an important principle of EFB 24

Children can attend EFB from the age of two and a half until the end of high school, which ensures smooth transitions through different stages of education and Serbian language studies are mandatory. In addition to French and Serbian, kids start learning English from the age of five and another foreign language from the age of 12, so four languages in total! There is also an optional bilingual French-English section, where kids have English lessons and other subjects taught in English every single day. And with more than 30 nations represented at our school, EFB is a truly multicultural environment.

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

The EFB slogan is “For a life without borders”. What message are you sending with this statement?

EFB being a part of the global AEFE network ensures an easy integration into a new French school if the the family moves to a different country. Children simply continue their education where it previously stopped, without any exams to determine the grade.

After passing the French Baccalauréat exam at the end of their high school studies, students can apply for any French university, whether public or private, but also universities in the UK, U.S., Canada, or pretty much anywhere around the globe.

EFB provides not only education, but also orientation and counselling throughout the high school years, in order for our students to be able to find their spot in the world.

EFB is known as a place where happy children grow up and that’s loved by parents. Why do you think that is?

Children can attend EFB from the age of two and a half until the end of high school, which ensures smooth transitions through different stages of education. On top of that, EFB offers a range of additional services: school lunch, tutoring and help with homework, daycare services and a range of extracurricular sports and artistic classes to choose from for optional afterschool activities. Basically, you can drop your kids off at 8am and pick them up as late as 6pm, and then spend quality time with them, without having to worry about homework or driving them around for activities. From the perspective of a busy parent, this is a great advantage of EFB!

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BUSINESS GORDANA MEDAKOVIĆ, IB PROGRAMME MANAGER, AND DRAGANA IVANOVIĆ ĐORĐEVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATION SYSTEM CRNJANSKI

Diploma That Opens

ALL DOORS

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme has been known for more than 50 years and is implemented at more than 5,000 schools in more than 157 countries. It provides an internationally recognised secondary school diploma that’s also a diploma enabling direct enrolment in colleges worldwide, for the most famous and highest rated universities

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ducation System Crnjanski is specific in many ways, including the fact that enrolments are carried out yearround. Parents enrol their children in the international section of the programme upon returning from abroad, and they opt for the national programme when they want to change their environment and the approach to teaching and development in general.

What are the main characteristics and greatest qualities of the IB programme implemented at your school?

GM: They are, first and foremost, a comprehensive approach to the education and development of each pupil, encouraging the individual qualities and abilities of each pupil through the choice of subjects and programmes, learning on the basis of concepts that are mutually intertwined and complement one another in different subjects. We nurture critical reviews and re-examinations of that which is being learned or has already been mastered, teaching our pupils how to present and defend their own opinions in a well-argued, impartial and objective way, as well as accepting and respecting opposing opinions, and along with that we also devote great attention to developing their awareness, learning and consistent applying of the rules of academic integrity, as the basis of the personal honesty and integrity of each individual.

How many of your pupils go on to study abroad?

GM: Accomplishing the full diploma programme enables direct admission and enrolment in any university around the world. We can note with pride that members of our alumni include 26

Gordana Medaković

students who’ve successfully completed Yale, the London School of Economics, the University of Warwick, King’s College London, Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts, ETH Zurich, Bocconi and Erasmus, as well as other renowned and respected faculties worldwide.

Usually around two-thirds of each generation, between 10 and 15 pupils, opt to study abroad after successfully completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).

You apply a holistic teaching principle that is centred around the child and aims to develop lifelong learning models. Are you trying to educate future leaders who will change the world for the better?

GM: Precisely. Fundamentally, the IB philosophy of education aims to enable the intellectual development of the pupil, but also to encourage and nurture the development of their social and emotional skills, which will help the pupils to be able to respond to the many challenges of the modern world.This education programme, thus, develops an awareness within young people that they should use what they’ve learned

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

Dragana Ivanović Đorđević

to help improve the lives of others, and that through daily leadership they consciously choose to be a driving force for good around the whole world.

What is the goal of the parents who place their trust in you, apart from ensuring that their children receive the best possible education?

DIĐ: The motives among parents who choose to school their children in the Education System Crnjanski, which encompasses both primary and secondary school, certainly include - apart from the exceptional teaching staff and level of dedication – a sense of security and a climate in which cooperative relationships of respect are nurtured, between employees, pupils and parents, and among the pupils themselves.

