2023
Based on the Analysis of the education sector in cooperation with UNICEF the development of the Overall Educational Strategy has began.
With regards to the Strategy of digitalization of the education system 2022-2027, with the Action Plan for 2022 and 2023, the implementation is ongoing. The focus is on the improvement of teachers and pupils' digital competences, as well as schools equipment and development of a safe environment through the self-care skills of pupils. Workshops have been developed and organized in 5 schools.
A support program for pupils from Ukraine is being implemented, focusing on socio-emotional competences and support through the engagement of Ukrainian pedagogical workers as supportive associates, from the engagement of a special teacher.
2022
The education process in elementary schools started on 5th September, the duration of the school lessons is now 45 minutes as it was before the pandemic and the curricula is adjusted to that duration.
An Analysis of the education sector in cooperation with UNICEF has been finalized. This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the education sector (ESA) in Montenegro and serves as an input for the future development of a long-term evidence-based education sector plan for Montenegro to ensure quality education for all. ESA is a joint venture between the Ministry, UNICEF and a consulting team led by company Sofreco that supported the analysis. ESA focuses on preschool, primary and secondary education. The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the education sector that draws on a wide range of available secondary data, previous studies and research papers, as well as new evidence gathered through stakeholder interviews and job satisfaction surveys. The focus is on quantitative data covering the period 2015-2020, as the last complete reporting year for which data is available. Tertiary and private education are outside the scope of this study. The ESA is aligned with the Methodological Guidelines for Education Sector Analysis, developed by UNESCO, the World Bank (WB), UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
The Strategy of digitalization of the education system 2022-2027, with the Action Plan for 2022 and 2023has been adopted. The Digitalization of the educational system should encourage greater use of ICT in teaching in order to improve the quality and inclusiveness of the teaching process, but also to influence the development of digital competencies of students and employees in educational institutions. In addition, it needs to improve and modernize all processes in the education system, from electronic pedagogical records to data exchange and the launch of a range of electronic services for citizens and other institutions. In this regard, three strategic goals have been identified:
- improvement of the Education Information System,
- development and improvement of the digital ecosystem and development and
- Improving digital skills and competences.
The Digital School Online Learning Platformhas been launched. The Digital school is a platform for learning, teaching, communication and cooperation in the digital environment. It is the basis for creating a secure, supportive, efficient and comprehensive digital education system. The digital school is designed to bring together learning resources for children and adolescents, parents, carers, educators, teachers and other professionals in the education system, as well as to support everyone in developing digital skills through the use of digital tools and distance learning services. Also, the Digital School includes an information portal and a web directory of educational resources on the Internet. It is designed to ensure continuity of learning and reduce the gap in access to learning resources through a sustainable, high-quality and long-term solution for digital learning, which is complementary to teaching and learning in the classroom and supporting children, educators, teachers and families.
2021
#LearnAtHome
156 teachers were involved in the recording of the teaching content in the second semester of the school year 2020/2021 year, for lessons in the Montenegrin language, and 47 class and subject teachers were involved for teaching in the Albanian language. About 3,100 lectures from 20 subjects were recorded.
Priority contents for primary and secondary schools for the school year 2020/2021 year were broadcast on television channels, YouTube channel #UčiDoma https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC07wVCV2n_Zpg3WFb9_9vew and on the portal www.ucidoma.me, sorted by levels of education, subjects and classes.
Enrollment in the first grade of primary school began on April 1, 2021, and can be done electronically, via the website www.upisi.edu.me or at school. Also, enrollment of students in primary music schools was done electronically.
On 27 May 2021, the Parliament of Montenegro passed the Law on Amendments to the Law on Primary Education, which stipulates the right to free textbooks for primary school pupils, at the expense of the state budget.
With regard to the educational process during the pandemic, the second meeting of the Working Group for the organization and monitoring of the educational process during the pandemic COVID-19 was held on 24 August 2021. The education process in schools started on 1st September, but the duration of the school lessons is 30 minutes, and the curricula is unique and adjusted to that duration. Temperature measurement and hand disinfection at the entrance of the schools are mandatory. Wearing masks is a strict recommendation of the Institute of Public Health and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, but the Ministry cannot return from school any child who does not wear a mask, due to their legal right to education.
2020
The Program for Supporting Talented Students (2020-2022)was adopted in January 2020. The Program is a continuation of activities in the field of work with students who show a preference for specific areas. The overall objective of the Program for the Development and Support of Talented Students (2020-2022) is to create systematic conditions for quality primary and secondary education and upbringing of talented students.
#LearnAtHome Project
Pursuant to the Law on the Protection from Infectious Diseases, at the proposal of the Institute of Public Health on Montenegro, The Ministry of Health issued an Order to take temporary measures to prevent the introduction into the country, suppress and prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus on March 16, 2020.
On March 23, the Ministry of Education started applying the new concept of distance learning. The #LearnAtHome project involved recording and broadcasting lectures, in accordance with the curriculum, from most primary school subjects. About 1,700 lectures were recorded. 182 from 35 schools participated in the realization of the project. The broadcasting of content for primary school was carried out on two channels, the YouTube channel #UčiDoma, a website created for the purpose www.ucidoma.me, as well as on the mobile app. Lectures were recorded and broadcast in the Albanian language as well. The realization of the project ensured the continuity of the teaching process and enabled students to acquire new knowledge, i.e. deepen the already acquired, as well as develop skills.
A new portal eDnevnikMNE was developed for parents, which contains information on the childs grades and behaviour.
Enrollment in primary schools for the 2020/2021 school year began on May 18, 2020. Appointments for childrens testings were scheduled electronically.
The begining of the school year, on the recommendation of the Institute for Public Health, was postponed to October 1st, due to the assessment of the health authorities that the beginning of the school year poses a risk to chldrens health, due to the uncertain development of the epidemiological situation. The decision to postpone refers to schools and kindergartends and the Institute for Public Health and representatives of the education system have defined clear recommendations regarding the behaviour, respect for distande, work in groups, desinfection of educational institutions, etc.
For students from the first to sixt grade, the teaching process will be conducted in the classrooms, while students from the seventh to the ninth grade will follow the lectures online. Communication with students who follow online classes will take place through the TEAMS platform.
From the second semester of the school year 2020/21, schools, in accordance with the spatial possibilities, have the opportunity to implement the educational process in the institution for all pupils or to have groups of pupils that rotate weekly, having the possibility to follow the teaching process either at school or online. Classes at the school are cumpolsury for all first-cycle pupils (I, II, III grade of primary school) and preferably IX grade.