At the official opening, participants were addressed and welcomed by representatives of the organisers and the Chair of the Association’s Managing Board, Sinisa Rankovic, as well as representatives of relevant institutions like the Institute’s Deputy Director, Dr Milan Gromovic. The conference was formally opened by the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski.
In his address, Dr Gromovic emphasised that the cooperation between the Institute and the Serbian Association of Special Educators is of particular importance – both in the implementation of joint projects and in the evaluation of inclusive teaching and further developing the education system towards tailored support for learners with disabilities.
It was highlighted that the Association of Special Educators plays an important consultative role in the Institutes’ work, especially in the development of educational achievement standards, the improvement of curricula and programmes, the preparation of guidance materials, and all segments related to the Individual Education Plan (IEP).
Speaking about the significance of the discipline itself, Dr Gromovic noted that special education is an important and longstanding socio-humanistic field, centred on the individual, their needs and their perception of the surrounding environment. He particularly underlined the value of the humanistic principles nurtured within the discipline, stressing that a renewed focus on the individual and their uniqueness is especially important in a contemporary world shaped by rapid technological progress and the development of artificial intelligence.
By participating in the conference, the Institute reaffirmed its commitment to continuous education quality improvement, the strengthening of inclusive practices, and the development of a system based on the needs of every learner.