Parents often assess us as a “school with high demands”, but also a place where their children can – in the space of a “real school”, and in humane and dedicated relations – get the best education and properly prepare for the continuation of their education, but also for an independent and responsible life.

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D UA L E D U C AT I O N

Interest In Learning

THROUGH WORK Based on the model of Europe’s most famous and most successful dual education systems, implemented in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, Serbia was the first country in the region to adopt its Law on Dual Education in 2017, the full implementation of which began on 1st September 2019

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he development of dual education in our country has prompted a need for the formal education system to be adapted to the personnel needs of the economy. Following the completion of their education under the dual model, students can either gain employment with an employer or launch their own business, while they also have the qualifications required to continue their education.

If dual education in Serbia had a tradition dating back 100-200 years, like Germany, we could boast of the fact that more than 80 per cent of the students of three-year dual education programmes find a job with the employer with whom they had their internship. Approximately 25 per cent of German interns earn the right to enrol in university, but they opt instead for an internship, while in Switzerland, for example, the dual education system includes 128 education profiles, each of which is led by a different company.

Serbia is neither Germany, nor Switzerland, nor Austria, which also has a great dual education system, so it cannot boast of such impressive results, but nor are our figures negligible.

EARNING BOTH AT SCHOOL AND WITH L AN EMPLOYER In the period of just five years, which is how long dual education has been in the focus of Serbia’s education system, we’ve reached a total of 54 dual educational profiles, 10,000 pupils enrolled in dual programmes, 150 schools and 900 companies engaged in the dual education system, while in the meantime an additional step has been taken, such that today three colleges and 28

For this academic year, 30 per cent of the companies that registered are new, while the offer for the dual model will also include nine new educational profiles five academies of vocational studies are implementing 26 study programmes under the dual model.

By definition, secondary dual education is a model of teaching under the system of secondary vocational education and training in which the curriculum is implemented in both a school and a company, under the guidance of the employer. It thus ensures

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

that students acquire knowhow, abilities, skills and attitudes, through theoretical classes and exercises in school, but also through learning on the job in a company.

“The dual education system ensures a more effective response from the education system to the needs of the economy and labour market, technological change and the need for new competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes,” say representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.

ISTENING CAREFULLY TO THE NEEDS L OF THE LABOUR MARKET Such an education model enables the acquiring, advancing and developing of competencies in accordance with the needs of

the labour market, post-graduation employment, the development of entrepreneurship, the innovative and creative abilities of each individual, but also strengthening the economy’s competitiveness. The most important advantage of this education model is in the quality of knowledge and skills that students acquire, but also the opportunity to gain employment at companies based in their area.

“For this 2022/2023 academic year, 30 per cent of the companies that registered are new, while the offer for the dual model will include nine new educational profiles: telecommunications electrical technician, agricultural machinery operator, culinary technician, hotel and restaurant technician, tourist technician, plumber, industrial robotics technician, haberdasher and chemical products manufacturer,” explains a spokesperson of Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia.

Depending on the educational profile selected, the pupil can start visting the company to learn through work already in the first year of studies. They acquire knowhow that’s practical and applicable, in a real work environment, from the very beginning of their schooling, while upon completion of their schooling the student can gain employment with an employer, launch their own business or continue their education.

TUDENTS FIND WORK FASTER S AND EASIER The dual model of higher education studies, which began being implemented in Serbia with the first study programmes of October 2021, contributes to increasing higher education’s relevance, enabling graduates to secure employment faster and easier, and modernising teaching processes through cooperation with businesses and contact with modern technologies. With the introduction of the dual model of study, the aim is to provide students with the opportunity to significantly increase their labour market competitiveness and job opportunities with the employers that hosted their work placement learning, but also with other employers operating in the same field.

Higher education institutions may organise programmes of academic or vocational

Three colleges and five academies of vocational studies are today implementing 26 study programmes under the dual model studies according to a dual model, through which knowhow, skills, abilities and attitudes are acquired, improved and developed in accordance with the study programme and qualification standard, through active teaching at a higher education institution

and practical training and work with an employer.

The dual model of study makes learning through work an integral part of the programme, in accordance with a dual model of study that carries a number of ECTS [European Credit Transfer System] points and represents an organised process during which students, working under the supervision of company mentors, apply theoretical knowledge in a real work environment, have direct contact with business procedures and technologies used in the business world, connect with employed professionals and prepare for the world of work.

The dual education system at the level of secondary and higher education, which is regulated by the Law on Dual Education and the Law on Dual Model of Studies in Higher Education, contributes to improving human resources capital, which will further ensure the easier and faster integration of high school and university students into the world of work. Dual education is also developed in accordance with the Master Plan for the Implementation of the Law on Dual Education.

It is also worth noting that donor and partnership support for the establishment and development of Serbia’s National Model of Dual Education was provided by German development agency GIZ, under the scope of its DECIDE project and the project “Reform of Secondary Vocational Education in Serbia”; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), under the auspices of the project “Support for the development and establishment of the National Model of Dual Education”, and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

WE’RE INVESTING IN AVIATION CENTRES “Confirmation of the loan agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank will enable the reconstruction and equipping of two centres – one in Belgrade and the other in Vršac – to cater for the needs of aviation education in Serbia under the dual education model,” announced Serbian Education, Science and Technological Development Minister Branko Ružić.

This investment will enable us to create additional conditions for the education of aviation personnel in Serbia and the region, while helping to secure careers for future pilots, flight controllers and other related occupations, noted Ružić.

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BUSINESS

Young People Today Have

BETTER PROSPECTS

On behalf of the German Development Cooperation, GIZ has been closely cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and other relevant institutions in Serbia for eight years in order to strengthen the dual education model and better align the education system with labour market needs

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any companies, public and private, are engaged in the project of German Development Cooperation, along with secondary vocational schools. Two of these are Vlasotince Technical School and Obrenovac Technical School

ALEXANDER BEETZ, Programme Manager for Sustainable Economic Development and Employment at the German Development Cooperation with Serbia

WE ENCOURAGE COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES One of the main goals of the German Development Cooperation with Serbia is 30

to improve the prospects of young people in Serbia and to make it easier for them to find work and live in their country

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he education system plays a key role in improving young people’s chances of finding a good job. A big step forward was made with the introduction of the cooperative model of education in 2014. Close cooperation between schools and companies, and greater scope and better quality of practical teaching in companies are some of the main characteristics of the new approach. Experience from implementation of the cooperative model was essential for the development of the national model of dual education in Serbia and the adoption of the Law on Dual Education, which entered into force in 2019.

Currently, German Development Cooperation (implemented by GIZ) focuses on working with Serbian partners to improve the quality of dual education.

We work on capacity building of schools to become regional centres of competence - model schools that offer high quality dual education and non-formal trainings.

In parallel, we provide advisory support to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development to improve the legal and regulatory framework for the implementation of dual education.

Our goal is to improve the employability of young people so they can find good quality jobs and decent earnings. On the other hand, we encourage employers to be actively involved in the training of future staff in accordance with the needs of their companies. This contributes to increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the Serbian economy.

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

MILIVOJE ĐORĐEVIĆ, principal of Vlasotince Technical School

WE FOLLOW THE NEEDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET Thanks to the projects of German Development Cooperation implemented

by GIZ, we have established an important public-private partnership, equipped school workshops, built capacities of teachers and instructors from companies...

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lasotince Technical School is very successful in implementing dual education. We educate students in nine educational profiles and cooperate with more than 30 companies. We have been

accredited for adult education through non-formal trainings and the process of recognition of prior learning. Since 2016, we have increased the number of students by 50 percent.

Our school constantly monitors the needs of the labour market in order to fulfil its purpose, and that is why we cooperate with companies so that we can offer our students education for the occupations that are in demand.

Besides gaining practical knowledge and skills during the time spent in companies, students also learn teamwork, business communication, workplace discipline and many other skills that they cannot acquire in school. In that way, we provide them with good conditions for professional development and a chance to build a career in their own town. On the other hand, companies recognize their interest in being actively involved in the education of their future staff because “good workers are not found by chance, you have to make them”, as the owner of one of our partner companies says.

Employers are aware that they have to invest in education of their future workers and that it is a great development opportunity for every company to participate in education. Therefore, our school’s cooperation with companies is growing bigger and better every day.

RAJKA BABIĆ, principal of the Obrenovac Technical School WE ARE AMONG PIONEERS OF DUAL EDUCATION Thanks to the introduction of dual education, we have improved cooperation with local companies and increased interest in three-year vocational education profiles for occupations that employers need

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brenovac Technical School was one of the first secondary vocational schools in Serbia to start implementing a dual education model. We started in the 2014/15 school year by introducing a cooperative model with elements of dual

education, and now we have four dual profiles: locksmith-welder, electro-fitter for network and installation, electrician, and machine tool maker.

MIHAILO JEVTIĆ, director of Stelit 90 d.o.o. in Obrenovac

THEY WERE OUR STUDENTS, NOW THEY ARE OUR COLLEAGUES A quarter of the current staff in our company’s production plant is trained through cooperation with the Technical school, i.e. through dual education of locksmith-welders

Our partner companies Stelit 90, Cardboard factory UMKA, JKP Toplovod, PE EPS and Thermal Power Plant Nikola Tesla A and B have provided our students with conditions for acquiring professional competencies that will make them competitive on the labour market. This includes a larger number of hours that students spend at work-based learning in the company, training on modern machines under constant supervision and mentorship of instructors who have been trained to work with students. They gain the ability to apply theoretical knowledge acquired in school to practical work in the company, and the opportunity to learn at first hand how the company works and what it means to be part of a team.

The employers have also assumed all the obligations prescribed by the Law on Dual Education, including the obligation to pay financial remuneration to students for work-based learning. As our students say, companies invest in them so that, when they hire them in the future, they will have high quality craftsmen.

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telit 90 is a family business, founded in 1990. Our primary activity is the design, production and installation of process equipment and plants, equipment for dust removal and industrial ventilation, energy equipment, metal structures and equipment for environmental protection and waste processing. Thanks to many years of experience and highly professional staff, Stelit 90 is today one of the leading manufacturers of process equipment.

For many years, we have been cooperating with the Obrenovac Technical School in implementation of dual education, primarily for the locksmith-welder profile. During that time, we have managed to train a lot of young staff. Most of the students who had practical part of teaching at Stelit are now employed by us, some have already become lead craftsmen. The support of the German Development Cooperation is important, cooperation with the school and teachers of practical subjects is excellent, we are all going in the same direction better education of young people and better preparation for the job for which they are studying. We are looking forward to continuing cooperation and expanding capacity for training of future staff.

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BUSINESS SLOBODAN JANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, INMOLD

They Turn Students

INTO GREAT WORKERS Požega company INMOLD exports its IML robots and sophisticated high-quality tools for injection moulding of plastics and non-ferrous metals to markets around the world. Now it has begun dual education at the technical school, which has paid off, both for the local community and the company

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ll our staff are from an area of 25 km in radius, and the average age is under 32 ~ says Mr Janković, noting that all interested high school students who graduated from schools in Požega, Užice, Kosjerić, Lučani and Arilje have the chance to become part of INMOLD. In a short time, Inmold has grown from a company with 25 staff to one with more than 400. How do you explain that?

There are several reasons for that, but I certainly have to mention the great experience from previous companies that I and some of my associates brought to Inmold, all my personal capital that I earned by selling part of the company of which I was a co-owner until 2006, a loan obtained from the Development Fund at the very beginning when I opened the company… The right choice of activities is also important, the huge need for tools and robots for IML technology for the production of thin-walled packaging for the food 32

and chemical industries around the world, the huge number of companies that have started operating in Serbia, Macedonia and BiH and the right moment to introduce dual education into the activities of INMOLD as the best way to provide young and professional staff adapted to the business. Probably my personal commitment and that of my associates to the business, to the work and the quality of work we do has also contributed to success, with the support of the current government for further development and growth of INMOLD, especially at our new site in Priboj, our expansion and providing the conditions for normal work, a stable family and private life, our commitment to employing people living in INMOLD’s vicinity and a whole range of other factors.

Which markets do you cover?

We are engaged in the production of IML robots and sophisticated high-quality tools for injection moulding of plastic and non-ferrous

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

metals, which we export to Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, USA, Pakistan, Japan, China, Canada...

For decades, our educational system has ignored the needs of the market, but that is slowly changing. Isn’t it high time that the education authorities start providing exactly what employers need?

Yes, that’s right ... We somehow managed to influence the local community technical school to change its awareness of the needs of the labour market and to get young people out of school with occupations that are needed by business. Seven or eight years ago, the state launched a campaign to educate people needed by industry, and we are now actively working on that, which I am very pleased about.

By the way, the tough school bureaucratic apparatus is hard to change, but it is getting better in Serbia because it is being worked on in many towns. The state has managed to change the legal regulations in education, so

now more care is taken about the profiles offered to children.

For a whole decade, you have been training and providing scholarships to students of the technical high school and students of mechanical engineering, which has increased the interest in manufacturing occupations and the mechanical profession. How much has this stopped the outflow of young people from Western Serbia?

All our staff are from a 25-kilometre radius of the company, and the average age is under 32. High school students who graduated from schools in Požega, Užice, Kosjerić, Lučani and Arilje and who are interested in working at INMOLD get the chance to become part of our team. All students from these parts who want to return and start working can get a job at INMOLD even if their education does not meet our needs, because we organize so many retraining courses for them.

The fact that more than 50 of our workers have bought an apartment in the last few years estifies to their firm determination to stay in this area. In addition, every year we have several marriages between INMOLD staff members, and we can also boast that we had about 20 babies last year.

Students are paid for the time spent at INMOLD, so children can earn very decent pocket money and decide for themselves how to use it. Cash compensation is determined according to clear criteria and is very stimulating.

You have more or less included your daughters Dušica and Nevena and your sons Slobodan and Dušan in the business. You must be proud of them because they returned to the family company after studying abroad ...

Yes, it is a great joy for me. My children are here. They were educated abroad, learned languages, had internships in foreign companies and came to INMOLD to make it even better and bigger with their youth and enthusiasm. Three of them are already married, I have two grandchildren, my daughters-in-law and sons-in-law are determined to live in Požega, and because of that, I’m the happiest man in the world. All this is a guarantee that INMOLD will operate well and successfully in future.

Your experts work with interns according to the plan and programme you designed on the basis of the German and Austrian systems.

How is practical training in your company organized and what does it look like?

We try to acquaint children from the first year of high school with their obligations.

Their stay at INMOLD consists of learning specific jobs and of free daily activities of their choice - table tennis, basketball, table football, quizzes...

In the grades that follow, the load gradually increases.We always insist on tidiness, discipline, elementary and general education, hygiene and ecology, and there are also specific jobs that include work in real production in real conditions, on machines that are similar to those on which they will work after graduation. In addition to practical work, we also organise theoretical training in mathematics, English and several mechanical subjects, because what they learn at school is not enough to do the work at INMOLD. This approach takes the stress out of starting an employment relationship.

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BUSINESS

Gruner Gives Youngsters

AN OPPORTUNITY

Apart from bringing salaries for almost 750 workers, German company Gruner has brought something even more valuable to Southern Serbia: its dual education model, which provides young people with an opportunity to gain employment immediately upon graduation, and to plan their future in their home region

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runer has been cooperating with the Vlasotince Technical Vocational Secondary School since 2015, when the programme to train the first generation of industrial mechanics was launched, while today future mechatronics technicians, electronics technicians and CNC operators are being trained here.

Alongside its production of smart meter relays, “start-stop systems” for the automotive industry, injection moulded plastics and metal parts for its own purposes, Vlasotince-based company Gruner Serbia is also renowned for the dual education programme that it conducts in this southern Serbian town. This is a company that’s proud of all its workers, both production personnel and highly educated experts, and particularly the youngest employees, who arrived straight from school benches.

The dual education programme was launched in cooperation with the Technical Vocational Secondary School in 2015 and has developed gradually since then.

Beginning with just one department of industrial mechanics, the initial profile, it has grown to now encompass the training of future mechatronics and electronics technicians and CNC operators. According to Gruner representatives, continuing cooperation with the school forms the basis of the company’s further development, production capacities’ expansion and future increases in employee numbers.

Plans include the opening of a cutting-edge training centre that would provide students with tangible, practical knowhow. Approval has been given for the 34

Gruner is a company that’s proud of all its workers, and particularly the youngest ones, who arrived straight from school benches equipment required for mechatronics technicians to be under the ownership of the school and used at Gruner’s training centre, where all trainees will be provided with appropriate work and study conditions. The goal is for these young people to complete their schooling and earn their diploma having acquired all the necessary skills and knowhow defined by both the curriculum and the needs of employers – not only in Vlasotince, but also among other companies throughout Serbia.

The pupils of the Technical Vocational Secondary School that are included in the

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

dual education programme have stressed how they’re extremely satisfied to know that, thanks to their hard work, study and dedication, they will be able to gain employment as soon as they graduate.

Gruner’s owners are also satisfied, because dual education has helped them to quickly find professional personnel for their specific needs. If the dual education model were to be conveyed to also include higher education institutions, colleges would be producing young experts capable of performing specific tasks immediately upon graduation.

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EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities